Key Stage 5

Ask yourself this:

  • Do you enjoy an academic challenge?
  • Do you have university ambitions?
  • Do you wish to enter the professions?
  • Have you enjoyed learning about History up until now?

Then History is for you! Think about these questions that relate to the AS and A Level History course.

  • How was the NHS created and why? It’s in chaos according to the popular media today – so why was it ever created in the first place?
  • -How did the British government steer the country through World War Two?
  • -Who was “Thatcher the Milk Snatcher”? Why did she get the nickname “The Iron Lady”?
  • -What was life like for ordinary Germans when the Nazi’s were in power? Did everyfamily really drive a Volkswagon, and have a chicken in the pot? Hitler certainly promised them this! But did he deliver?
  • - When German bombs were falling on Britain, how were people in Germany living their lives? Was the Nazi propaganda machine running at full power? What exactly did Joseph Goebbels choose to tell the German people?

If so, then history is for you!

What is the course and how is it assessed?

The course is divided into sections: Britain 1906-2007 and Life in Nazi Germany 1933-45. There are two exams, one for each topic. The AS Level papers are 1 hour and 15 minutes and are worth 50% each of the total AS Level mark or 25% of the total A Level mark. The A Level exam is on British history only and is 1 hour 30 minutes long and is worth 30% of the total mark. The remaining paper is a Personal Study (coursework) based on the African-American Civil Rights Movement in twentieth century America.

Why study History at AS and A Level?

A variety of teaching methods are used. Students are expected to read widely, make notes, evaluate different types of sources, give presentations, and write essays. Our students are coached to become independent learners and historians. Students visit the Houses of Parliament, historical lectures, and attend master classes at the National Archives in Kew. Visiting university professors lecture during the academic year and there is are two Cardinal Wiseman History prizes, one for the Year 12 History student with the highest grade at GCSE and one for a Year 13 History student of outstanding merit.

History is a good qualification for the professions – law, media, accountancy, journalism, public relations etc. It is the most popular undergraduate degree course in Britain and an A Level in History is still a respected subject by the established universities. If you are unsure as to how an A Level in History could benefit you as a future accountant, barrister, journalist, publisher, talk to an A Level History teacher for more advice.