‘The discovery of gold and diamonds was the most significant development in southern Africa in the years 1867 to 1902.’ Explain why you agree or disagree with this view AQA 25 MARKS

AQA recommends spending 40 minutes answering this exam question, but you should definitely spend the first 5-10 minutes of that time planning. First of all break down the question; we have a quote and we need to explain why we agree or disagree with the statement, so we are making an argument. You should state your position (agree or disagree) in your introduction, and then use the main body of the essay to provide evidence to support your position and challenge counter-arguments.
Next we should break down the quote and pick out key words and phrases. The important part is ‘most significant development’ particularly the word ‘most’; the question isn’t just asking if the discovery of gold and diamonds was significant, but was it the most significant development of the period? It’s also crucial to pay attention to the region and period specified, and focus our answer on this. We are only talking about southern Africa, and only the period 1867 to 1902, so all our evidence must be relevant to this. For a well-rounded answer it’s also important to cover the whole timeframe, and not just use evidence from the 1860s for example.
Whether you agree or disagree, the general structure of your essay will be the same. After stating your argument and briefly outlining the structure to follow in the introduction, your first paragraph should discuss the significance of the discovery of gold and diamonds in southern Africa. Your subsequent paragraphs should discuss other important developments of the period such as political changes (e.g. tensions with the Transvaal ~1890s), the role of individuals (e.g. Chamberlain, Rhodes), imperial rivalries, etc. and balance their significance against the significance of the discovery of gold and diamonds. Don’t just cram facts and dates in to show you know them; try to use them strategically as evidence to back up your argument. Your conclusion should summarise and re-emphasise your argument.