Fiducia TogetherUtility
How useful a source is for a specific enquiry. Not the same as how reliable it is.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
A utility question asks how useful a source is for investigating a particular thing. The answer depends on the enquiry, not just the source.
Where it applies
GCSE history, and a very common question type.
How it works
A source can be unreliable and highly useful. A biased account is useful for studying attitudes; a limited photograph is useful for what it does show.
Utility is judged against the specific question asked, which is why a generic answer about reliability misses the point.
How to use it in your work
Answer for the ENQUIRY named in the question, every time. Quote the enquiry back in your first sentence.
Cover content, provenance and your own knowledge, then reach a judgement. Utility questions want a conclusion.
Avoid the phrase "it is only one source". True of every source and worth no marks.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification — options differ enormously between centres, and yours is the one that counts. Bitesize covers the skills; the subject song runs the topics.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The History Song The GCSE history topics, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.