History
Aims of the subject:
To learn about Britain and the wider world, exploring ways in which the past has shaped identities, cultures and values today. To inspire a passion for our subject and a deep understanding of how the past is essential for an understanding of the present and future. This will be achieved through an enjoyment of enquiry and through students developing an historical perspective and a contextual framework to help make sense of the past.
GCSE Examination Board: Edexcel (Pearson)
Assessment Overview:
Paper 1 – Crime and Punishment through time, c1000–present. This comprises a thematic study (Crime and punishment in Britain, c1000–present) and a study of an historic environment (Whitechapel, c1870–c1900: crime and policing). This examination is 1 hour and 15 minutes and is worth 30% of the qualification – 52 marks in total (16 for the historic environment, 36 for the thematic study).
Paper 2 – Is BOTH a Period Study (Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941–91) AND a British Depth Study (Early Elizabethan England, 1558–88). This examination is 1 hour and 45 minutes and is worth 40%* of the qualification – 64 marks in total (32 for the period study and 32 for the British depth study).
Paper 3 – A Modern Depth Study of Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39. This examination is 1 hour and 15 minutes and is worth 30%* of the qualification – 52 marks in total.
Year | What will I learn? | Assessment |
9 | Term 2:
Term 3:
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There are three types of exam question which students will be expected to complete as the Crime and Punishment course progresses, both in lessons and as homework assignments. Bi-weekly knowledge tests. There will be two mock exam papers before the end of Year 9 focussing on the thematic element of Paper 1.
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10 | Term 1:
Term 2:
Term 3:
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A full mock exam paper will be completed, including section on the historic environment AND thematic element, upon completion of Paper 1 teaching.
There are three types of exam question which students will be expected to complete as the Early Elizabethan England course progresses, both in lessons and as homework assignments. Bi-weekly knowledge tests. There will be two full mock exam papers completed, one at the beginning of term 2 and one at the end of term 2, focussing only on the Early Elizabethan element of Paper 2. There are six types of exam question which students will be expected to complete as the Weimar & Nazi Germany course progresses, both in lessons and as homework assignments. Two of which are similar to those taught earlier in KS4. The additional questions require engagement with historical sources and interpretations. Bi-weekly knowledge tests. There will be one full mock exam paper completed at the end of term 3 in Year 10, and an additional full mock exam paper upon completion of the teaching of Paper 3 during Term 1 of Year 11. |
11 | Term 1:
Term 2:
Term 3:
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There are six types of exam question which students will be expected to complete as the Weimar & Nazi Germany course progresses, both in lessons and as homework assignments. Two of which are similar to those taught earlier in KS4. The additional questions require engagement with historical sources and interpretations. Bi-weekly knowledge tests. There will be one full mock exam paper upon completion of the teaching of Paper 3 during Term 1 of Year 11.
There are three types of exam question which students will be expected to complete as the Superpower Relations course progresses, both in lessons and as homework assignments. Bi-weekly knowledge tests. There will be two full mock exam papers completed, one at the beginning of term 2 and one at the end of term 2, focussing only on the Superpower Relations element of Paper 2.
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Extra-curricular opportunities
International Trip to Berlin to support studies of Weimar and Nazi Germany (Paper 3) and International Relations in the Cold War Era (Paper 2). National Trip to Whitechapel to support study of Historic Environment (Paper 1). History Revision sessions are held weekly, beginning 12 months before exams.
How you can support your child’s progress?
Each student is provided with specially made course booklets to support their learning and revision. There is a booklet for each GCSE topic – Crime and Punishment (Paper 10, Early Elizabethan England (Paper 2), Superpower Relations in the Cold War Era (also Paper 2) and Weimar and Nazi Germany (Paper 3). Please use these, alongside exercise books, as a point of reference to discuss your child’s work. You may also wish to invest in Pearson textbooks and revision books. We urge our students to complete past papers in their own time, which class teachers are happy to mark.