S6 History Practice Paper: China Modernisation, Hong Kong Industrialisation And Asian Regional Cooperation

S6 History Practice Paper: China Modernisation, Hong Kong Industrialisation and Asian Regional Cooperation

2026-11-12

S6 History

S6 History practice paper: six questions, eighteen parts, original tasks and marking points on China after 1949, the 1978 reforms, Hong Kong industrialisation and ASEAN.

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Paper details　S6 History practice paper on China after 1949, the 1978 reform and opening, Hong Kong industrialisation and social policy, ASEAN and the post-Cold War regional order, with marking points.

Part 1 Data-based question: China from 1949 to 1978

Study the sources below, then answer all parts.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
1	Source extract 1: In the 1950s the new government first redistributed land in the countryside, then moved peasants into producers cooperatives and brought industry and commerce under state planning. (a) State one economic and one political aim of land reform and collectivisation.	Answer: Economically the aim was to raise farm output and supply food and raw materials for industrialisation, with state procurement channelling resources into heavy industry. Politically it was to weaken the old landlord and lineage power in the villages and extend state administration down to the grassroots. Marking: 3 marks for economic aims, 3 for political aims.
2	(b) Explain one reason for the severe agricultural difficulties of the 1958 Great Leap Forward.	Answer: Decisions were divorced from real conditions. Local output reports were exaggerated, so the state procured grain on the basis of inflated figures and villages were left short of food, while labour was diverted to steel making and crops were not harvested in time. Marking: link between false reporting and procurement (2), or labour misallocation (2).
3	(c) “The political campaigns of 1966 to 1976 brought the Chinese economy to a standstill.” Do you agree? Give two reasons.	Answer: For agreement, schools and enterprises were shut for long periods, technicians and cadres were attacked, management rules collapsed, and both output and technology fell behind. Against agreement, the third front construction and some heavy industrial investment continued, rural small industry grew, and stagnation was also rooted in the efficiency of the planned system itself. Marking: one fact for each side (4), reasoned judgement (2).

Part 2 Data-based question: reform and opening after 1978

Study the sources below, then answer all parts.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
4	Source extract 2: After 1978, farming households took responsibility for output under contract, state enterprises gained more autonomy, and special economic zones were set up along the coast to attract foreign capital and technology. (a) State three economic reform measures after 1978.	Answer: First, farm households contracted for output and kept surplus grain after procurement quotas. Second, state enterprises gained autonomy, paid tax instead of handing over profit, and shareholding was piloted in some places. Third, the economy opened up through special economic zones such as Shenzhen and later coastal cities and foreign-invested firms. Marking: 2 marks each, all specific.
5	(b) Explain how the special economic zones attracted foreign investment.	Answer: The zones offered tax incentives, simpler approval procedures and land use arrangements, and allowed firms to retain foreign exchange and hire workers directly. Proximity to Hong Kong cut transport and management costs, so Hong Kong manufacturers moved production there while keeping orders and finance in the city. Marking: policy incentives (2); location and cost (2).
6	(c) “The 1978 reform and opening was driven mainly by external factors.” Comment on this view.	Answer: For the claim, normalisation of relations with the United States and the success of export-oriented economies in Asia created external conditions, and Hong Kong and foreign capital supplied funds and markets. Against the claim, reform was above all a response to domestic crisis: a decade of political campaigns had damaged output and livelihoods, the leadership needed to restore production and legitimacy, and rural contracting began locally. Marking: one fact for each side (4), reasoned judgement (2).

Part 3 Essay question: Hong Kong industrialisation

Answer in full paragraphs, supporting each point with evidence.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
7	(a) Analyse two reasons why Hong Kong shifted from entrepot trade to manufacturing in the 1950s.	Answer: First, the external environment changed: United Nations trade restrictions on China and regional conditions shrank the entrepot business, so merchants had to find another outlet. Second, local conditions helped: capital, technicians and labour arrived from the mainland, and textile and garment machinery could be imported, so export-oriented light industry grew quickly. Marking: 3 marks per reason, supported by evidence.
8	(b) Explain two challenges faced by Hong Kong industry in the 1970s.	Answer: First, land and wage costs rose and factory space was scarce, squeezing profits in labour-intensive processes. Second, external competition and trade restrictions came together: other Asian economies undercut Hong Kong on cost and major markets set quotas on textiles, forcing firms to upgrade quality and design. Marking: 3 marks per challenge.
9	(c) “Hong Kong economic success rested entirely on the free market.” Comment.	Answer: For the claim, low and simple taxes and an open economy let capital and goods move freely, and firms adjusted quickly to market signals. Against the claim, the government supplied critical conditions: public housing and new towns, education and technical training, trade promotion bodies that opened markets, and institutional stability during financial crises. Marking: one fact for each side (4), reasoned judgement (2).

Part 4 Essay question: Hong Kong social policy and economic restructuring

Answer in full paragraphs, supporting each point with evidence.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
10	(a) State two policy measures in housing and education in 1970s Hong Kong.	Answer: In housing, the government launched a ten-year housing programme, built new towns and public estates, and improved conditions in resettlement areas. In education, nine years of free compulsory schooling were introduced, secondary places expanded, and technical schools and vocational training were added to match industrial skills. Marking: 3 marks for housing, 3 for education.
11	(b) Explain how the northward shift of manufacturing in the 1980s changed employment in Hong Kong.	Answer: Labour-intensive processes moved to the Pearl River Delta, so local manufacturing jobs fell and low-skilled workers either lost work or moved into wholesale, transport and security services. Management, design, order-taking and finance stayed and expanded, tilting employment towards services and higher-skilled posts and widening income differences. Marking: job losses (3); structural shift (3).
12	(c) Comment on continuity and change in Hong Kong economic institutions after the 1997 handover.	Answer: On continuity, the Basic Law protected private property, low taxation and free trade, the currency peg continued, and contract enforcement stayed under the common law. On change, integration with the mainland accelerated: CEPA and the individual visit scheme widened markets for services, while Hong Kong became more sensitive to external shocks and mainland policy. Marking: 3 marks each for continuity and change, with examples.

Part 5 Data-based question: Asian regional cooperation

Study the sources below, then answer all parts.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
13	Source extract 3: In 1967 five Southeast Asian states formed a regional organisation to promote economic cooperation and regional stability. In the 1980s several Asian economies grew fast through export-oriented strategies. (a) State two aims of the organisation at its founding.	Answer: First, to promote economic and social cooperation among members, including trade and industrial projects. Second, to maintain regional peace and stability by consulting over disputes among members and limiting the room for outside powers. Marking: 2 marks each.
14	(b) Explain two conditions behind the rapid growth of export-oriented Asian economies in the 1980s.	Answer: First, a stable macroeconomic environment and high savings supported investment, and governments invested in basic education and technical training so the workforce could handle more complex processes. Second, external markets were open: developed countries cut tariffs and outsourced production, and multinational firms relocated lines, supplying orders and technology. Marking: 3 marks per condition.
15	(c) Compare ASEAN and the European Union in regional integration.	Answer: The depth differs. The European Union built a customs union, a single market, common policies and supranational institutions, and some members adopted a shared currency, so states surrender part of their sovereignty. ASEAN works through intergovernmental consultation, stresses non-interference and consensus, and focuses economic cooperation on gradual tariff reduction and facilitation, with no supranational body. Marking: 3 marks per difference.

Part 6 Essay question: the post-Cold War order

Answer in full paragraphs, supporting each point with evidence.

#	Question	Answer and marking notes
16	(a) Explain two reasons why globalisation accelerated in the 1990s.	Answer: First, the end of the Cold War spread market institutions to eastern Europe and beyond, and tariffs and trade barriers kept falling under multilateral agreements. Second, information and transport costs dropped sharply, letting firms spread production across countries and coordinate supply chains in real time. Marking: 3 marks per reason.
17	(b) Explain how China joining the World Trade Organisation in 2001 affected Hong Kong re-exports.	Answer: There were two effects. On one hand, mainland exports and imports grew and Hong Kong gained as an intermediary port and logistics centre, so re-export value rose. On the other hand, mainland ports and airports gained direct links to overseas markets, some cargo stopped transiting Hong Kong, its share fell, and the city had to move into higher-value logistics and trade services. Marking: gains (2); diversion (2).
18	(c) “After the Cold War, regional organisations replaced the role of the United Nations.” Comment on this view.	Answer: For the claim, regional bodies are more flexible on trade rules, peacekeeping and crisis management, and organisations such as the OSCE and the African Union intervene first in local conflicts. Against the claim, the United Nations retains universal legitimacy on sanctions, international law and humanitarian relief, Security Council resolutions provide the legal basis for action, and regional operations usually still need UN authorisation or support. Marking: one fact for each side (4), reasoned judgement (2).

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