Contact : Mr C Cook	Exam Board & Code : AQA AS: 1041, A2: 2041
Course : 2 Years to full A level

 

   

What is History A level about?

If you have a passion for finding out about the past, then A Level History is for you. History shapes our understanding of the modern world. The course has been designed to meet the interests of students by balancing elements of Modern European and British History with some of the key events of the 20th century shaping the world in which we live. The course will encourage students to contemplate diverse themes and issues. At AS, the two units focus on Germany and Russia in two specific periods of Modern European History, examining the fundamental changes that take place in these countries and their impact on the wider world. At A2, students then consider the social and economic policies that successive governments pursued in making Britain what it is today. To compliment this, students complete a coursework unit which examines the nature of change and continuity within Russia during the course of the 20th century. In particular it focuses on the extent to which Communism was established until the USSR ultimately fell in 1991. A Level History is, therefore, an exciting fusion of the past with the present

 

Is this course for me?

Are you inquisitive, enthusiastic, determined and committed to study?  If you answered yes to the statements above, then you will enjoy History.  AS and A Level History IS hard work. You will be practising traditional historical disciplines such as evaluating primary and secondary sources, reading and note-taking, but you will also be involved in debates, presentations, group work and ‘hot-seating’ activities.  Students need to have attained a C grade in GCSE History.

  

What else do I need to know?

History students have their own debating club, the History Appreciation Society. There may be an opportunity for a trip linked to the Anti-Semitism, Hitler and the German People unit in year 12.

 

What do other students say?

‘A Level History is challenging but rewarding’.

‘The course appealed to me as it was so diverse. It’s great learning about new things, not just what we’ve done at GCSE’.

‘History has helped to develop my general knowledge and helped to improve my skills in other subjects’.

Where could it lead?

It combines well with other Arts and Humanities subjects such as English, Sociology, Geography and Psychology, yet it also complements subjects such as Economics and Mathematics.  Both universities and employers rate A Level History very highly. It prepares students very well for careers as diverse as Law, Journalism, Politics, Finance and Management.

  

How is this course structured?

 

Unit Content	Unit Assessment
AS Unit 1:  HIS1H -Tsarist Russia, 1855-1917. An overview of Russian History under the last three Tsars. The Russian structure of government and the Revolutions of 1905 and 1917.	Exam assessed 50% of total AS marks; 25% of the total A Level marks 1 hour 15 minutes
AS Unit 2: HIS2N - Anti-Semitism, Hitler and the German People, 1919-1945. An investigation into Hitler’s impact on German attitudes and the policies towards the Jews.	Exam assessed 50% of total AS marks; 25% of the total A Level marks 1 hour 30 minutes
A2 Unit 3: HIS3M -The Making of Modern Britain, 1951-2007. A study of change and continuity over 50 years of British History. Students will consider how economic performance and multiculturalism have changed Britain by 2007.	Exam assessed 30% of total A Level marks. 1 hour 30 minutes.
A2 Unit 4: HIS4X – Historical Enquiry Communism to Capitalism Russia 1894 - 1999.   Students will consider, over a 100 year period, the social,, economic and political impact of successive authoritarian and democratic leaders in 20th Century Russia	Coursework assessed. 20% of total A Level marks. Coursework piece of approximately 3500 words.