Nature of the Subject

A Level History focuses on these key concepts                                                        Cause and consequence The events, circumstances, actions and beliefs that have a direct causal connection to consequential events and developments, circumstances, actions or beliefs. Causes can be both human and non-human. 

Change and continuity The patterns, processes and interplay of change and continuity within a given time frame. 

Similarity and difference The patterns of similarity and difference that exist between people, lived experiences, events and situations in the past. 

Significance The importance attached to an event, individual or entity in the past, whether at the time or subsequent to it. Historical significance is a constructed label that is dependent upon the perspective (context, values, interests and concerns) of the person ascribing significance and is therefore changeable. 

Interpreting how the past has been subsequently reconstructed and presented by historians.

Syllabus & Content

Paper 1 & 2: Topics covered for Paper 1 and 2 Topics within each of the AS options rotate year-on-year so that one topic is assessed via Paper 1 and the remaining three via Paper 2.       

International option:

Imperialism & the Emergence of World Powers 1870-1914, International Relations 1919-1929: conflict & cooperation, International Relations 1929-1939: the rise of extremism and the road to war

Paper 3 option is from a choice of 3 (student get to choose); Topic 1: The origins of the First World War , Topic 2: The Holocaust , Topic 3: The origins and development of the Cold War         

Paper 4 follows the International Option for the Depth Study and is broken down into these units: The Soviet Empire in Eastern Europe 1953-1991, End of minority rule in South Africa and Zimbabwe 1948-1994, the route to independence, Malaysia and Indonesia 1909-1967

Assessment

AS Level 

Paper 1 is Document based and makes up 40% AS Level            

Paper 2 is Content based and makes up 60% of the AS Level                                                                                           A Level 

Paper 3 is an Interpretations paper which is 20% of the A Level                                                                                     Paper 4 is a Depth Study paper which makes up 30% of the A Level. 

Teacher Introduction

The aims are to enable students to develop:                                                    

An interest in the past and an appreciation of human endeavour                    

A greater knowledge and understanding of historical periods or themes  

A greater awareness of historical concepts such as cause and consequence, change and continuity, similarity and difference, significance and interpretations 

An exploration of a variety of approaches to different aspects of history and different interpretations of particular historical issues  

A firm foundation for further study of History.