Humanities - History Examination Board GCSE Type Specification No.
Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) IGCSE 0977
What is History IGCSE?
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 studying the Iranian Revolution and Iraq Under Saddam Hussein, including the Gulf War of 1991.
What skills are involved/developed through the course?
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.
IGCSE Specification Unit/Topic International Relations, 1919-39
Germany, 1918-45
Year 10
Assessment Paper 1 and Paper 2 examinations at end of Year 11 Paper 1 examination at end of Year 11 and coursework in Years 10 and 11
Year 11 Unit/Topic Assessment Germany and the Coursework on the Second World significance of an event that War took place in Germany in the Second World War. International Paper 1 and Paper 2 Relations 1945- examinations at the end of 91 Year 11
Nature and timings of assessment
Two written papers taken at the end of Year 11: Paper 1 2 hours Core paper – a mixture of short, factual and longer 40% of total analytical questions Paper 2 2 hours Core paper: a series of questions about sources on 33% of total ‘Why did events in the Gulf matter c.1970–2000?’ Coursework 1hr 30m
Germany and the Second World War – one 27% of total assignment completed in lessons
What sort of pupil does it suit and what will they get out of the course?
Any pupil 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.
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