Elliott School History Department

AS/A-Level History at Elliott
	This course is open to anyone, whether or not they have studied History at GCSE. The course offers a variety of topics to taste and is designed either to stand alone as a one year course - or to pave the way for the full A level the following year.
AS Course	The AS history course comprises three units on very different topics: 1) Nazi Germany 1933 - 1945 as seen by eye witnesses in written documents and film. These topics will be familiar at a basic level already to most students. 2) The Age of Peel 1829 - 1846 puts a crucial period of nineteenth century British history under the microscope. This will be brand new to everyone, and you will examine the modernising leadership of Robert Peel at the height of Britain's industrial and trading wealth and of its exploitation of Ireland up to the tragic time of the Great Famine. 3) USSR (1924-1953) addresses the related problems of Stalin's efforts to modernise the Soviet Union by terror and force, and the tragic impact of these policies and of the war against Hitler upon the lives of the Russian people.
AS Course	The AS History course prepares students for the Oxford and Cambridge (OCR) examination. In this there are three examined components; 1) structured questions on documents on Nazi Germany 1933-1945 (40% of the AS) 2) a structured question on the period of The Age of Peel (30% of the AS) 3) a structured question on the period of the Soviet Union under Stalin (30% of the AS)
AS-Level Exam
A-Level History	To gain the full A level in History you will have to have taken the AS in History first. The History AS is worth 50% of the A level, and the three A2 units taken in the second year are worth the other 50%. The essential foundations for success in Advanced (A) Level History are wide and active reading, and efficient notemaking. But there is a considerable amount of class discussion, debate and role-play in order to develop students' views. The other important vehicle for developing a student's skill in argument - and the one that is used in the examination at the end - is the timed essay. A study of History at A level builds on the skills developed at both GCSE and at AS level. There is less emphasis on the memorisation of a body of facts and much more on the examination of problems. There is less emphasis on purely narrative writing and a greater emphasis on analytical and' argufying' essays in which students are invited to state a considered view of a particular problem.
A-Level Course	The A2 course comprises three further units, two of which relate to or build on the units of the AS course.
A-Level Exam	4) Gladstone and Disraeli, 1846 -1880. This is a depth study that focuses upon the titanic rivalry of these two parliamentary giants, whose political differences still have a direct relevance to contemporary British and world issues. This study will involve an examination of both contemporary sources and the views of various historians. 5) Dictatorship in Russia, 1855 -1956. This topic will address the question of continuity in Russian politics. Was the 1917 Revolution such a tuning-point after all? 6) Coursework - An Historical Investigation, assessed as an extended essay of 2,500 words. This will enable you to pursue a particular personal area of enthusiasm; or to develop or reinforce a unit study already undertaken (e.g. the Nazis, Peel, Stalin or Gladstone and Disraeli).
A-Level Assessment	The A2 course prepares students for the Oxford and Cambridge (OCR) examination. In this, there are two examined components (units 4 and 5) while the coursework (unit 6) is externally moderated. 4) structured questions on documents on Disraeli and Gladstone plus one essay in this Depth Study worms 30% of this year's examined marks. 5) two essays on the theme of Dictatorship in Russia 1855-1956 worth 40% of this year's marks. 6) an extended essay of 2,500 words on a problem arising out of previous areas or units of study, worms 30% of this year's examined marks.
A-Level Mark Scheme	AS Unit 1 Nazi Germany 20% AS Unit 2 Age of Peel 15% AS Unit 3 Russia under Stalin 15% A2 Unit 4 Gladstone and Disraeli 15% A2 Unit 5- Dictatorship in Russia 1855-1956 20% A2 Unit 6 Coursework Extended Essay 15%