History (GCSE)

Exam Board: Edexcel

Course Overview:

The Edexcel GCSE (1HI0) course covers a broad and diverse period of History. From the topic of Crime and Punishment in Britain during the Medieval period to the ‘Golden Age’ of England under Elizabeth I, all the way through to Nazi Germany and the American West, there is something for everyone in this History specification.

Course Content:

Thematic Study:

• Crime and Punishment in Britain, c.1000 to Present  (20%)

• Whitechapel, c.1870 to c.1900: Crime, Policing and the Inner City (10%)

British Depth Study:

• Early Elizabethan England, 1588-88. (20%)

Period Study:

• The American West 1835 - 1895. (20%)

Modern Depth Study:

• Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918-39. (30%)

Assessment Structure:

Paper 1: Thematic Study and Historic Environment (30%):

The assessment is 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The question paper is out of 52 marks.

It comprises two sections: A and B (Thematic Study and Historic Environment).

Paper 2: Period Study and British Depth Study (40%):

The assessment is 1 hour and 45 minutes.

The question paper is out of 64 marks.

It comprises two sections: A and B (Period Study and British Depth Study).

Paper 3: Modern Depth Study (30%):

The assessment is 1 hour and 20 minutes.

The question paper is out of 52 marks.

Extra Curricular Opportunities:

Trips to the Museum of London, The Clink Prison Museum or The London Dungeon are included in the curriculum plan.

Career Prospects and Transferable Skills:

History teaches us to ask two very important questions: “Why?” and “How?”. This is key to the development of 

critical thinking abilities, which combine the following skills:

•Analysis •Argumentation

•Communication •Essay writing 

•Problem solving •Research 

Historians look at all the available evidence and come to conclusions, a lot like a good detective, which helps them learn to be organised and manage information. If you’re working with ancient history, you may not have a lot of source material to go on and it will be up to you to bring together all your knowledge and to try and solve the mysteries of the past. With your ace analytical, writing, debating and detective skills, you’ll be primed for a huge range of careers in history and beyond. Areas you could go into include:

•Academia •Business

•Economics •Insurance

•Journalism •Law

•Marketing •Politics

•Public sector •Social research

•Teaching

Further Information:  Olayemi Odetunde (Head of History) - email: olayemi.odetunde@scwa.org.uk