A knowledge of History will change your life. You will always want to know the truth about how things really are. The skills that you will learn at GCSE will enable you to work out the truth of any situation for yourself, to express your ideas clearly and to have confidence in your ability to argue your case. Today it is more important than ever before that as many people as are able to, have an effective working knowledge of the past. Life is changing so rapidly. People forget so much so easily. The quotation below can be seen at the entrance to the main exhibition room at Auschwitz, where over one million Jews were gassed during the Second World War as part of Hitler’s ‘Final Solution’. It gives a stern warning of the potential dangers of living in ignorance of the past: ‘The one who does not remember History, is bound to live through it again.’
Course Content – Examination Board: AQA History Syllabus 8145
The course consists of two papers both of which are taken at the end of the course:
Paper 1: Understanding the modern world
Paper 2: Shaping the nation
Subject content
The GCSE History content comprises the following elements: one period study one thematic study one wider world depth study one British depth study including the historical environment.
Component 1: Understanding the modern world
Section A: Period studies 1B Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and dictatorship
Section B: Wider world depth studies Conflict and tension, 1918–1939
Component 2: Shaping the nation
Section A: Thematic studies 2A Britain: health and the people
Section B: British depth studies including the historical environment Elizabethan England, c1568–1603 18
Component 1: Understanding the modern world
How it's assessed written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes 84 marks (including 4 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar) 50% of GCSE
Section A – six compulsory questions (40 marks)
Section B – four compulsory questions (40 marks) Plus 4 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar
Component 2: Shaping the nation
How it's assessed written exam: 1 hour 45 minutes 84 marks (including 4 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar) 50% of GCSE
Questions Section A – five compulsory questions (40 marks)
Section B – four compulsory questions (40 marks) Plus 4 marks for spelling, punctuation and grammar
Higher Line and Higher Education Options
Many of our GCSE pupils will continue to study History to a higher level, either at A Level or IB. Each year, several Stonyhurst pupils go on the study History at university. History provides an ideal preparation for anyone wishing to follow a career in Law or the media. Recent publications by the HMC, the Russell Group and the University of Cambridge have confirmed the place of History among the list of subjects that are most valued by universities.
