How useful is the site as evidence? (10 marks)

Question: How useful is the site itself as evidence for understanding [a specified historical theme, e.g. 'medieval warfare' / 'monastic life' / 'industrial labour']? (10 marks)

Mark scheme (AO1 + AO3):

• Level 1 (1–2): Asserts usefulness without evidence.
• Level 2 (3–4): Some site features cited; usefulness loosely claimed.
• Level 3 (5–6): Explains both strengths (what the site shows) and limitations (what is missing, ruined, reconstructed) of physical evidence.
• Level 4 (7–8): Evaluates with reference to provenance, survival bias, later alteration, and absence of documentary record.
• Level 5 (9–10): Sustained judgement weighing site evidence against contextual knowledge; uses historiographical awareness (e.g. Coulson on symbolic castles; landscape-archaeology approaches).
• Indicative content: stratigraphy, dendrochronology of timbers, slighting, post-medieval robbing, antiquarian reconstruction, comparison with documentary sources (Pipe Rolls, monastic cartularies).