"The main reason for the Norman victory at Hastings was their superior tactics." How much do you agree with this argument? Explain your reasoning

Always be sure when approaching these questions to know a few things of what the question wants. "Main reason", "Norman victory", "superior tactics". By breaking every question down into:What it wants us to discuss ("Main reason for...")What the question is based on ("Norman victory at Hastings")And the centre it wants us to argue around ("superior tactics")We're able to approach every 16 marker in a manageable and confident way!Really great answers to this question will give their argument in the introduction, whilst also acknowledging contrasting points. For example: "Although the Norman's superior tactics were an important factor. instead, the weakness of the Anglo-Saxons is the main reason the Normans won the battle at Hastings." When answering these big questions, it's always a good idea to plan! What points will you use in the answer? What are your paragraphs? What is your ultimate answer to the question? Don't be afraid to plan for 5 or even close to 10 minutes when doing these questions! Planning out what you're going to do saves time in the long run. Now you have your paragraphs ready, and you have an idea of what you want to talk about, we need to order our knowledge and argument in a way that really gets across what you're saying. A good format when talking about a certain point in a paragraph is the P.E.E.L format! Using this, you'll always have a logical way to work through your point. P: Point. What is the main point about your paragraph? What does it centre around? Here, it may be "The superior tactics of the Normans" or it may be something else you think of that you can explain and support with evidence. E: Evidence. What is your evidence to support this point? Specific knowledge is really important, as it is the armour of your argument! For this question "For example, the fake retreat during the battle" is specific own knowledge, and shows off how much you know! E: Explain. How does this evidence support your point? Why is it important to the question? "Because it tricked the Anglo-Saxons into coming down the hill, and losing their advantage." L: Link. Amazing answers will finish the paragraph with a link back to the question, showing that you're really considering what the question wants. "Showing that the superior tactics were the most important reason for Norman victory at Hastings, as it turned the battle to the Norman's favour." Even if you only do half of these tips, you're already doing a really good essay that you should be proud of! Even if they look scary, remember that if you use a reliable format that suits you, you can handle them with ease! :)