HISTORY

Year 9 Course Outline

Pupils endeavour to understand some of the key themes and challenges which make up the modern world. The course is entitled ‘An introduction to the Modern World’. The course begins with a study of the Great War, its causes, course and consequences. This is supplemented by a trip for most of the year group in mid-October to see some of the key Flanders battlefield sites, while the remainder visit the Tank Museum at Bovington in Dorset. The second unit focuses on the rise of Hitler and life in Hitler’s Germany and its impact on different sections of German society including women, children and various minority groups. We then move on to undertake a brief survey of the Second World War and examine the changes and continuities with the Great War. The final unit involves a study of the development of the civil rights movement, predominantly in the US, but also with reference to the UK, looking for example at the Bristol bus boycott.

Years 10 and 11 Course Outline

In order to accommodate a range of preferences for historical periods, the department continues to offer two courses. One course is the Cambridge IGCSE which focuses very much on 20th century history, while the other option is a GCSE History course offered by AQA. The IGCSE course is graded 9-1 and includes a coursework component which equates to 30% of the final mark. The GCSE course is also graded 9-1 and has no non-examination assessment. Both courses are equally valued by employers and universities and pupils will have a free option in Year 9 as to which course they would prefer. The IGCSE course will cover a range of topics including international relations between the wars, the Cold War into the 1960s and inter-war America. The GCSE course includes more British history and ranges over a wider time period. As well as topics such as 19th century America and conflict and tension in the modern world 1999-2009 (the war on terror), it also includes a breadth study on power and the people from c.1170 AD to the present day and Restoration England 1660-1685. A simple way to compare the two courses is to see the IGCSE as a more focused study on modern history, and the GCSE as providing a more broad-based study of the past.

Skills Required and Developed

History is very highly valued by both employers and universities as a GCSE subject. It combines both vital literacy skills, such as assessing and arguing ideas on paper, and the more forensic skills of source analysis. History seeks to develop an enquiring mind and to promote high standards of written argument. It also serves to inform us of the world around us, and how we have come to be where we are today. It requires intellectual rigour, the study of humanity (with all its good and bad points) with relevant lifelong skills. Also, and perhaps most importantly, History is interesting because people themselves are interesting.

External Assessment

The IGCSE has two written exams, each of two hours, plus coursework that is internally marked and externally moderated. The GCSE is similarly examined but without the additional coursework.

Beyond the Classroom

Pupils studying History in Years 10 and 11 have the opportunity to participate in annual History trips at Easter / in October. Trips to Latvia and Lithuania, ‘Living under Soviet rule’, took place in 2015 and in 2018 with the addition of a day trip to Belarus. A trip to Germany run jointly with the German department ran in March 2019, and a trip to Russia in October 2019. The latter destination though is unlikely to feature again for a considerable period of time! In Easter 2022, a trip to the east coast of the USA (Boston, New York and Washington) ran, with one to Vietnam taking place in October 2022.

Further Information

Mr S Lemieux, Head of History and Government & Politics, Tel 023 9236 0036, Email s.lemieux@pgs.org.uk

Exam Board Website: https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/history/gcse https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/649638-2024-2026-syllabus.pdf