A Level History
Examination Board: OCR
History teaches us to be able to understand the past in order to understand the present. A level history is a transition to genuine academic history, and builds many key skills needed for a wide range of degrees and careers. Historians learn to weigh up evidence, seek the truth, discuss and evaluate interpretations and to analyse deeply. As such it is an extremely well-respected A level, valued by many universities and employers.
In selecting a range of modules, we aim to give students a broader understanding of History by looking at some of the key ideas and developments in different time periods. We also hope to be able to let you follow your own interests in the coursework element of the course.
Paper 1: The French Revolution and the rule of Napoleon 1774–1815. This course looks at the impact of the ideas of the Enlightenment on the absolutist state of France, and the causes of the French revolution of 1789. You will then examine the course of the revolution, from the declaration of the rights of man, through the terror to the rule of Napoleon.
Paper 2: Britain 1900-1950. This course looks at British politics, culture and society, as well as the economic backdrop of the period, and examines the rise of modern British politics, from the height of the empire and the Edwardian age, through two world wars, an economic depression and political crises, to the dawn of the 1950’s and the creation of the Welfare State.
Paper 3: Popular Culture and the Witch craze of the 16th and 17th Centuries. This course investigates the changes taking place during the reformation in Early Modern Europe and considers the impact of the great religious and social upheaval on women. We will look at the great witch craze in Germany, Matthew Hopkins in England and the Salen Witch trials in America as key case studies.
Coursework: Coursework: 4,000-word essay on a historical topic of your choice.
Exams: Three exam papers on the examined unit- Including essay questions, source analysis and interpretations. NEA coursework unit is a 4,000-word investigation into a topic of your choice.
History is a solid A level and is well respected by universities and employers. History graduates may go into history specific roles or may find their transferable skills in demand in careers as diverse as accountancy and management to teaching, journalism and academia. In the past many medics have taken history as a third A level, where it is valued for teaching a different type of analysis from sciences.