Never before have there been more polarising views of the world in which we live. A core understanding of what has gone before us will empower you to make informed decisions about what the future should look like.  History is a subject that enables you to critically evaluate what you see and decide for yourselves how significant key events were in shaping history. You will be encouraged to read around the subject, using books and magazines from the library, as well as information from the internet. You will become more familiar and polished at writing extended answers, both in class and in exams. You will become more and more interested in what caused events to happen, the roles of key figures from the past and also the consequences of past events.

What will I learn?

In GCSE History you will learn in a variety of ways, through written, visual and auditory sources. You will learn through group work as well as independent study, finding out things for yourself, with the support of your teacher and peers. You will study a mixture of British history and history from other countries of the world, spanning a variety of time periods. Your exams will involve both extended writing and source analysis in a similar way to how you have been assessed in Years 7, 8  and 9.

The periods of history you will study are:

• The Elizabethan Age 1558-1603

• The USA: A nation of contrasts, 1910-1929

• Changes in health and medicine in Britain, c.500 to the present day

• The development of the USSR 1921-1991

Where could it lead?

The knowledge you acquire and skills you develop as a historian will help you with your current and future studies and are highly valued by potential employers – in particular your ability to produce high quality written analysis and evaluation of real life events. Following a GCSE in History, a large number of students go on to do A Levels in History, Economics, English, Politics, Languages, Psychology and Law. History A Level has been identified as a facilitating subject by the Russell Group of universities and is therefore good preparation for a wide range of degree courses. Future careers for History students are wide ranging but could include teaching, politics, journalism, law or research based careers.

Assessment

You will sit four exam papers, each one worth 25% of your GCSE. These papers are made up of a combination of questions including source analysis, interpretation analysis, extended writing and a few short answer questions. 

Exam Board

• Eduqas