What is the difference between a trigger and a cause?

A trigger is the immediate incident, while causes are the long-term conditions without which the incident would not have escalated.

How should a treaty be judged?

By whether its terms can be enforced and borne, and whether they fit the balance of power and long-term stability.

S5 History First World War, Paper 1: causes, turning points and the Treaty of Versailles

2026-11-02

Tutor Prep Guide · Primary English

Paper 1 begins with Sarajevo, unpacks the four underlying causes and the two blocs, then covers the Schlieffen Plan, the 1917 turning points, a death-rate calculation and the 1919 settlement.

Focus　Keep the trigger separate from the underlying causes, subtract years for duration, and divide deaths by total mobilisation for a death rate.

01　Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10
Suggested time	25
Difficulty mix	Foundation 4 · Intermediate 3 · Challenge 2 · Error redo 1
Chapter	Chapter: S5 History: The First World War
Level	S5

02　Questions (10 items)

FoundationWhat incident triggered the First World War?
FoundationWhat are the four underlying causes of the First World War?
FoundationWhat were the two alliance blocs called?
FoundationHow many years did the First World War last?
IntermediateWhat was the aim of the German Schlieffen Plan?
IntermediateWhich two turning points changed the war in 1917?
IntermediateWhen was the Treaty of Versailles signed and how long after the armistice?
ChallengeAbout 8.5 million soldiers died out of some 65 million mobilised. What was the death rate?
ChallengeWhy is the Treaty of Versailles seen as a seed of the Second World War?
Error redoError: a student says the war happened only because of the assassination. What is correct?

03　Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo in 1914	The assassination was only the spark, and alliance obligations dragged the powers into a general war.
2	Nationalism, imperial rivalry, the arms race and the alliance system	The four reinforced each other, turning a regional quarrel into a continental war.
3	The Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottomans against the Allies of Britain, France and Russia	Russia left in 1917 and the United States joined, and the Allies finally won.
4	Four years	1918 minus 1914 is four years, ending with the armistice of 11 November 1918.
5	To defeat France quickly and then turn east against Russia, avoiding a war on two fronts	The plan required a swift sweep through Belgium, but the Marne checked it and the western front became trench stalemate.
6	The entry of the United States and the withdrawal of revolutionary Russia	American men and material tipped the balance even as Russia’s exit let Germany concentrate in the west.
7	In 1919, one year after the armistice	1919 minus 1918 is one year, and the treaty imposed a war-guilt clause, territorial losses, reparations and disarmament.
8	About 13.1 per cent	850 over 6500 is 0.1308, about 13.1 per cent, or roughly one death for every eight men mobilised.
9	Its harsh reparations and territorial terms bred German resentment while the League lacked the power to enforce them	The settlement was neither enforced nor reconciled, and economic collapse plus national grievance fed extremist politics.
10	The assassination was the trigger, while nationalism, imperial rivalry, the arms race and the alliance system were the deeper causes	Without rigid alliances and mobilisation timetables, a local assassination would not have become a European war within weeks.

04　What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

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