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History
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.
In 2008 a new syllabus will be introduced by OCR, the examination board we use. Details of the finalised specification were confirmed as the prospectus was being produced. The topics we intend to offer are given below but should be taken as a provisional programme of study subject to change. The topics selected are similar to those we have offered previously.
The AS History course comprises two units on very different topics:
1 From Pitt to Peel 1783-1846 puts a crucial period in late eighteenth century and early nineteenth century British history under the microscope. You will study Britain’s youngest Prime Minister as well as , for example, the modernising leadership of Robert Peel at the height of Britain’s industrial and trading wealth.
2 Democracy and Dictatorship in Germany 1933-1963 as seen by eye witnesses in written documents and film examines life under the Nazis and what consequences this had for Germans after the war.
The AS Exam
The AS History course prepares students for the Oxford and Cambridge (OCR) examination. In this there are two examined components:
1 structured questions on documents on Democracy and Dictatorship in Germany (50% of the AS)
2 structured questions on From Pitt to Peel (50% of the AS)
A2 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 two 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 include 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.
The A2 course
The A2 course comprises two further units.
3 Russia and its Rulers 1855-1964 addresses the question of continuity in Russian politics. Was the 1917 Revolution such a turning-point after all?
4 Coursework – Historical Interpretations and Investigations. Using sources provided by OCR you will write a 2,000 word essay the study of Gladstone and Disraeli from 1846 to 1895 for you to write a 2,000 word essay on a set topic by the board. Students are given lots of freedom in helping them to decide what to research and gain valuable experience in writing essays to university standard.
| The AS History Course |
| The AS Exam |
| A2 History |
| The A2 Course |
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