GCSE History

Aims of the course

GCSE History helps to establish lifelong skills – both oral and written – the ability to argue a case, to articulate and communicate what you know and understand, to sift through a wide range of evidence and come to a conclusion. Furthermore, the course will help students to understand the background to current affairs and to have a better understanding of the world we live in.

This course will appeal to students who:

● Want to study a dynamic subject that changes with the world around them.

● Want to understand the world they live in; so many of today’s conflicts have their roots in the past.

● Have an interest in developing their written communication and analytical thinking skills.

During your course you will learn:

● About the significance of events, individuals, issues and societies in history.

● How and why societies have changed over time – how people interact, their motives, factionalism, how people may unite under a common cause.

● To develop an understanding of how the past has been interpreted and represented.

● To express your own historical ideas confidently and effectively.

● To understand the nature of historical evidence and the methods used by historians to analyse and evaluate it.

● To develop your ability to analyse and evaluate evidence, reach supported judgements, and to argue a case effectively both orally and on paper.

How will the course be assessed?

There are two exam papers:

Paper 1: Understanding the modern world (2 hours, 50% of GCSE).

● Section 1A: Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and dictatorship.

● Section 1B: Conflict and tension: The inter-war years, 1918–1939.

Paper 2: Shaping the nation (2 hours, 50% of GCSE).

● Section 2A: Britain: Migration, empires and the people: c790 to the present day.

● Section 2B: Norman England, c1066–c1100.