History
The new GCSE course gives opportunities to study history from a variety of perspectives, including social, economic, and cultural, thereby helping students to appreciate the diversity of the societies studied and the experiences of the people in those societies. It is a wide ranging course allowing you study in depth across a range of periods and topics. If you have enjoyed history in years 7-9 there is no reason to doubt that you'll enjoy this new GCSE course. You will continue to develop the historical skills which you have already been using: looking at sources, dealing with bias and propaganda, and collecting and organising information. The course is about helping us to understand the world we now live in and is essentially about people - what they did and why they did it.
There are a number of periods studied:
Paper 1 - Thematic study and historic environment Written examination of 1 hour and 15 minutes. (30% of the total marks)
Medicine in Britain c1250-present day and the British sector of the Western Front 1914- 1918: injuries, treatment and the trenches or crime
Paper 2 - period study and British Depth study Written examination of 1 hour and 45 minutes. (40% of the total marks)
Early Elizabethan England 1558-1588 and The American West
Paper 3 - Modern Depth Study Written examination of 1 hour and 20 minutes (30% of the total marks)
Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-39
In GCSE History we make use of a variety of Historical resources that include newsreels, films, photographs, cartoons, written primary sources as well as the very latest textbooks approved by the AQA exam board. Work is presented through essays, oral presentations, role play, group and individual projects, wall charts and there is plenty of opportunity to use I.T There is also the opportunity to visit and study historical events and places first-hand through the trips arranged by the History Department. GCSE History is an extremely valuable and highly respected qualification for further training in all areas of education and employment. It combines well with both arts and sciences at A Level and is appropriate and relevant to a range of careers. The skill set that the subject provides you with; critical thinking, analytical approach, the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently are highly prized by further education institutions and employers.
