A-level History help students understand the significance of historical events, the role of individuals in history and the nature of change over time. Students will 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 historians.
Course Requirements
5 GCSEs graded 9 – 5 including Maths at grade 5 and English at grade 6.Grade 6 in History required.
Year 1
Unit 1F: Industrialisation and the People: Britain, c.1783-1832
- The Pressure for Change, c.1783-1812
- Government and a Changing Society, 1812-1832
Unit 1F: The Age of Reform: Britain, 1832-1885
- Political Change and Social Reform, 1832-46
- Economy, Society and Politics, 1846-1885
Historical Investigation: Reform and Revolution in Czarist Russia, 1815-1917
This unit involves a 100 year historical enquiry in the form of a 3,500 word source-based piece of coursework. The background work will be taught in Year 12 with the coursework submitted in Year 13.
This unit focuses on the causes of and the historiography surrounding the February Revolution of 1917. Specifically students will be asked to evaluate the key factors leading to the fall of the Romanovs in 1917.
Unit 2T: The Crisis of Communism: the USSR, 1953-2000
- De-Stalinisation, 1953-1964
- Stagnation, 1964-1985
- The Gorbachev Revolution, 1985-2000
Assessment
Year 12
The course is linear but there will be a Mock exam in the Autumn as well as the Summer term of Year 12.
Year 13
Unit 1F (Breadth Study) and Unit 2 (Depth Study) are both assessed by written exams of 2 hour 30 minutes. For each of these papers, 3 questions must be answered (including one compulsory question on each paper). Each paper is worth 80 marks and constitutes 40% of the overall A-level.
The Historical Investigation is worth 40 marks and 20% of the A-level. This is marked by the teaching staff and moderated by AQA.
Additional Information
The full details of all units studied will be given to all students – as will the ‘weighting’ accorded to each unit. Reading lists and past paper questions will also provide crucial support for students.