Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 - GCSE
History at GCSE is made up of four key units of study tested across two examination papers sat in the Summer of Year 11:
Paper 1 will be studied in Year 9 and Year 10 and it is divided into two sections. For Section A, you will study Germany, 1890 – 1945 which looks in depth at the transition from life under Kaiser Wilhelm to the dictatorship of Adolf Hitler. For Section B, you will look at a wider world depth study relating to Conflict and Tension, 1894 – 1918. This will significantly develop your Year 8 knowledge by analysing the causes and consequences of the First World War.
Paper 2 will then be studied in Year 11 and is again divided into two main sections, this time relating to the ‘Shaping of the Nation’. Within Section A, you will explore the history of medicine across a period of one thousand years and the impact that changing health has had on wider society. In Section B, you will then focus on the British historical environment through a depth study on the Norman invasion and the significance and impact of their conquest.
Papers 1 and 2 are each 1 hour 45 minutes long and contain a mixture of source-based questions and essays.
What it prepares you for:
History at GCSE is a challenging but rewarding and highly regarded subject that will develop students' ability to think and argue about events in the past as well as current affairs. Success at GCSE will open up opportunities in the Sixth Form and impress employers and training providers.