ocr a level history coursework questions

OCR A Level History Past Papers

A complete collection of ocr a level history past papers. perfect for preparation for upcoming exams. can be used at home for individual learning or within a classroom environment..

It’s time to start preparing for your exams and it’s never been easier with School History. We’ve got hundreds of past papers that are easy to use, come with mark schemes, and are specifically tailored to each specific examination board, so you can get the most from your revision time and enter your examination feeling confident and fully prepared.

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The answer is simple: preparedness. As a A Level student, exams become an important part of your assessment criteria and preparation for A-levels. The use and importance of past papers, therefore, cannot be over-emphasised.

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Proper time management can quite literally mean the difference between passing and failing an exam, even if you know everything that’s required to pass. Your revision time and using past papers is an excellent way to start practicing how to properly manage the time in the exam setting. You’ll be given different styles of questions with different mark allocations, so it’s important to know what’s expected of you and how much time to dedicate to each question, whether its a multiple-choice question, short answer or an essay.

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With proper preparation, it’s possible to walk into and out of your exam feeling confident. Confidence is key to performing well as doubt and anxiety can cloud your judgment and affect your ability to think clearly and make the proper decisions. Past papers are the most effective way to familiarise yourself with important terminology, vocabulary, and styles of questions so that you have a solid understanding of what is expected of you to excel in each and every style of question.

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Remember, some questions will be assessing your knowledge and understanding of key features and characteristics of a period studied, others will require you to explain and analyse historic events, others will require you to compare and contrast source material and contextualise it in the historic environment, while thematic studies will require you to demonstrate knowledge clearly over centuries while following a particular theme. All of these questions require you to substantiate your answers using facts.

All these questions will be awarded marks in levels, i.e. basic, simple, developed and complex, and short answers and essay questions will also have marks awarded for spelling and grammar. By practicing with past papers you’ll have access to mark schemes, which examiners use to evaluate your responses and you’ll quickly learn how to achieve the most marks while striking the right balance with time management.

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OCR A-Level History Past Papers

This section includes recent A-Level History past papers from OCR. You can download each of the OCR A-Level History past papers and marking schemes by clicking the links below.

OCR A-Level History A (H105, H505) June 2022

A-Level History A Y101 – Alfred and the Making of England 871 – 1016 A-Level History A Y102 – Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035 – 1107 A-Level History A Y103 – England 1199 – 1272 A-Level History A Y104 – England 1377 – 1455 A-Level History A Y105 – England 1455 – 1509: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII A-Level History A Y106 – England 1485 – 1558: the Early Tudors A-Level History A Y107 – England 1547 – 1603: the Later Tudors A-Level History A Y108 – The Early Stuarts and the Origins of the Civil War 1603 – 1660 A-Level History A Y109 – The Making of Georgian Britain 1678 – c. 1760 A-Level History A Y110 – From Pitt to Peel: Britain 1783 – 1853 A-Level History A Y111 – Liberals, Conservatives and the Rise of Labour 1846 – 1918 A-Level History A Y112 – Britain 1900 – 1951 A-Level History A Y113 – Britain c. 1930 – 1997

Download Unit 1 Past Paper s     -     Download Unit 1 Mark Schemes

A-Level History A Y201 – The Rise of Islam – c. 550 – 750 A-Level History A Y202 – Charlemagne 768 – 814 A-Level History A Y203 – The Crusades and the Crusader States 1095 – 1192 A-Level History A Y204 – Genghis Khan and the Explosion of the Steppes c. 1167 – 1405 A-Level History A Y205 – Exploration, Encounters and Empire 1445 – 1570 A-Level History A Y206 – Spain 1469 – 1556 A-Level History A Y207 – The German Reformation and the rule of Charles V 1500 – 1559 A-Level History A Y208 – Philip II 1556 – 1598 A-Level History A Y209 – African Kingdoms c.1400 – c. 1800: four case studies A-Level History A Y210 – Russia 1645 – 1741 A-Level History A Y211 – The Rise and Decline of the Mughal Empire in India 1526 – 1739 A-Level History A Y212 – The American Revolution 1740 – 1796 A-Level History A Y213 – The French Revolution and the rule of Napoleon 1774 – 1815 A-Level History A Y214 – France 1814 – 1870 A-Level History A Y215 – Italy and Unification 1789 – 1896 A-Level History A Y216 – The USA in the 19 th Century: Westward expansion and Civil War 1803 – c. 1890 A-Level History A Y217 – Japan 1853 – 1937 A-Level History A Y218 – International Relations 1890 – 1941 A-Level History A Y219 – Russia 1894 – 1941 A-Level History A Y220 – Italy 1896 – 1943 A-Level History A Y221 – Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919 – 1963 A-Level History A Y222 – The Cold War in Asia 1945 – 1993 A-Level History A Y223 – The Cold War in Europe 1941 – 1995 A-Level History A Y224 – Apartheid and Reconciliation: South African Politics 1948 - 1999

Download Unit 2 Past Paper s      -     Download Unit 2 Mark Schemes  

A-Level History A Y302 – The Viking Age – c. 790 – 1066 A-Level History A Y303 – English Government and the Church 1066-1216 A-Level History A Y304 – The Church and Medieval Heresy 1100- 1437 A-Level History A Y305 – The Renaissance – c. 1400 – c.1600 A-Level History A Y306 – The Rebellion and Disorder under the Tudors 1485- 1603 A-Level History A Y307 – Tudor Foreign Policy 1485- 1603 A-Level History A Y308 – The Catholic Reformation 1492- 1610 A-Level History A Y309 – The Ascendancy of the Ottoman Empire 1453- 1606 A-Level History A Y310 – The Development of the Nation State: France 1498- 1610 A-Level History A Y311 – The origins and growth of the British Empire 1558- 1783 A-Level History A Y312 – Popular Culture and the Witchcraze of the 16th and 17th Centuries A-Level History A Y313 – The Ascendancy of France 1610- 1715 A-Level History A Y314 – The Challenge of German Nationalism 1789- 1919 A-Level History A Y315 – The Changing Nature of Warfare 1792- 1945 A-Level History A Y316 – Britain and Ireland 1791- 1921 A-Level History A Y317 – China and Its Rulers 1839- 1989 A-Level History A Y318 – Russia and Its Rulers 1855- 1964 A-Level History A Y319 – Civil Rights in the USA 1865- 1992 A-Level History A Y320 – From Colonialism to Independence: The British Empire 1857- 1963 A-Level History A Y321 – The Middle East 1908- 2011: Ottomans to Arab Spring

Download Unit 3 Past Paper s      -     Download Unit 3 Mark Schemes

OCR A-Level History A (H105, H505) November 2021

OCR A-Level History A (H105, H505) November 2020

OCR A-Level History A (H105, H505) June 2019

Download Unit 3 Past Paper s      -     Download Unit 3 Mark Schemes  

OCR A-Level History A (H105, H505) June 2018

A-Level History A Y101 – Alfred and the Making of England 871 – 1016 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y102 – Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035 – 1107 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y103 – England 1199 – 1272 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y104 – England 1377 – 1455 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y105 – England 1455 – 1509: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y106 – England 1485 – 1558: the Early Tudors Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y107 – England 1547 – 1603: the Later Tudors Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y108 – The Early Stuarts and the Origins of the Civil War 1603 – 1660 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y109 – The Making of Georgian Britain 1678 – c. 1760 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y110 – From Pitt to Peel: Britain 1783 – 1853 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y111 – Liberals, Conservatives and the Rise of Labour 1846 – 1918 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y112 – Britain 1900 – 1951 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y113 – Britain c. 1930 – 1997 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

A-Level History A Y201 – The Rise of Islam – c. 550 – 750 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y202 – Charlemagne 768 – 814 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y203 – The Crusades and the Crusader States 1095 – 1192 Download Past Paper  - Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y204 – Genghis Khan and the Explosion of the Steppes c. 1167 – 1405 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y205 – Exploration, Encounters and Empire 1445 – 1570 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y206 – Spain 1469 – 1556 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y207 – The German Reformation and the rule of Charles V 1500 – 1559 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y208 – Philip II 1556 – 1598 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y209 – African Kingdoms c.1400 – c. 1800: four case studies Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y210 – Russia 1645 – 1741 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y211 – The Rise and Decline of the Mughal Empire in India 1526 – 1739 Download Past Paper - Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y212 – The American Revolution 1740 – 1796 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y213 – The French Revolution and the rule of Napoleon 1774 – 1815 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y214 – France 1814 – 1870 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y215 – Italy and Unification 1789 – 1896 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y216 – The USA in the 19 th Century: Westward expansion and Civil War 1803 – c. 1890 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y217 – Japan 1853 – 1937 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y218 – International Relations 1890 – 1941 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y219 – Russia 1894 – 1941 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y220 – Italy 1896 – 1943 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y221 – Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919 – 1963 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y222 – The Cold War in Asia 1945 – 1993 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y223 – The Cold War in Europe 1941 – 1995 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y224 – Apartheid and Reconciliation: South African Politics 1948 - 1999 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

A-Level History A Y302 – The Viking Age – c. 790 – 1066 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y303 – English Government and the Church 1066-1216 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y304 – The Church and Medieval Heresy 1100- 1437 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y305 – The Renaissance – c. 1400 – c.1600 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y306 – The Rebellion and Disorder under the Tudors 1485- 1603 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y307 – Tudor Foreign Policy 1485- 1603 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y308 – The Catholic Reformation 1492- 1610 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y309 – The Ascendancy of the Ottoman Empire 1453- 1606 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y310 – The Development of the Nation State: France 1498- 1610 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y311 – The origins and growth of the British Empire 1558- 1783 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y312 – Popular Culture and the Witchcraze of the 16th and 17th Centuries Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y313 – The Ascendancy of France 1610- 1715 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y314 – The Challenge of German Nationalism 1789- 1919 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y315 – The Changing Nature of Warfare 1792- 1945 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y316 – Britain and Ireland 1791- 1921 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y317 – China and Its Rulers 1839- 1989 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y318 – Russia and Its Rulers 1855- 1964 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y319 – Civil Rights in the USA 1865- 1992 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y320 – From Colonialism to Independence: The British Empire 1857- 1963 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y321 – The Middle East 1908- 2011: Ottomans to Arab Spring Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

OCR A-Level History A (H105, H505) June 2017

A-Level History A Y201 – The Rise of Islam – c. 550 – 750 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y202 – Charlemagne 768 – 814 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y203 – The Crusades and the Crusader States 1095 – 1192 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y204 – Genghis Khan and the Explosion of the Steppes c. 1167 – 1405 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y205 – Exploration, Encounters and Empire 1445 – 1570 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y206 – Spain 1469 – 1556 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y207 – The German Reformation and the rule of Charles V 1500 – 1559 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y208 – Philip II 1556 – 1598 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y209 – African Kingdoms c.1400 – c. 1800: four case studies Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y210 – Russia 1645 – 1741 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y211 – The Rise and Decline of the Mughal Empire in India 1526 – 1739 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y212 – The American Revolution 1740 – 1796 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y213 – The French Revolution and the rule of Napoleon 1774 – 1815 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y214 – France 1814 – 1870 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y215 – Italy and Unification 1789 – 1896 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y216 – The USA in the 19 th Century: Westward expansion and Civil War 1803 – c. 1890 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y217 – Japan 1853 – 1937 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y218 – International Relations 1890 – 1941 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y219 – Russia 1894 – 1941 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y220 – Italy 1896 – 1943 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y221 – Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919 – 1963 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y222 – The Cold War in Asia 1945 – 1993 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y223 – The Cold War in Europe 1941 – 1995 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y224 – Apartheid and Reconciliation: South African Politics 1948 - 1999 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

A-Level History A Y302 – The Viking Age – c. 790 – 1066 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y303 – English Government and the Church 1066-1216 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y304 – The Church and Medieval Heresy 1100- 1437 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y305 – The Renaissance – c. 1400 – c.1600 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y306 – The Rebellion and Disorder under the Tudors 1485- 1603 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y307 – Tudor Foreign Policy 1485- 1603 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y308 – The Catholic Reformation 1492- 1610 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y309 – The Ascendancy of the Ottoman Empire 1453- 1606 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y310 – The Development of the Nation State: France 1498- 1610 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y311 – The origins and growth of the British Empire 1558- 1783 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y312 – Popular Culture and the Witchcraze of the 16th and 17th Centuries Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y313 – The Ascendancy of France 1610- 1715 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y314 – The Challeneg of German Nationalism 1789- 1919 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y315 – The Changing Nature of Warfare 1792- 1945 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y316 – Britain and Ireland 1791- 1921 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y317 – China and Its Rulers 1839- 1989 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y318 – Russia and Its Rulers 1855- 1964 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y319 – Civil Rights in the USA 1865- 1992 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y320 – From Colonialism to Independence: The British Empire 1857- 1963 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme A-Level History A Y321 – The Middle East 1908- 2011: Ottomans to Arab Spring Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

OCR A-Level History A (H105, H505) June 2016

Download All Papers - Download Marking Schemes

AS Level History A Y131 – Alfred and the Making of England 871 – 1016 AS Level History A Y132 – Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035 – 1107 AS Level History A Y133 – England 1199 – 1272 AS Level History A Y134 – England 1377 – 1455 AS Level History A Y135 – England 1455 – 1509: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII AS Level History A Y136 – England 1485 – 1558: the Early Tudors AS Level History A Y137 – England 1547 – 1603: the Later Tudors AS Level History A Y138 – The Early Stuarts and the Origins of the Civil War 1603 – 1660 AS Level History A Y139 – The Making of Georgian Britain 1678 – c. 1760 AS Level History A Y140 – From Pitt to Peel: Britain 1783 – 1853 AS Level History A Y141 – Liberals, Conservatives and the Rise of Labour 1846 – 1918 AS Level History A Y142 – Britain 1900 – 1951 AS Level History A Y143 – Britain c. 1930 – 1997

AS Level History A Y231 – The Rise of Islam – c. 550 – 750 AS Level History A Y232 – Charlemagne 768 – 814 AS Level History A Y233 – The Crusades and the Crusader States 1095 – 1192 AS Level History A Y234 – Genghis Khan and the Explosion of the Steppes c. 1167 – 1405 AS Level History A Y235 – Exploration, Encounters and Empire 1445 – 1570 AS Level History A Y236 – Spain 1469 – 1556 AS Level History A Y237 – The German Reformation and the rule of Charles V 1500 – 1559 AS Level History A Y238 – Philip II 1556 – 1598 AS Level History A Y239 – African Kingdoms c.1400 – c. 1800: four case studies AS Level History A Y240 – Russia 1645 – 1741 AS Level History A Y241 – The Rise and Decline of the Mughal Empire in India 1526 – 1739 AS Level History A Y242 – The American Revolution 1740 – 1796 AS Level History A Y243 – The French Revolution and the rule of Napoleon 1774 – 1815 AS Level History A Y244 – France 1814 – 1870 AS Level History A Y245 – Italy and Unification 1789 – 1896 AS Level History A Y246 – The USA in the 19 th Century: Westward expansion and Civil War 1803 – c. 1890 AS Level History A Y247 – Japan 1853 – 1937 AS Level History A Y248 – International Relations 1890 – 1941 AS Level History A Y249 – Russia 1894 – 1941 AS Level History A Y250 – Italy 1896 – 1943 AS Level History A Y251 – Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919 – 1963 AS Level History A Y252 – The Cold War in Asia 1945 – 1993 AS Level History A Y253 – The Cold War in Europe 1941 – 1995 AS Level History A Y254 – Apartheid and Reconciliation: South African Politics 1948 - 1999

OCR A-Level History June 2016

HISTORY A (H106, H506)

Unit F961: British History Period Studies - Option A: Medieval and Early Modern 1035-1642  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme Unit F961: British History Period Studies - Option B: Modern 1783-1994 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme Unit F962: European & World History Period Studies - Option A: Medieval and Early Modern 1095-1609  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme Unit F962: European & World History Period Studies - Option B: Modern 1795-2003  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme Unit F963: British History Enquiries - Option A: Medieval and Early Modern 1066-1660 Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme Unit F963: British History Enquiries - Option B: Modern 1815-1945  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme Unit F964: European & World History Enquiries - Option A: Medieval and Early Modern 1073-1555  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme Unit F964: European & World History Enquiries - Option B: Modern 1774-1975  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme Unit F966: Historical Themes - Option A: Medieval and Early Modern 1066-1715   Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme Unit F966: Historical Themes - Option B: Modern 1789-1997  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

OCR A-Level History June 2015

Unit F961: British History Period Studies - Option A: Medieval and Early Modern 1035-1642 -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F961: British History Period Studies - Option B: Modern 1783-1994 -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F962: European & World History Period Studies - Option A: Medieval and Early Modern 1095-1609 -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F962: European & World History Period Studies - Option B: Modern 1795-2003 -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F963: British History Enquiries - Option A: Medieval and Early Modern 1066-1660 -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F963: British History Enquiries - Option B: Modern 1815-1945 -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F964: European & World History Enquiries - Option A: Medieval and Early Modern 1073-1555 -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F964: European & World History Enquiries - Option B: Modern 1774-1975 -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F966: Historical Themes - Option A: Medieval and Early Modern 1066-1715 -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F966: Historical Themes - Option B: Modern 1789-1997 -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

HISTORY B (H108, H508)

Unit F981: Historical Explanation - British History -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F982: Historical Explanation - Non-British History -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F983: Using Historical Evidence - British History -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F984: Using Historical Evidence - Non-British History -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F985: Historical Controversies - British History -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

Unit F986: Historical Controversies - Non-British History -  Download Past Paper  -  Download Mark Scheme

OCR A-Level History June 2014

For more A-Level History past papers from other exam boards  click here .

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As and a level ancient history - h007, h407.

If you are delivering this qualification, go to Teach Cambridge for complete planning, teaching and assessment support materials.

Our A Level in Ancient History provides students with an opportunity to study four elements of ancient Greek and Roman history, and the interplay of military, political, religious, social and cultural factors within the time frames covered.

Specification code: H407 Qualification number: 603/0805/9 This qualification is available in English only

Our AS Level in Ancient History encourages students to explore and appreciate the military, political, religious, social and cultural history and legacy of Greece and Rome. Through source-based study of two significant historical periods they develop an understanding of key historical concepts.

Specification code: H007 Qualification number: 603/0806/0 This qualification is available in English only

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A Level History Coursework Edexcel – A Guide

• Post author By admin
• Post date November 16, 2023
• No Comments on A Level History Coursework Edexcel – A Guide

This guide shows you how to plan, research and write A Level History coursework for Edexcel using ideas, resources, examples and structure. This coursework is weighted towards Assessment Objective Three (AO3) 15% and Assessment Objective One (AO1) 5%. This makes it substantially different from coursework assessed under AQA or OCR. For Edexcel coursework, the focus is on differing interpretations of the past and analysis of them, alongside your own view of the events.

A Level History Coursework Edexcel – Ideas, Examples and Resources

Question Format – The question that you decide to answer for the Edexcel Coursework will always use the following template.

• Historians have disagreed about [ the chosen question, problem or issue ].
• What is your view about [ the chosen question, problem or issue ]?

Thus, we can see that there are two parts to this coursework:

• Part 1 – dealing with the historian’s viewpoints which is (AO3) and worth 15%
• Part 2 – your own viewpoint which is (A01) and worth 5%  

Question Ideas, Example and Selection

There are two key points to consider when selecting a question, problem or issue for your coursework.

• Is there enough debate around this question? – There needs to be a scholarly debate around the question or issue. This means differing views on the question from different historians. This makes it easier to select appropriate works to analyse and compare.
• Can you access the appropriate resources? – You must use a minimum of three different key works as well as two supplementary works. Your three key works should hold opposing views about the question or issue. Let’s look at an example question to make this clear:

Historians have disagreed about the extent to which by 1924 the Russian people had exchanged one authoritarian regime for another. What is your view about the extent to which by 1924 the Russian people had exchanged one authoritarian regime for another?

• View 1 – Tsarist Rule was more authoritarian. (C. Hill argues this)
• View 2 – Bolshevik rule was more authoritarian. (R. Service argues this)
• View 3 – The regimes were equally authoritarian. (R. Pipes argues this)

This is the ideal example of having three viewpoints that would be spread across the historiographical spectrum. This helps us to engage with the historical debate and hit the following criteria for the coursework:

• analyse ways in which interpretations of the question or issue differ.
• explain the differences you have identified.
• evaluate the arguments, indicating which you found most persuasive and why.

You would then add to this a minimum of two supplementary works, (more is better) that would assist in helping you form your view and add weight to your analysis and arguments. Critically, you must be able to access all these resources to use them effectively in completing the coursework.  

Coursework Resources

• Library – school, local, college, university – you should be able to borrow appropriate works.
• Teacher – your teacher should be able to provide you with copies of appropriate resources to use.
• JSTOR – www.jstor.org – contains a large collection of journal articles from historical publications covering numerous topics. These will often engage in the historical debate by replying to opposing views.
• Purchase Books – many second-hand books are available to purchase at very cheap prices through Amazon or similar sites.

A Level History Coursework Edexcel – How to Research and Write

Researching the Coursework – When researching our coursework we use the resource record form, which acts as a bibliography to the books, articles and online resources we are using. As we go through these resources we want to make notes that help us to identify the overall argument of the historian. Key quotes or passages should be noted down, alongside a reference. If we then use this material in our write up, we can add the appropriate footnote.

Writing the Coursework – When writing our coursework we need to be aware of the total word count as well as making sure that we hit all the assessment criteria. This means dividing up the 4000 words (maximum word count) effectively between the assessment criteria. An example structure to implement this is shown in the next section.

A Level History Coursework Edexcel – Structure and Planning

First section – introduction to the overall question and key works (c. 1000 words).

Introduction to the overall topic. You need to put the question into context by providing relevant information regarding what was happening at the time. You then need to define any key terms in the question.

Example from our question above – authoritarian regime would be defined as ‘a regime in which power is highly centralised and maintained regardless of popular support, with the use of repression and violence’.

Finally, you need to set out valid criteria by which the question can be judged.

Example from our question and definition above – we need to compare the Tsarist regime to the Bolshevik regime in terms of:

• Centralisation of power .
• Power maintained despite lacking popular support.
• Power maintained through repression and violence.

You should now have a complete introduction to the topic (1 paragraph)

Introduction to the debate by placing each of the key works in the historiographical debate. You can also place your supplementary works on the historiographical line here. (1 paragraph)

Set out the arguments in extended detail from the three key works. What are the historians’ views on this question? (1 paragraph)

Show how the arguments from each of the key works differ or are like one another. (1 paragraph)

Summary of the views of the key works. (1 paragraph)

Second Section – Explaining why the key works differ from one another (c. 1000 words)

Introduction – You need to set out three valid criteria to explain why the key works differ. Why is it that the historians’ arguments differ? There are several different potential criteria that could be used here: When was the work written? What sources and evidence did they use? Have they defined the key terms of the question differently? Have they defined the criteria to answer the question differently? Do they have different scopes of enquiry? What is the purpose of the work? What is the historians background and view?

Example from our question – The historians have defined the key term to answer the question differently – C. Hill has focused on authoritarian being defined as lacking popular support. R. Service is more focused on authoritarian being defined through repression. R. Pipes is mostly focused on authoritarian being defined as a centralisation of power.  

The historians have defined the key term ‘authoritarian’ differently. (1 paragraph)    

Paragraphs – This is where you use the criteria set out from the introduction to this section. You want one paragraph per item of criteria that we are judging the key works on.

Example from our question – one paragraph regarding how the historians have defined the key term ‘authoritarian’ differently.

Then you need to consider the three works in terms of the criteria set out for that paragraph. Show why there are differences in the key works regarding that criteria and how that leads the historian to arrive at their interpretation. Use evidence to support your points. (3 paragraphs – 1 for each criterion)

Conclusion – Brief conclusion that offers a summary of why the key works are different. (1 paragraph)

Third Section – Your own viewpoint on the question (c. 1000 words)

Brief introduction of your own viewpoint and line of argument that will be taken, remembering to re-instate the criteria by which the question can be judged . (1 paragraph)

Paragraphs that set out your own view on the question. This is where you should be using the criteria set out in your introductions. You want one paragraph per item of criteria.

Example from our question – one paragraph regarding ‘centralisation of power’.

Then you need to bring evidence and analysis to assess the criteria being judged. You can also use the key works and the supplementary works in this section to help you. (3 paragraphs – 1 for each criterion)

Conclusion that reaches a judgement on the question and follows your line of argument that has flowed throughout. (1 paragraph)

Fourth Section – Evaluation and Judgement of the key works and of the question (c. 1000 words)

Go through each of the key works and make a judgement on how convincing and valid the arguments from the historians are compared to the criteria. (3 paragraphs – 1 for each key work)

Form an overall judgement on the question and an overall judgement on which of the key works is most convincing. These should broadly align together. (1 paragraph)   

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