Students follow Edexcel GCSE History.
The assessment is based on 3 written exams that take place at the end of Year 11. Students are assessed against the following assessment objectives:
AO1 – Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the key features and characteristics of the periods studied.
AO2 – Explain and analyse historical events and periods studied using second-order historical concepts (e.g. cause and consequence).
AO3 – Analyse, evaluate and use sources (contemporary to the period) to make substantiated judgements, in the context of historical events studied.
AO4 – Analyse, evaluate and make substantiated judgements about interpretations (including how and why interpretations may differ) in the context of historical events studied.
Paper 1: Thematic study and historic environment – Option 11 – 1 hour 20 minutes, 52 marks (including 16 for the historic environment)
Medicine in Britain, c.1250-present and The British sector of the Western Front, 1914-1918: injuries, treatment and the trenches
This topic focuses on the development of medicine in relation to British society. Students will focus on: medieval beliefs, treatments, and healers; the impact of the Renaissance; the revolution in medicine occurring in the 18th and 19th centuries; and the impact of modern medical developments including antibiotics and the NHS. The historic environment section features source skills and is based on a close study of medical conditions, treatments, and experiments during the First World War.
Paper 2: Period study and British depth study – Options B4 and P4 – 1 hour 50 minutes, 64 marks
Henry VIII and his Ministers, 1509-1540
This topic focuses on the reign of Henry VIII and covers his attitude towards kingship. The rise and fall of Wolsey, including his domestic policies, foreign affairs, and failure to secure Henry’s annulment. The Break with Rome including why Henry broke with thousands of years of tradition and split from the Catholic Church. Finally, the rise and fall of Cromwell, his reforms of government, finance, and religion, including the dissolution of the monasteries.
Superpower relations in the Cold War, 1945-95
This topic follows the growing tensions between East and West in the years immediately following World War II. After focusing on Berlin, Hungary, and Cuba as flashpoints, the course then moves on to consider detente and the collapse of the USSR.
Paper 3: Modern depth study – Option 31 – 1 hour 30 minutes, 52 marks
Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918-1939
In this topic, students learn about the immediate aftermath of World War I and its effects on the new Weimar Republic in Germany, including the challenges it faced and how society changed. Students then learn about Hitler’s rise to power, the Nazi dictatorship, and life in Nazi Germany.
Having a History qualification will strengthen your future applications. It is a highly respected subject among employers, valued for its emphasis on critical thinking, analytical skills, and the ability to evaluate evidence and construct well-reasoned arguments. History opens doors to many different pathways including careers in law and politics, media and journalism, education and academia, intelligence and investigative agencies and business and management.
