GCSE History
What topics will be studied? The new syllabus includes four topics covering a mixture of medieval and modern history. Some of them span large periods of time, others focus on much narrow periods in depth.
Course Outline Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Autumn Term WW1 WW2 Early Elizabethan England 1558-1588 Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-1939 Spring Term Medicine in Britain 1250-present Superpower relations and the Cold War 1941-1991 Revision for exams Summer term
Topic 1: Medicine in Britain 1250-Present This is a thematic study that requires students to understand change and continuity across a long sweep of history. Among key periods studied will be: The Medical Renaissance in England 1500-1700 Medicine in Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Britain 1700-1900 Medicine in Modern Britain 1900-Present
Historical Environment Within this unit there will be a study of an ‘Historical Environment’ which will be linked to the overall thematic study and focuses on a specific site and its historical context: The British Sector of the Western front 1914-1918: Surgery and Treatment Students will be expected to use a variety of sources to understand a range of topics including; Conditions requiring medical treatment Conditions in the trenches The effects of new technology such as gas Developments in surgery and medicine
Topic 2: Early Elizabethan England 1558-1588 Queen, Government and Religion 1558-1588 Challenges to Elizabeth at home and abroad 1569-1588 Elizabethan society in the Age of Exploration 1558-1588
Topic 3: Superpower Relations and the Cold War 1941-1991 1.The origins of the Cold War 2.The Cold War Crises, 1958-1970 3.The End of the Cold War, 1970-1991
Topic 4:Modern Depth Study Weimar and Nazi Germany 1918-1939 1. The Weimar Republic 1918-29 2. Hitler’s Rise to Power 1919-33 3. Nazi Control and Dictatorship 4. Life in Nazi Germany 1933-1939
Teaching and learning methods
Reading and note-making
Essay-writing
Discussion
Project work
Presentations and debates
Assessment Pupils sit three exam papers at the end of year 11. There is no coursework/controlled assessment. Paper One – 75 minutes, worth 30% (Medicine in Britain) Paper Two – 105 minutes, worth 40% (Early Elizabethan England and Superpower Relations) Paper 3 – 75 minutes, worth 30% (Weimar and Nazi Germany)
Exam questions Explain two consequences of the Arms Race. (8 marks)
Explain two of the following: The importance of the Berlin Crisis of 1948-9 for the development of the Cold War. The importance of the events in Hungary in 1956 for the development of the Cold War. The importance of the Truman Doctrine (1947) in the development of the Cold War. (16 marks)
Write a narrative account analysing the main events in superpower rivalry in Cuba in the years 1959-62. You may use the following in your answer: The Bay of Pigs Invasion, 1961 The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962 You must also use information of your own
Year 9 Battlefields Trip to Ypres
Year 10 Berlin trip
Why choose history? Enjoyment Great for writing skills - will help with English Learn how to construct balanced arguments Study a wide variety of history with different periods to appeal to everyone Greater understanding of the world you live in You know you want to go on and study history/law/journalism at A level/university
Not because… My brother/sister did it My best friend is doing it I really like my history teacher I don’t know what else to pick
How can you help? Organisation Learning/testing Homework