History A/AS Level

In addition to enhancing your knowledge of a period of the History of Europe, the study of History will strengthen your powers of analysis, encourage interesting discussion and debate and improve the standard of your reading and writing. It qualifies you for admission to a wide variety of courses in Higher Education and it is valued by a range of professions.

Year One of History A Level consists of two modules leading to the AS qualification.  In Unit 1 there is an emphasis on the study of the past through breadth, whilst in Unit 2 there is an in-depth study of an aspect of British History.  The two A2 modules of Year Two complete the course.  Unit 3 is an in-depth study which will include an examination of historical controversies; Unit 4 is internally assessed coursework examining a theme over a one hundred year period.

The options that will be studied are the following:

AS Unit One: two topics must be studied

• The Collapse of the Liberal State and the Triumph of Fascism in Italy, 1896-1943
• Republicanism, Civil War and Francoism in Spain, 1931-1975

AS Unit Two

• The Experience of Warfare in Britain: Crimea, the Boer War and the First World War 1854-1929

In Unit 2 we offer an alternative for students who wish to study an earlier period of History.  The alternative topic is:

• Henry VIII: Authority, Nation and Religion 1509-1540

A2 Unit Three

• From Kaiser to Fuehrer: Germany, 1900-1945

A2 Unit Four (coursework: two 2000 word essays)

• The Making of Modern Russia, 1856-1964

If resources permit we expect to run the following alternative Unit Four coursework option:

• Protest, challenge and reform in Britain, 1880-1998

Assessment will include source evaluation questions, structured questions and essays.