History
Course Overview
Are you interested in finding out how society has developed over time? Are you looking for a chance to further develop your analysis and interpretation skills? Have you got a passion for the past? Then you should strongly consider choosing to study History at A Level.
History at A Level is a highly esteemed qualification which offers genuine opportunities to develop important personal skills as well as enabling students to keep their options open in terms of Higher Education and career choice. Studying History at A Level involves students becoming involved much more in the actual work of historians than GCSE. There will be opportunities for original research and for participating in wider debates about the fundamental features of human society.
You will study the Edexcel qualification and as the course is linear, with the four key units (three examinations and one piece of coursework) being studied across Years 12 and 13 and then all are examined at the end of Year 13.
Examination Board:
EDEXCEL
Entry Requirements:
Grade 5, but ideally a Grade 6 in History.
You must have the required qualifications for the Advanced Pathway.
Course Level:
A Level – Level 3
Assessment Objectives
Unit 1 – Britain, 1625 – 1701: conflict, revolution and settlement (30% of qualification)
The focus of study is on developments and changes over a broad timescale and so the content is presented as themes spanning a significant duration: 1625–88.
This option also contains a study in depth of historical interpretations on a broad question that is contextualised by, and runs on from, the themes: how revolutionary, in the years to 1701, was the Glorious Revolution of 1688–89?
Unit 2 – Russia in revolution, 1894 – 1924 (20% of qualification)
Students will gain an in-depth understanding of revolutionary activity in Russia in the years 1894 to 1917, the response of successive governments to opposition to their rule, and the reasons for the successful consolidation of the revolution of October 1917 under Lenin and the Bolsheviks.
Unit 3 – Germany 1871 – 1990: united, divided and reunited (30% of qualification)
This option comprises two parts: the Aspects in breadth focus on long-term changes and contextualise the aspects in depth, which focus in detail on key episodes. Together, the breadth and depth topics explore the ways in which Germany evolved as a new state in Europe undergoing dramatic changes of fortune, set within broader long-term social and economic developments (after 1945, these focus on West Germany). A dynamic empire ended in a brutal war and defeat; out of the ashes of imperial Germany, first a democratic republic and then an extraordinary dictatorship came into being, followed once again by democracy and finally a new unity in 1990.
Unit 4 – Coursework essay on the appropriateness of
Appeasement in the 1930s (20% of qualification)
The purpose of the coursework assignment is to develop skills in the analysis and evaluation of interpretations of history in a chosen question, problem or issue as part of an independently researched assignment. The focus is on understanding the nature and purpose of the work of the historian. You will be required to form a critical view based on relevant reading on the question, problem or issue. You will also be specifically required to analyse, explain and evaluate the interpretations of three historians.
How will I be assessed?
3 exams:
British 30%,
Russia 20%,
Germany 30 %
Coursework 20%
Progression Routes
Studying History enables students to keep their options open when going into university and choosing careers. Previous students have gone into teaching, accounting, journalism, politics and many other realms. With History A Level being such a challenging subject, universities value the traits of dedication and commitment needed to succeed in the subject at Key Stage 5. History students are able to analyse evidence, evaluate information, write in a clear and concise manner, make judgements confidently and be able to see through the ploys and tactics of others; all of these being skills valued by any potential employer.