History

History helps us understand change and how the society we live in came to be. The past causes the present, and so also the future. A good grasp of the past provides a good guide to your future. Our A-level curriculum looks at the events and issues central to understanding the 21st century as it unfolds

Entry Requirements

6 in GCSE history

Assessment

There are three exams at the end of Year 13. Russia and Britain provide students with an opportunity to show their depth of understanding while the GDR paper gives them a chance to display their historian’s skills through analysis of primary evidence. The Cold War coursework develops these skills further, although this focuses on secondary evidence

History provides a superb basis for a range of future careers within and beyond history. Law courses frequently recommend history as a good basis for a degree and a career as lawyer or barrister. Journalism requires many of the skills that make a good historian.  Similarly, communications careers generally benefit from a good grounding in history. The ability to question and probe for answers also makes for good doctors and careers within the medical field as first responses are challenged.

 A-level history will bring you to an understanding of the modern world while simultaneously you are developing skills that will equip you to further study in any subject. You will add to your ability to question what is presented at face value and be encouraged to find out a more accurate answer. 

In lessons you can expect to meet a variety of activities which include balloon debates (occasionally with real balloons), the mighty Trabant, cartooning Soviet leaders and your own version of the Berlin Wall. Our focus is on developing your understanding, skills and knowledge in ways that suit you best, and guidance on your writing will help throughout your sixth form career and beyond.

In Year 12 we look at the rise and fall of Communism in eastern Europe. Specifically students work on the USSR and East Germany (GDR), events that are still shaping modern International Relations. Some themes from this are revisited in coursework in Year 13, examining different perspectives on the Cold War. 

A British focus in Year 13 examines government’s increasing involvement in keeping the population healthy – the changes in society that were its causes, the measures adopted to ensure it and their consequences.

Exam Board - Edexcel