Write an account of the achievements of Abu Bakr as the first caliph of Islam.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (Oct/Nov 2019). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [10] Candidates in response to this answer can say that he laid the foundations of a truly democratic state and say how he did that, for instance, by consulting the shura etc. It could also be added that he divided the caliphate into provinces under a governor and list the task of the governor to develop the answer. It could be said that he also established military cantonments and maintained a reserve force.
2. [10] How he united the ummah at the critical time of his appointment, fought and defeated the false prophets, crushed the rebellions and upheld the Pillar of zakat could all be written about as his achievements. The preservation and compilation of the Qur'an will also be seen as one of his most important achievements as caliph.
3. [10] Candidates could also write about how he maintained the integrity of Islam and, with his campaigns in Persia and Byzantine, extended the boundaries of Islam.
4. [4] Candidates can take any one of his achievements written about in Part (a) or not and say why in their opinion they feel it was his greatest contribution as caliph. Their choice has to be backed by valid reasons.