| Key Stage | Qualification | Course Code | Exam Board |
| KS4 | GCSE | Edexcel History 1HI0 | Edexcel |
| KS5 | A Level | OCR History H505 | OCR |
Years 10 & 11
“To remain ignorant of the past is to remain a child” Cicero. What makes history so important is that by looking into the past we can understand the world we live in today. You’ll love learning about the incredible people and circumstances that shaped the world as we know it. You’ll also learn valuable skills like: critical thinking, analysis and the ability to construct persuasive arguments. These skills are highly respected by employers and universities alike and will help you beyond school and in your futures.
Course Content
Paper 1 – Exam length: 1 hour 15 mins, 52 marks in total, 30% of overall grade
Medicine in Britain c.1250 to present day
This unit has plenty of blood, guts and gore! You will explore the fascinating changes in medical development over the last 800 years; from the horror of how medieval people treated victims of the Black Death to Alexander Fleming’s chance discovery of penicillin. This unit is so packed full of germs, disease and plague that you’ll never look at the doctor’s surgery the same way again! The historic environment that this unit will focus on is the First World War, in particular how soldiers in the trenches were treated for wounds as a result of shrapnel and infection as well as vicious new weapons such as gas attacks.
Paper 2 – Each section is worth 32 marks (64 marks total) Exam length: 1 hr 45 mins, 40% of overall grade
Superpower relations and the Cold War 1941-91 Before the Second World War had ended a new conflict had already begun: the Cold War. This unit not only charts the post war period from the bitter division between Stalin and Churchill, but also how communist Eastern Europe very nearly went to war with the West; during the Cuban Missile Crisis the world was only minutes from self-destructing! You will also investigate how it all came to an end when the Berlin wall came down and what the significance of this conflict is in the world to this very day.
Early Elizabethan England 1558-88
To this day, Elizabeth is still regarded as perhaps our best ever monarch! Despite the fact that she inherited the throne in turbulent times, wasn’t recognised as a legitimate heir to the throne and ruled in what was very much a man’s world, Elizabeth was a true heroine! You will explore the story of this era defining monarch, from religious turmoil to full scale invasion by the Spanish Armada. A female monarch called Elizabeth, ruling during turbulent times……….. sound familiar?!
Paper 3 – Paper Is worth 52 marks, Exam length: 1 hr 20 mins, 30% of overall grade
The USA, 1954-1975: Conflict at home and abroad
If you enjoyed studying slavery in Year 8, this topic takes the study of Black rights even more up to date. In this unit, you will study the rise in popularity of the Ku Klux Klan and also the work of key figures like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X in their struggle for civil rights in America. Furthermore this unit gives you the opportunity to investigate the war in Vietnam and how a third world country managed to defeat the world’s greatest superpower. Has America learned its lessons from the past when fighting global conflicts today?
Sixth Form (History)
| Unit | Assessment | ||
| Unit 1: Britain 1900-1951 | Written exam, 1 hour 30 minutes 25% of A Level | ||
| Unit 2: Russia 1894-1941 | Written exam, 1 hour 15% of A Level | ||
| Unit 3: The European witch craze of the 16th & 17th centuries | Written exam, 2 hour 30 minutes 40% of A Level | ||
| Unit 4: Topic based essay | Non exam assessment 3000-4000 word essay 20% of A Level |
