History

Exam Board: AQA

This course covers both British and international history and builds on the knowledge developed at KS3. Alongside the knowledge-based learning a variety of wider skills are developed such as critical thinking, debate and analysing source utility.

Assessment

There are four hour-long exam papers for this unit covering a range of history from Great Britain and around the world.

Paper 1 covers Britain: Health and the People and The Norman Conquest, 1065-1100

Paper 2 covers Conflict and tension: The inter-war year, 1918-1939 and Democracy and Dictatorship

Where can it lead?

The study of GCSE is a highly respected course. It helps you develop key skills such as research, critical thinking and communication, both written and verbal. History can help you learn about different people, how they interact, the motives and emotions that can lead people to come together but also tear them apart. It can help you learn about different countries, societies and cultures. It can help you learn to locate and sift through sources in an analytical manner, alongside this, learning skills to help you present your work to others. It helps you to make sense of the world and people around you.

The study of GCSE History is desirable if you wish to progress to A Level History and beyond. History, due to the diverse set of skills involved in its study, can also lead into a wide variety of jobs including journalism, the police service, the legal profession (barrister or solicitor), accountancy, business management, financial services, creative industries such as marketing, public relations, the teaching profession, genealogy, archaeology, museum curating, heritage tourism, heritage management. Due to the nature of the GCSE in History these skills form an important part of the course, making a GCSE in History an advantage in many fields.

Subject Video