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KS5

A Level History Curriculum  

Why  should you  study HISTORY at A level?  

A-Level History is a widely respected academic  A-Level  whose merits are highly valued by prestigious universities and top employers across a range of fields.  This is because it helps students develop a wide range of transferable skills, from independent research and  evaluating the merits of  different sources  of information to high-level verbal and written communication skills.  AGSB’s A-Level History course is  varied, engaging and challenging.  It allows students to delve much deeper into complex questions,  assess the validity of different perspectives and reach their own well-informed and  nuanced  judgments.  History graduates go on to careers in fields as diverse as  the law, business management, the senior civil service, journalism  and marketing.  If you want to develop your cultural capital,  communicate your ideas articulately and enhance your interpersonal skills in a way that will make you stand out from the field and develop your leadership potential, then A Level History may be the subject for you.      

What you will study? Exam Board and how the subject is assessed

A Level History is  structured around 3 units:  

  • Unit 1: Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855-1964  

  • Unit 2: The Making of Modern Britain, 1951-2007  

  • Unit 3: The Fall of the Bourbon Monarchy in France, 1685-1789  

Exam Board: AQA  

Assessment:  

  • 2 exams of 2.5 hours each (worth 40% each) for Unit 1 and Unit 2      

  • 1 coursework essay of c.4500 words (worth 20%) for Unit 3 
Opportunities offered on this course  

A Level History students  are encouraged to play an active part  in our thriving ‘AGSB History and Politics Society’ which meets weekly and attracts a wide student audience from across Year 7 – 13.  Meetings involve student-led presentations on a wide variety of topics, talks by guest speakers, careers talks  and revision sessions.  A Level students can also assume leadership roles as History & Politics Prefects which mean they lead the society,  deliver whole school assemblies on historical and political themes, organise  and run school ‘Mock Elections’ and deliver ‘Peer Support Sessions’ to GCSE History students.  Beyond that, A Level History students  have opportunities to participate  in the ‘Lessons from Auschwitz Project’ with a 24 hour visit to Poland,benefit from curriculum enrichment visits  to University of Manchester  Study Days  and can enter prestigious national essays competitions in which recent students have enjoyed considerable success.