History

All students study the subject through Year 7, 8 and 9, when they make their choices for GCSE subjects, and many will then continue to take History for the next two years. Partly this must be to do with the enthusiasm within the school for subject and the ethos of high achievement that accompanies it.

The GCSE syllabus has been chosen to provide students with a diverse experience of History; both in terms of time and place, and in the development of a range of historical skills The period study allows students to analyse an unfolding narrative of events over time.

In the depth studies (both British and World) students engage with complex issues over a short time period. The British depth study also incorporates a focus on a specific local historical environment (building or other location) which students will relate to people and events of the period. The thematic study enables students to understand change and continuity over a long sweep of history. A range of exam question formats will assess students’ knowledge, understanding, analysis and explanation skills. Students will also be required to analyse primary sources and historians’ interpretations.

Course Assessment

50% 1 hour 45mins exam Paper 1 Understanding the modern world

• Section A Period study: America1920-73 Opportunity & Inequality
• Section B World depth study: Conflict and Tension 1918-1939

50% 1 hour 45mins exam Paper 2 Shaping the nation

• Section A Thematic study: Britain, Migration, empires & people c790 to present day
• Section B British depth study: Elizabethan England c1568-1603

History is an extremely popular option at A Level, with many students opting to study it as one of their core A Level choices. The study of history provides the opportunity to investigate the dramatic political, social and cultural changes that have made the modern world. It provides an insight into the past, but also helps develop an understanding of the present. Moreover the study of history equips students with a broad general knowledge background that stands them good stead for the future.

Currently our chosen exam board is AQA. Both their AS and A-level History qualifications have been designed to help students understand the significance of historical events, the role of individuals in history and the nature of change over time. This will help students gain a deeper understanding of the past through political, social, economic and cultural perspectives. The engaging topics available to them throughout the course will provide them with the knowledge and skills they require to succeed as AS and A-level historians.

Component 1

• The Age of the Crusades, c1071–1204
• Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469–1598
• The Tudors: England, 1485–1603
• Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702
• Russia in the Age of Absolutism and Enlightenment, 1682–1796
• Industrialisation and the people: Britain, c1783–1885
• Challenge and transformation: Britain, c1851–1964
• Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964
• The British Empire, c1857–1967
• The making of a Superpower: USA, 1865–1975
• The quest for political stability: Germany, 1871–1991

Component 2

• Royal Authority and the Angevin Kings, 1154–1216
• The Wars of the Roses, 1450–1499
• The Reformation in Europe, c1500–1564
• Religious conflict and the Church in England, c1529–c1570
• The English Revolution, 1625–1660
• The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715
• The Birth of the USA, 1760–1801
• France in Revolution, 1774–1815
• America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877
• International Relations and Global Conflict, c1890–1941
• Italy and Fascism, c1900–1945
• Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957
• Revolution and dictatorship: Russia, 1917–1953
• Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945
• The Transformation of China, 1936–1997
• The American Dream: reality and illusion, 1945–1980
• The Cold War, c1945–1991
• The Making of Modern Britain, 1951–2007
• The Crisis of Communism: The USSR and the Soviet Empire, 1953–2000

Component 3

• Historical Investigation