A Level Course Guide 2024

History OCR

H I S TO R Y

“All sorts of reasons can be given for reading history, but the best of them has always seemed to me sheer pleasure” LORD ROBERT BLAKE IN CSL DAVIES’ PEACE PRINT & PROTESTANTISM 1450-1558

“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” ALAN BENNETT, THE HISTORY BOYS If you have enjoyed studying History at GCSE and are keen to explore the subject further, then there is a great deal on offer at Sixth Form. History pupils study three different papers and complete one piece of coursework. All History pupils have two teachers at Sixth Form. The wide ranging course covers different periods ensuring a breadth and depth of historical knowledge. In the Sixth Form, all History pupils are members of the Blenheim Society which hosts leading historians to deliver lectures in school. Professors John Watts, George Garnett, Niall Ferguson, Avi Shlaim and Michael Lynch have given recent talks and pupils are encouraged to participate and ask them questions. The society also includes forums, discussions and talks about various subjects, such as the nature of medieval heresy, sixteenth-century witchcraft, nationalism and the Rwandan genocide. The Department has also previously run successful Sixth Form History trips to the United States, Russia, China and the Middle East. History at Sixth Form is also highly respected by universities. It is a subject that is recommended for university courses such as Law, English, Sociology, Politics, PPE and other subjects that require good analytical writing skills. The skills you develop in analysis, presentation, research and critical thinking are invaluable for several careers as well. Many lawyers, journalists, marketing specialists, politicians, linguists studied History at Sixth Form and succeed in their industries due to many of the skills gained from studying History.

COMPONENT

ASSESSMENT

OPTION A

OPTION B

Unit 1

Exam – 1 hour 30minutes

England 1547–1603: The Later Tudors (Elizabeth I)

Britain 1930–1997

Unit 2

Exam – 1 hour

The French Revolution and the rule of Napoleon 1774–1815

The French Revolution and the rule of Napoleon 1774–1815

Unit 3

Exam – 2 hour 30 minutes

The Church and Medieval Heresy c.1100–1437

The challenge of German Nationalism, 1789-1919

Unit 4

Coursework – 4000 word essay

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