Humanities - History

Examination Board Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) GCSE type IGCSE Specification Number: 0977

What is IGCSE History?

Following on from the Year 9 course, the IGCSE syllabus covers major topics of twentieth-century world history. We begin with the peace-making efforts which followed the First World War, the Great Depression and the collapse of world peace in the 1930s, culminating in the outbreak of the Second World War. The rise of Hitler, life in Nazi Germany and the Final Solution are also studied in Year 10. In Year 11 we move onto the Cold War, including the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam, ending the course with a study of Soviet Rule in Eastern Europe and the end of the Soviet Union in 1991.

What skills are involved/developed through the courses?

IGCSE History develops skills of critical thinking and analytical writing. It tests the ability to recall and select relevant factual information. IGCSE History teaches pupils to put together clearly articulated, coherently structured and well supported arguments, whether in standard historical essays or in critical response to source materials. It encourages independence and organisation. This course thus provides an excellent foundation for further study in a range of subjects at A Level.

What sort of student does it suit and what will they get out of the course?

Any student who enjoys debate and wants to understand the world-changing events of the last century will find this course fascinating. IGCSE Historians acquire not only a thorough and wide-ranging knowledge of historical developments; they are also better equipped to understand the world we live in today.

Subject Outline

IGCSE specification

YEAR 10

UNIT/TOPIC

International Relations - 1919 to 1939

Germany - 1918 to 1939 ASSESSMENT

Paper 1 and Paper 2 examinations at end of Year 11

YEAR 11

UNIT/TOPIC

Germany in the Second World War

International Relations - 1945 to 1991 ASSESSMENT

Paper 1 and Paper 2 examinations at the end of Year 11

Nature and timings of assessments

Two written papers taken at the end of Year 11

Paper 1

Paper 2

Coursework Core paper – a mixture of short, factual and longer analytical questions

Core paper: a series of questions about sources on To what extent was the League of Nations a success?

Why did Hitler become Chancellor of Germany in 1933? – Assignment completed in lessons 2 hour exam 40%

1 hour and 30 minute exam 30%

N/A 30%