HISTORY GCSE

Exam Board: Edexcel

Course Overview / Introduction

History is a fascinating subject that teaches us many important life skills that employers value. The study of History will enable you to develop a wide range of skills whilst gaining a better understanding of the modern world. 

This course will support you to develop your ability to analyse and evaluate a range of different sources, to pick apart and create interpretations of historical events, to discuss people and moments of historical significance.

What will you study?

Thematic Study and historic environment:

Crime and punishment in Britain, c1000–present and Whitechapel, c1870–c1900: crime, policing and the inner city

Period study:

Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941–91

British depth study:

Early Elizabethan England, 1558–88

Modern depth study:

Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39

How many exams are there?

There are three summer exams sat at the end of Year 11:

• Thematic Study and historic environment: 1 hour 15 minutes (worth 30%)

• Period study and British depth study: 1 hour 45 minutes (worth 40%)

• Modern depth study: 1 hour 20 minutes (worth 30%)

What will you gain from this course?

This course has been developed to give you an opportunity to develop your historical knowledge which can lead to further study at A-Level and degree or transferable skills for the workplace.

What does this lead to?

History teaches how to analyse, research, communicate and argue. With analytical, writing, debating and detective skills, there is a huge range of careers in history and other areas available, for example in Law, Politics, the Public Sector and Journalism.

Staff Contact: 

Miss D Bunkell,
Head of Humanities & Social Sciences