Source-Based Case

Study (SBCS) Skills

Basics
 What is SBCS? (70% of SS paper)
Source-based case study questions require you to
demonstrate an understanding of societal issues.

Skills to be learnt:
- Inference
- Purpose
- Comparison
- Reliability/Utility
- Surprise
- Hybrid* (O levels)
- Evaluation
Steps to tackle SBCS - GRAFFITI
1) Read issue question first
2) Read and annotate key ideas in background
information
3) Identify sources that agree and disagree with issue
question
4) Identify potentially bias sources
5) Identify and write down skills required in each
question
6) Read sources carefully – highlight key phrases/words
7) Read the questions carefully – do they have a specific
focus?
8) Answer questions using structure taught
Source-Based Skills
Inference
Inference
Definition: a conclusion reached on the
basis of evidence and reasoning

Example of questions:
- What is the message of the source?
- What can you infer/tell/say from the
source?
- What does the source show you about …?
- Does the author agree/disagree with …?
 Write the underlying
Inference ‘Structure’ message/main point of the
source details

Inference = Conclusion +
Explanation + Evidence

Use your own words to give a Describe the cartoon OR

reason for your conclusion quote from the source.
 Inference ‘Structure’
Sample:
The message of the source* is to tell me that
(inference) because (explanation). The evidence
is (quote from source).

*Please answer the question using question

stem.
Source-Based Skills
Purpose
Purpose
Definition: a reason for which something
was done

Example of questions:
- Why did the author make this
statement?
- What was the purpose of this source?
- Is the cartoonist a supporter/opponent
of the source?
- Does the author agree that …?
 Purpose ‘Structure’

Purpose = Inference + Outcome

Conclusion + Explanation + Consequence of making

Evidence the inference – i.e. actions
*The inference is VERY to be taken
IMPORTANT.
 Purpose ‘Structure’ For every sentence (except
evidence), you MUST ensure it
Sample: is written in a reason format.
The author* made this statement to convey the
message that (inference) because (explanation).
The evidence is (quote from source). With this
message, (author) wants to (author’s action) the
(audience) so that they will (audience action).
* Please specify who the author is.
Source-Based Skills
Comparison
 Comparison
Definition: to note the similarities and/or differences
between two sources
Example of questions:
Single-sided comparison
- In what ways are the sources similar/different?
- In what ways do the sources agree/disagree with each other?
- How are the sources similar/different?
Double-sided comparison
- How different/similar are the sources?
- How far are the sources different/similar?
- How far do the sources agree/disagree with each other?
- To what extent are the sources different/similar?
- To what extent do the sources agree/disagree with each other?
What can we compare? Purpose of authors
- Do the authors of the source
have the same audience and
intention?
- Are both authors sending the
same message about a specific
issue in the source?

Attitude of authors
- What attitudes do the authors
have towards a specific issue?
- Are these attitudes
hostile/against or supportive?
Content - Do not use ‘positive’ or ‘negative’
- Who is involved? attitude. They are too vague.
- What are the behaviours
of those involved?
- What are the reactions
of those involved?
- Are the messages of
both sources similar or
different?
Comparison ‘Structure’
Point of Comparison Category –
VERY important

+
Explanation of both sources
+
Describe the cartoon OR
quote from the source.

Evidence from both sources

 Comparison ‘Structure’
Entry Level - Source content (similar/agree AND difference/disagree)
Both sources are similar/different* in telling me (point of comparison – e.g. whether the
government is to be blamed for not providing enough subsidies for housing to its citizens.) A
says (explanation – government is to be blamed because …) but B says (explanation –
government is not to be blamed because …) The evidence from A is (quote matching evidence
from A) while evidence from B is (quote matching evidence from B).

Intermediate Level – Similar/Different in Attitude

Both sources are different/similar* in the authors’ attitude towards (specify the issue). Author
in A is hostile/against/supportive towards (issue) because (explain why in own words – i.e.
inference from A). The evidence from A is (quote matching evidence from A). The author in B is
hostile/against/supportive towards (issue) because (explain in own words – i.e. inference from
B) The evidence from B is (quote matching evidence from B).

Advanced Level – Similar/Different in Purpose

Both sources are different/similar* in the authors’ purpose. Author A wants to (author’s action,
audience, audience action). The evidence is (quote from A). Similarly/However*, Author B wants
to (author’s action, audience, audience action). The evidence is (quote from B).
Source-Based Skills
Reliability
Reliability-type Questions

Key command words

Reliable Prove Believe/Trust

Reliability
These questions seek to test the credibility of the
source in question.

Example of questions:
- How reliable is this source as evidence of
(something)?
- Can we trust/believe source A?
- Does A prove that (something)?
How to tell if a source is reliable or not?
Purpose
- Does the author have a hidden
agenda or motive?
- Is so, what is his motive?
- If he has an agenda, he is most
likely unreliable as he is one-
Cross-reference sided and biased.
- Reliable/unreliable based on
cross-reference to another
unbiased source on the same
message
- Is the message we are checking
the same? If it is the opposite,
original source cannot be
reliable!

Content
- Reliable because the
source says so
- Message of the source
(inference)
 Reliability ‘Structure’
Entry Level – Reliable based on Content
Source A is reliable as it tells me that (inference). The evidence is (quote from source).

Intermediate Level – Reliable/Not reliable based on Cross reference (to 1 unbiased

source*)
Source A is reliable/unreliable as it is supported/contradicted by (unbiased source).
(Unbiased source) tells me that (inference – same or opposite of source A). The
evidence is (quote from unbiased source).

Advanced Level – Purpose of author

Source A is unreliable as it is one-sided and biased. The author in A is (position – who is
he?). Therefore, he wants to paint a positive/negative picture of his ally/opponent
because (explanation). The evidence is (quote from source A). Hence, the (author)
wants the (audience) to know that (inference of A in paragraph 1) so that the
(audience) will (audience action – what does the author want the audience to do?)
Source-Based Skills
Utility
Utility
These questions seek to test the usefulness of the
source (i.e. can this source be used to justify a
viewpoint?). Hence, it is similar to reliability
questions – follow a similar structure.

Example of question:
- How useful is this source as evidence of (the
issue)?
 Purpose
- Does the author have a

Useful or not?
hidden agenda or motive?
- Is so, what is his motive?
- If he has a motive, he is
unreliable therefore not
useful.
- If he is unbiased and
Cross-reference (CR)
objective, we can believe him,
- Useful/not useful based on cross-
therefore useful.
reference to another unbiased
source on the same message
- Is the message we are checking
the same? If it is the opposite,
original source cannot be useful!
- Must include reliability
statement as CR is a way of
checking reliability

Content
- Useful because the
source says so
- Message of the source
(inference)
 Utility ‘Structure’
Entry Level – Useful based on Content
Source A is useful as evidence of (the issue) it tells me that (inference w.r.t the issue,
explanation). The evidence is (quote from source).

Intermediate Level – Useful/Notuseful based on Cross reference (to 1 unbiased source*)

Source A is useful/not useful as it is supported/contradicted by (unbiased source).
(Unbiased source) tells me that (inference – same or opposite of source A and
explanation). The evidence is (quote from unbiased source). Since A is reliable/unreliable,
it is useful/not useful. The reliability statement is a MUST
when doing CR and/or provenance
Advanced Level - Provenance Explained [if author is one-sided] explained.

Source A is not useful as it is one-sided and biased. The author in A is (position – who is
he?). Therefore, he wants to paint a positive/negative picture of his ally/opponent
because (explanation). The evidence is (quote from source A). Hence, the (author) wants
the (audience) to know that (inference of A in paragraph 1) so that the (audience) will
(audience action – what does the author want the audience to do?). Since A is unreliable,
it is not useful.
 Utility ‘Structure’
Advanced Level - Provenance Explained [if there is extreme/loaded language]
Source A is not useful as the author used extreme/loaded language. The author in A used words
such as (quote extreme words from source). By his choice of words, he is overly emotional as he is
feeling (describe the feeling e.g. hostile/infurated/euphoric). Hence, he is not being objective and
therefore cannot be trusted. Since A is unreliable, it is not useful. The reliability statement is a MUST
when doing CR and/or provenance
explained.
Advanced Level - Provenance Explained [if source is objective]
Source A is useful as the author is objective and neutral. The author in A highlighted the positives
and negatives of (describe the issue). In the source, he says that (explain what is the positive view
point). The evidence is (quote from source). In addition, he also said that (explain what is the
negative view point). The evidence is (quote from source). Since he author was objective and
neutral, Source A is reliable therefore useful.
Source-Based Skills
Surprise
 Provenance/Purpose/Logical
reasoning

Surprised or not?
- Does the author have a
hidden agenda or motive?
- Is what the author said
expected based on who he
is?
- If yes, we are not surprised.
Cross-reference (CR) - If no, we are indeed
- Surprise/Not surprised based on surprised.
cross-reference to another
unbiased source on the same
message
- Is the message we are checking
the same? If yes, we are not
surprised. If it is the opposite, we
are surprised!

Content
- Not surprised
- Message of the source
(inference)
 Surprise ‘Structure’
Entry Level – Not surprised based on content
I am not surprised by Source A as it tells me that (inference). The evidence is
(quote from source).

Intermediate Level - Cross reference (to 1 unbiased source*)

I am not surprised/surprised by A as it is supported/contradicted by (unbiased
source). (Unbiased source) tells me that (inference – same or opposite of source
A). The evidence is (quote from unbiased source).

Advanced Level - Provenance/Purpose

I am not surprised by A because he is (position – who is he?). He is expected to
(explain what is the author’s stand). The evidence is (quote from source A).
Hence, it is only natural that the (author) wants the (audience) to know that
(inference of A in paragraph 1) so that the (audience) will (audience action – what
does the author want the audience to do?)
Source-Based Skills
Hybrid
 Hybrid Questions
These questions seek to make comparisons between
2 sources and/or test the reliability of the root
source.
In most cases, such questions demand students to
make comparisons between the 2 given sources and
check the reliability of the root source through its
provenance.
It is rare (but possible) that students need to do
cross-referencing to check the reliability of the root
source.
Hybrid-type Questions
Complex/Double Surprise Complex/Double Reliability
Study Sources A and B. Study Sources A and B.

• Does A make B • Does A show that B is READ!

surprising? wrong/correct? It is only necessary
to identify the root
• Having read B, are you • How far does B show A source (circled) if
surprised by A? wrong/correct? there is a need to
do CR or
• How surprised are you • Does A prove the issues provenance
by B, having read A? raised in B explained.
• Are you surprised by A unjustified/justified?
having read B? • Etc…
• Etc…
 What to write?
Provenance explained (root source)
Identify the root source. Is the
provenance of the source strong or
weak?
- If the provenance is strong and you
can see that there is a strong motive
based on the author’s position, the
source is likely to be unreliable and
cannot be used to prove the other
source wrong.
Comparison of purpose
Are you able to explain the
difference or similarity in
perspectives of the authors?
- If both authors in their
respective positions have
valid viewpoints, it will not be
surprising OR one source
cannot be used to prove the
other wrong.
Cross-reference (CR) [For complex
reliability only]
- Applicable only if unable to
compare purpose of authors due
to weak provenance
- CR to check reliability of root
source.
*Same as doing CR for
reliability/utility/surprise questions

Comparison of content
- Similarity/Agreement
- Difference/Disagreement
*Same thought process as
doing a comparison question
 Complex surprise ‘Structure’
Entry level – Comparing source content
Yes, I am surprised by A having read B because they are different
in telling me (point of comparison). A says (explanation) but B
says (explanation). The evidence from A is (quote from A) and B is
(quote from B).
AND
No, I am not surprised by A having read B because they are similar
in telling me (point of comparison). A says (explanation) and B
says (explanation). The evidence from A is (quote from A) and B is
(quote from B).
 Complex surprise ‘Structure’
Advanced level - Comparing Purpose
Yes, I am surprised by A having read B because the authors have different
purposes. The author in A wants to (explain the author’s action, audience,
audience action) but the author in B wants to (explain the author’s action,
audience, audience action). The evidence from A is (quote from A) and B is
(quote from B).
OR
No, I am not surprised by A having read B because the authors have the
same purpose. The author in A wants to (explain the author’s action,
audience, audience action) but the author in B wants to (explain the
author’s action, audience, audience action). The evidence from A is (quote
from A) and B is (quote from B).
 Complex reliability ‘Structure’
Entry level – Comparing source content
Yes, A proves B wrong because they are different in telling me
(point of comparison). A says (explanation) but B says
(explanation). The evidence from A is (quote from A) and B is
(quote from B).
AND
No, A does not prove B wrong because they are similar in telling
me (point of comparison). A says (explanation) and B says
(explanation). The evidence from A is (quote from A) and B is
(quote from B).
 Complex reliability ‘Structure’
Advanced level – Provenance, explained (of root source)
No, source A does not prove B wrong as A is unreliable. A is (position of
author) and he has a strong motive to (explain his motive, the target
audience & audience action). The evidence is (quote from A). Hence, he is
unreliable and therefore cannot prove B wrong.

Advanced level – Comparing purpose

No, source A does not prove B wrong as both authors have different
purposes. The author in A wants to (explain the author’s action, audience,
audience action) but the author in B wants to (explain the author’s action,
audience, audience action). The evidence from A is (quote from A) and B is
(quote from B). Since the authors are from different backgrounds, their
purpose is different. Therefore, A does not prove B wrong.
 Complex reliability ‘Structure’
Advanced Level - Cross reference to check reliability of root source
No, source A does not prove B wrong as A is unreliable. A is
unreliable as it is contradicted by (unbiased source). (Unbiased
source) tells me (the opposite of A – explain the message of the
unbiased source). The evidence is (quote from unbiased source).
OR
Yes, source A proves B wrong as A is reliable. A is reliable as it is
supported by (unbiased source). (Unbiased source) tells me (the
same inference as A – explain the message of the unbiased
source). The evidence is (quote from unbiased source).
Source-Based Skills
Evaluation
 Evaluation
These questions seek to test the students’ understanding of the source and to
explain why it agrees or disagrees with a statement.

- Evaluation questions will always be found in (e) of Section A, SBCS.

- It is always worth 10 marks.

Important Notes:
- ‘N’ level students can derive the evaluation question from the issue
question.
- ‘O’ level students will be given a hypothesis to agree or disagree with.
- ‘O’ level students are also required to assess the reliability of one chosen source
OR to give a resolution/balanced conclusion OR use their contextual knowledge
for bonus marks.
 Evaluation Marking Scheme (LORMS)
Level Descriptor Marks
[N level marks are in square brackets]
L1 Does not use sources/Invalid inference of 1m [1-2m]
sources
L2 Yes OR No 2-4m [3-6m]

L3 Yes AND No 2 sources = 5m [7m]

3 sources = 6m [8m]
4 sources = 7-8m [9-10m]
5 or more sources = 8m [10m]
*This is assuming there is a balanced number
of sources from ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ category
L4 [O level 3 routes (Choose 1) Worth additional 2 marks
only] - Reliability/Utility
- Contextual Knowledge
- Balanced Conclusion or Resolution
 Evaluation ‘Structure’
Agree/Show
Source A agrees/shows. The evidence is (quote evidence from A).
This suggests to me (explain the evidence in relation to the
question).

OR
Disagree/Does not show
Source A disagrees/does not show. The evidence is (quote
evidence from A). This suggests to me (explain the evidence in
relation to the question).