Cambridge IGCSE History 0470/22 is the May/June 2026 Paper 2 (Document Questions), variant 2. It lasts 1 hour 45 minutes, is worth 40 marks and is sat by every 0470 candidate. You answer one question on one option: Option A on the Freedmen’s Bureau in the USA after the Civil War, or Option B on German anger at the Treaty of Versailles. Each option gives you background information, seven sources and five parts, and the final 9-mark part asks you to test a statement with all seven sources. This guide describes the sources and shows what each level of the official mark scheme needed. The paper and its mark scheme are free on the Tutopiya Learning Portal.

For an overview of all three 0470 papers from this series, see IGCSE History 0470 May/June 2026 past papers: what came up and how it was marked.

0470/22 at a glance

Rubric: answer all parts of one question, on one option only.

Part	Option A: Freedmen’s Bureau (Question 1)	Option B: Treaty of Versailles (Question 2)	Marks
(a)	Why Source A was published in February 1866	How far Sources A and B agree	7
(b)	How similar Sources B and C are	How similar the two cartoons, C and D, are	8
(c)	Whether Source D makes Source E surprising	How far Source E proves Lamont in Source F wrong	8
(d)	How far the two pictures, F and G, agree	Whether Source G is surprising	8
(e)	Whether all the sources show the criticisms were valid	Whether all the sources show the Germans were justified	9
	Total (one option)		40

Question-by-question walkthrough

Every part is level-marked. Across both options, three rules decide most marks:

• Answer the actual question. If a part asks whether something is surprising, or whether a source proves another wrong, you must say so. Answers that analyse well but never give that verdict were held at Level 2.
• Support everything from the sources. Almost every upper level carries a note that unsupported answers drop at least one level.
• Aim for the big message or point of view. The mark schemes separate sub-messages (details), big messages (what the source says overall) and points of view (what the author thinks and wants). The top levels need the last two.

Option A: How far were criticisms of the Freedmen’s Bureau valid?

The background explains that Congress set up the Bureau in 1865 to help freed people with rations, schools, hospitals and labour contracts. Critics, especially white Southerners, attacked it as corrupt and as making freed people idle. President Johnson vetoed its renewal in February 1866 and sent two generals to investigate it, and Congress finally renewed it in July.

The sources:

• Source A: an article in the New York Tribune (February 1866), owned by the Radical Republican Horace Greeley, praising the Bureau as a great success that keeps the peace and has saved freed people from hunger and abuse.
• Source B: an article in the Democratic-supporting New York Herald (February 1866) attacking the renewal bill as a corrupt political machine for the Radicals that keeps freed people idle at the expense of white taxpayers.
• Source C: the New Orleans Tribune (October 1867), the first daily paper for black Americans, complaining that Bureau agents side with the planters and send mistreated labourers back to their employers.
• Source D: the report of Generals Steedman and Fullerton (May 1866), which accepts that some districts are well run but accuses agents of paying low wages and says the Bureau encourages idleness and resentment.
• Source E: The Nation (August 1866), a New York paper, dismissing the generals’ report as predictable, one-sided and written to support the President.
• Source F: a magazine cartoon (October 1866) of two freedmen relaxing, one playing a banjo, among sacks of food outside a Bureau office, with a caption mocking the Bureau as giving plenty to eat and nothing to do.
• Source G: a magazine picture (1868) of a figure representing the Bureau standing between armed white Southerners and armed freedmen, holding them apart.

1(a) Why was Source A published in February 1866? (7 marks)

One mark for each step up the ladder, and from Level 3 upwards your explanation has to be given as the reason for publication.

• 1 mark for paraphrasing; 2 for explaining a message or impact without linking it to publication.
• 3 marks for sub-messages as the reason (the Bureau has helped freed people, kept the peace, stopped crime).
• 4 marks for the big message (the Bureau has been a success) or the intended impact, but not tied to 1866.
• 5 marks for the context of 1866 as the reason; 6 for the big message explained in that context.
• 7 marks for the intended impact explained in context. The context the mark scheme wanted was President Johnson’s opposition to the Bureau, and the purpose was to persuade Congress, Johnson or the public to support it. The top level needs message, context and intended impact together.

1(b) How similar are Sources B and C? (8 marks)

• 3 to 4 marks for explaining what one or both sources say about the Bureau without comparing them (4 if supported).
• 5 to 6 marks for a valid agreement or disagreement that stops short of explicit criticism.
• 7 marks for explaining that both criticise the Bureau.
• 8 marks for seeing the difference within that similarity: B is against the Bureau existing at all, while C is disappointed that it is not working properly for freed people. Explaining that both criticise it but for different reasons, with the reasons explained, also reached the top.

Answers at Levels 4 to 6 had to be supported from the sources or they dropped to Level 3. Comparing provenance only scored 2.

1(c) Does Source D make Source E surprising? (8 marks)

The big messages are opposite: D criticises the Bureau as not working or doing harm, and E praises it as doing a good job. Sub-messages include that both describe the generals’ report as critical, both accept the Bureau can work well, and D is the report that E dismisses.

• 2 to 3 marks for comparing the sources without saying whether E is surprising.
• 4 to 5 marks for comparing supported sub-messages.
• 6 marks for comparing sub-messages and evaluating one source, or for explaining in context why E is or isn’t surprising without comparing it to D.
• 7 marks for comparing the big messages, supported.
• 8 marks for comparing the big messages and evaluating at least one source, for example by considering why it was written.

1(d) How far do Sources F and G agree? (8 marks)

• 2 to 3 marks for comparing sub-messages (for example, the freedmen look much happier in F than in G).
• 4 to 5 marks for explaining the big message or point of view of one or both without a valid comparison.
• 6 to 7 marks for comparing the big messages: in F the Bureau is bad, letting freed people be lazy; in G it is good and useful.
• 8 marks for the cartoonists’ points of view, made explicit: F’s artist is criticising the Bureau, while G’s artist is praising it for preventing violence between Southerners and freed people.

Unsupported answers at Levels 4 and 5 dropped to Level 3.

1(e) How far do the sources show the criticisms were valid? (9 marks)

The mark scheme lists B, C, D, E and F as able to support the statement, and A, D, E and G as able to reject it. D and E appear on both lists; D, for example, criticises the Bureau but admits it works well in some districts.

• 1 mark for writing about the topic with no source use; 2 for using sources without testing the statement.
• 3 to 5 marks for using sources on one side only.
• 6 to 9 marks for using sources to support and to reject the statement.

Each source use must name the source by letter, provenance or a quote, use what it says and explain how that supports or rejects the statement.

Option B: How far did the Germans have good reason to be angry about the Treaty of Versailles?

The background explains that the terms were presented to Germany on 7 May 1919, that Germany sent objections by the end of May, that only minor changes followed, and that Germany signed reluctantly on 28 June.

The sources:

• Source A: a recent study arguing that Germany saw the Treaty as a dictated peace that ignored Wilson’s ideas, unfairly blamed Germany for the war and redrew the map clumsily, with the eastern frontier and Poland most hated.
• Source B: a recent account arguing that the Treaty did reflect Wilson’s ideals and that its frontiers followed self-determination better than any before, but that reparations were too harsh and war guilt was what Germans hated most.
• Source C: a British newspaper cartoon (October 1921) of a well-fed German eating at a full table beside a bag of gold, while a “Forgive-Germany” campaigner pleads that he is too poor to pay reparations.
• Source D: an American newspaper cartoon (1921) of a small figure of Germany next to an enormous sack of reparations, daring the Allies to collect it.
• Source E: the German reply to the draft Treaty (15 May 1919), claiming that the loss of colonies and the merchant fleet would destroy German industry and cause millions of deaths.
• Source F: a 1921 article by Thomas Lamont, one of Wilson’s chief advisers, arguing that the reparations were reasonable because Germany’s industry was undamaged and the sum was small compared with the cost of the war.
• Source G: a 1933 book by Harold Nicolson, a British delegate, admitting that the peacemakers produced treaties that were neither just nor wise and disguised revenge as Wilsonian idealism.

2(a) How far do Sources A and B agree? (7 marks)

Agreements in the mark scheme: Germany was left out of the talks, reparations were too high, blaming Germany for the war was unfair, frontiers were redrawn, Germany disliked the Treaty, and both criticise it (this last one must be supported). Disagreements: whether the Treaty reflected Wilson’s ideas, whether the new frontiers were clumsy or fair, which term Germans hated most (the eastern frontier in A, war guilt in B), and whether Clemenceau succeeded. Saying that both mention reparations or a war guilt clause was not credited as agreement.

• 2 marks for information in one source only, provenance or “same topic”.
• 3 to 4 marks for agreements or disagreements; 5 to 6 for both.
• 7 marks for comparing the big messages: A is critical of the Treaty, while B is both critical and supportive, backed with examples. Unsupported big-message answers went into Level 3.

2(b) How similar are Cartoons C and D? (8 marks)

The valid messages had to be about reparations: C says Germany can pay and the reparations are not too high, D says they are too high and Germany cannot pay, and in both Germany has no intention of paying.

• 3 to 4 marks for one cartoon’s message, or comparisons not about reparations (Germany looks strong in C and weak in D).
• 5 to 6 marks for comparing valid messages about reparations.
• 7 to 8 marks for comparing points of view: C supports reparations and mocks the idea that Germany can’t pay, while D is against them as too high to collect. It must be supported, or it stays at Level 4.

Reading C as against reparations, or D as supporting them, was not allowed. The figure with the umbrella in C could be read as Wilson or the USA.

2(c) How far does Source E prove Lamont wrong? (8 marks)

The overall points of view are that E sees the Treaty and reparations as unfair and ruinous, while F sees them as fair and affordable. Sub-messages, such as the state of German industry, don’t amount to a judgement.

• 2 marks for comparing the sources without saying whether F was wrong.
• 3 to 4 marks for using purpose, context or cross-reference to judge F without using E.
• 5 marks for comparing sub-messages.
• 6 to 7 marks for comparing the points of view and using the difference to say F was wrong, or comparing sub-messages and evaluating one source.
• 8 marks for comparing points of view and evaluating at least one source, by purpose, context or cross-reference, in a way that helps answer the question. For example, E is Germany’s official reply to terms it wanted changed, while F was written by one of Wilson’s chief advisers at the conference.

2(d) Is Source G surprising? (8 marks)

Levels 4 to 6 must work from G’s big message, that the Treaty was a disastrous mistake. Picking out details, such as the peace being imperialist or vengeful, counts as a sub-message unless you spell out that it means the Treaty was wrong.

• 2 marks for analysing G without saying whether it is surprising.
• 3 to 4 marks for testing sub-messages, or answers based only on what is inside G or on everyday empathy.
• 5 to 6 marks for using cross-reference or context to argue the big message is surprising.
• 7 marks for using cross-reference or context to argue it is not surprising.
• 8 marks for using Nicolson’s likely purpose in context, or the rise of Hitler by 1933, to explain why his verdict is not surprising.

The mark scheme notes that making clear which part of G you are testing helps, and that the phrase about the treaties being neither just nor wise is the natural anchor.

2(e) How far do the sources show the Germans were justified? (9 marks)

The mark scheme lists A, B, D, E and G as able to support the statement, and B, C and F as able to reject it. B works both ways.

• 3 to 5 marks for one side only; 6 to 9 for both sides.
• You had to test the statement as set: that the Germans were justified in their view that the Treaty was unfair. Testing a different statement, such as “the Treaty was unfair”, counted as not testing the statement and scored 2.

Where the marks are on 0470/22

Skill	Option A	Option B
Comparing two sources	16 ((b), (d))	15 ((a), (b))
Purpose or surprise of a single source	7 ((a))	8 ((d))
Testing one source against another	8 ((c))	8 ((c))
Testing a statement with all seven sources	9 ((e))	9 ((e))
Total	40	40

• Comparison is the biggest skill on both options. Practise comparing points of view, not just details.
• “Surprising” and “prove wrong” parts have a gate. Option A (c) and Option B (c) and (d) held answers at Level 2 if they never said whether the source was surprising or whether Lamont was wrong, however good the analysis.
• The paper tests two assessment objectives: AO3 (interpreting and evaluating sources in context) and AO1 (using your own knowledge), which is why the top levels in (a), (c) and (d) ask for context.

How to self-mark 0470/22 with the mark scheme

1. Find your level, not your points. Read the levels for each part from the top down and stop at the first one your answer fully meets.
2. Check the gatekeeper notes first. For each part, check the note in the guidance column (surprise stated, verdict given, answer supported, right statement tested). Missing it moves you down whatever else you wrote.
3. Label each comparison as a detail (sub-message), an overall message, or an author’s point of view. Your best label sets your level.
4. Look for evaluation. For 1(c) and 2(c), check that you questioned at least one source’s purpose, context or reliability, and that this helped answer the question.
5. For part (e), tick and cross. Put a tick next to each source you used in support and a cross next to each one used against, as examiners do. Count only uses that name the source and explain how it helps.
6. Note which sources the mark scheme lists on both sides. If you used D, E (Option A) or B (Option B) on one side only, see how it could have worked on the other.

Sit 0470/22 as a timed mock

You have 105 minutes for 40 marks. The reading time is part of that, so build it in.

Block	Marks	Time
Read the background and all seven sources, annotate each	–	15 minutes
Part (a)	7	13 minutes
Part (b)	8	15 minutes
Part (c)	8	15 minutes
Part (d)	8	15 minutes
Part (e)	9	22 minutes
Check that every part gives a clear verdict	–	10 minutes

For part (e), make a quick two-column list of sources for and against before you write, and use each source only once per side.

Other May/June 2026 0470 papers

• 0470 Paper 12 (Structured Questions)
• 0470 Paper 42 (Alternative to Coursework)

Practise and download

• Download 0470/22 and its mark scheme on the Learning Portal →
• All 0470 May/June 2026 papers: overview and marking patterns
• Try a free IGCSE History quiz

Need help with a 0470 topic? Book a free trial lesson with an IGCSE History tutor →

Frequently asked questions

What were the source topics on 0470 Paper 22 May/June 2026? +

Option A (nineteenth century) asked how far criticisms of the Freedmen's Bureau in the USA were valid. Option B (twentieth century) asked how far the Germans had good reason to be angry about the Treaty of Versailles. You answer one option only.

How many marks is 0470/22 and how long is it? +

It is out of 40 marks and lasts 1 hour 45 minutes. Each option has seven sources and five parts worth 7, 8, 8, 8 and 9 marks.

How do you get full marks on the 0470/22 'how far do these sources agree' questions? +

Compare the big messages or the authors' points of view, not just details, and support every claim from both sources. In Option B (a), the 7-mark level needed you to see that Source A is critical of the Treaty while Source B is both critical and supportive. Unsupported answers dropped to a lower level.

What does the mark scheme want in a 'surprising' question on 0470/22? +

A clear yes or no about surprise, then cross-reference or context to back it up. In Option B (d) the top mark used Nicolson's likely purpose in 1933, or the rise of Hitler, to explain why his verdict on the Treaty is not surprising. Answers that analysed the source but never said whether it was surprising got 2 marks.

How is the 9-mark part (e) marked on 0470/22? +

Using sources on one side only scores 3 to 5. Using them to both support and reject the statement scores 6 to 9. Each use needs the source letter, provenance or a quote, plus an explanation of how it supports or rejects the statement. In Option B, testing 'the Treaty was unfair' instead of whether the Germans were justified in that view dropped answers to 2 marks.

Where can I download 0470/22 May/June 2026 and its mark scheme? +

Both are free to download and print on the Tutopiya Learning Portal, on the Cambridge IGCSE History 0470 past papers page.

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