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Course Description

Never before has History been such an important subject with Europe in conflict and the world on the brink of an environmental catastrophe; learning lessons from the past and being able to acquire information in an impartial yet informative way is crucial to ensuring pupils at the Leigh UTC are armed to tackle the challenges of the present and the future. 

GCSE History is taught at the Leigh UTC as a two year course where students will be given three hours a week of classroom teaching time and between one to two hours of homework per week.

Due to the number of topics and amount of knowledge required to succeed it is important that students have strong reading and writing skills with essay writing being a common form of assessment. 

Student Quotes

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed on the basis of three exams, taken at the end of year 11: 

  • Paper 1 (worth 30% of the GCSE) lasts 1 hour and 15 minutes, and requires that you answer a series of questions on a thematic study; you will also be asked to answer source questions on a related historic environment. 
  • Paper 2 (worth 40% of the GCSE) lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes, and requires that you answer a series of questions on a British Depth Study; you will then be asked to answer a series of questions on a Modern Period Study. 
  • Paper 3 (worth 30% of the GCSE) lasts 1 hour and 20 minutes, and requires that you answer a series of questions on a Non-British Modern Depth Study. Including questions on historical interpretation. 

What will I learn?

Exam Paper and Topic

Knowledge

Paper 1 – Thematic Study: Medicine Through Time 1250-Today

  • Knowledge of Medicine in medieval England including the Black Death.
  • Knowledge of the Medical Renaissance in England including the Great Plague.
  • Knowledge of Medicine in eighteenth- and nineteenth century Britain including Cholera in London.
  • Knowledge of Medicine in modern Britain including Penicillin and Lung Cancer. 
  • Knowledge of the British sector of the Western Front, 1914–18: injuries, treatment and the trenches.

Paper 2 – British Depth Study & Modern Period Study: (i) Anglo-Saxon and Norman England 1060-1088 and (ii) Superpower Relations and the Cold War 1941-1991

  • Knowledge of Anglo-Saxon England before the Normans. 
  • Knowledge of the events of the Norman Conquest as well as the rebellions shortly after. 
  • Knowledge of how life changed for the people of England after the Norman Conquest. 
  • Knowledge of the increasing East-West tension and the origins of the Cold War, 1941– 58;
  • Knowledge of Cold War crises, 1958–70 including the Berlin Crisis;
  • Knowledge of the end of the Cold War, 1970-91 including Détente and the collapse of the USSR

Paper 3 – Non British Modern Depth Study: Weimar & Nazi Germany (1919-1939)

  • Knowledge of the Weimar Republic 1919-1929, including the Impact of World War One, 
  • Knowledge of Hitler’s rise to power, 1919–33, including the Wall Street Crash.
  • Knowledge of Nazi control and dictatorship, 1933–39, including the role of the police state.
  • Knowledge of Life in Nazi Germany, 1933–39, including the persecution of minorities.

Skills

  • Knowledge of the Weimar Republic 1919-1929, including the Impact of World War One, 
  • Knowledge of Hitler’s rise to power, 1919–33, including the Wall Street Crash.
  • Knowledge of Nazi control and dictatorship, 1933–39, including the role of the police state.
  • Knowledge of Life in Nazi Germany, 1933–39, including the persecution of minorities.

What could I do next?

History is still considered one of the most highly respected subjects due to the amount of reading, writing, analysis and evaluation required which means the skills are highly valued and transferable across a wide variety of different careers. Most notably careers in law, journalism, publishing, marketing, arts, politics, broadcasting, media as well as education.