Humanities – Geography

Humanities - History

Examination Board Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) GCSE Type IGCSE Specification No. 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 Year 10 Year 11

Unit/Topic Assessment Unit/Topic Assessment

International Relations, 1919-39 Paper 1 and Paper 2 examinations at end of Year 11 Germany and the Second World War Coursework on the significance of an event that took place in Germany in the Second World War.

Germany, 1918-45 Paper 1 examination at end of Year 11 and coursework in Years 10 and 11 International Relations 194591 Paper 1 and Paper 2 examinations at the end of 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 analytical questions Paper 2 2 hours Core paper: a series of questions about sources on ‘Why did events in the Gulf matter c.1970–2000?’

Coursework 1hr 30m Germany and the Second World War – one assignment completed in lessons 40% of total

33% of total

27% of total

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.