The war had an impact on civilians in many different ways.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2024). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [4] The Military Service Act of 1916 allowed men to object to conscription.
2. [4] Some objected to the war on religious grounds.
3. [4] Some belonged to political groups which believed that Britain should not be involved in the war.
4. [4] Those who wanted to be conscientious objectors had to argue their case in front of a tribunal whose members had to decide whether applicants were 'genuine' or cowards.
5. [4] Almost 20 000 men registered as COs between 1916 and 1918.
6. [4] Some COs, such as the Richmond 16 were imprisoned.
7. [4] Others worked in non-combatant roles such as providing medical aid to injured soldiers.
8. [6] The lives of many women were completely changed. Before the war many did not go out to work, or if they did, they worked in domestic jobs. During the war men went to fight and so women had to do their jobs. This was important because Britain was facing food shortages and armaments had to be produced. This led to women doing jobs that they had not done before. Many worked on farms helping to produce food. Others worked in munitions factories and on public transport. They were needed to keep the war effort going.
9. [2-3] The war meant many women had to go to work to fill jobs left by men who were fighting.
10. [2-3] The number of women in employment increased from 24% in 1914 to 37% by 1918 in Britain.
11. [2-3] In France, almost a third of all the jobs in armaments production were filled by women.
12. [2-3] The Land Army was formed in Britain in 1915 so that food production was continued and many women joined.
13. [2-3] Wartime jobs were often better paid than the domestic work women had done in peacetime.
14. [1] Things were very different in wartime.
15. [10] The most effective method of dealing with food shortages was the development of the convoy system which radically reduced the number of ships lost to German submarines. Rationing was not introduced until 1918 and was in place only for a limited number of foods.
16. [4-6] Rationing was an important way to deal with food shortages. The German policy of unrestricted submarine warfare meant that almost three million tons of shipping were lost, including merchant ships which were bringing food supplies to Britain. This meant supplies of food which Britain could not produce were in short supply. People were issued with a ration card and were allowed to buy only a certain amount of sugar and meat.
17. [4-6] Methods to protect shipping were important as these meant that Britain could continue to trade and import food from abroad. The convoy system was introduced so that merchant ships travelled in large numbers and were escorted by battleships. This made it harder for submarines to attack. Sometimes aircraft were used as escorts and these dropped depth charges where they thought there were submarines. Q-ships and mines were also used to deter submarine attacks.
18. [2-3] Rationing meant food in short supply was fairly allocated to people.
19. [2-3] The convoy system helped to deter attacks.
20. [2-3] Mines were dropped in the North Sea to stop U-boats attacking British shipping.
21. [2-3] Britain increased the area of farmland in order to produce more food.
22. [2-3] There were increased imports from America.
23. [1] Civilians were given a ration card to show how much they could buy.