igcse history essay questions

ActiveHistory revision materials for the Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Modern World History Examination.

The cambridge igcse modern world history examination consists of two papers., paper 1 (two hours) - structured questions, in paper 1, you are required to answer three questions in the (a) describe, (b) explain, (c) assess format. you have 40 minutes to answer each of these three questions (i.e. two hours in total)., section a: core content (answer two questions from this section).

You will answer two questions from a range of topics in the 20th century.

Section B: Depth Study (answer ONE question from this section)

You will choose one question from a choice of two from the Depth Study you have covered in class. For example, if you have studied Germany 1918-1945, it is likely that one question will focus on "The Weimar Republic and the Rise of Hitler" whilst the other will be on "The Nazi Regime".

Each of the three questions you answer in this paper will be broken into three parts:

(a) Describe (4 marks) > four developed points (b) Explain (6 marks) > two detailed explanations (c) Assess (10 marks) > three interpretations, plus a conclusion

Interactive Paper 1 revision resources from ActiveHistory

Interactive paper 1 question practice.

Describe [4] [ practice questions ] | Explain [6] [ practice questions ] | Assess [10] [ practice questions ]

"Play Your Dates Right" game

Play this game to test your chronogical understanding.

"Who Am I?" challenge

A team-based game to test your knowledge of key individuals in the course.

Paper 2 (1hr45m) - Sourcework

Students answer five questions based around a topic from the 19th century option, or the 20th century option, depending on what they have studied in class..

For examination in Summer 2024, the prescribed topics are as follows:

You will answer five compulsory sourcework questions. When appropriate, you will use your background knowledge to evaluate and elaborate upon the sources.

The following resources will help you revise and develop your sourcework skills ready for the exam.

Interactive Cartoon Analysis Tool

Sourcework Question Markschemes

Source Overlay Template

Sourcework Skills Overview

Origin of Sources: Evaluation Worksheet

Purpose of Sources: Evaluation Worksheet

Nature of Sources: Evaluation Worksheet

2 Key Cartoonists: Low and Partridge

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IGCSE (CIE) History Paper 1 Essay Question Writing Frame

Subject: History

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

27 September 2021

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This resource is designed to enable students to plan and write an effectively structured answer to Paper 1 (a), (b) and © questions. The writing frame uses a PEEL format to aid the scaffolding of an answer, complete with sentence starters and connectives to link together the answer.

This is a great starting point when introducing Paper 1 style questions to students new to the IGCSE History course as well as providing support for those that require it. It works equally well as a revision or review tool for students of all abilities.

Although designed specifically for the CIE course, this can easily be adapted for any other GCSE syllabus.

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Example Candidate Responses (Standards Booklet) 0470 Cambridge IGCSE

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History GCSE Past Papers

This section includes recent GCSE History past papers from AQA, Edexcel, Eduqas, OCR and the IGCSE from CIE. If you are not sure which exam board you are studying ask your teacher. Past exam papers are a fantastic way to prepare for an exam as you can practise the questions in your own time. You can download each of the exam board's papers by clicking the links below.

• AQA GCSE History Past Papers
• CIE IGCSE History Past Papers
• Edexcel GCSE History Past Papers
• Eduqas GCSE History Past Papers
• OCR GCSE History Past Papers

AQA GCSE 9-1 History Past Papers

A complete collection of aqa gcse 9-1 history past papers. perfect for preparation for upcoming exams. can be used at home for individual learning or within a classroom environment., gcse examination booklets.

Download our comprehensive practice exam booklets covering every GCSE topic and examination board (2020 & 2021 Syllabus), produced by a highly experienced AQA and OCR marker. These are fully sourced and aligned to the respective boards mark scheme.

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.

Why use past exam papers?

The answer is simple: preparedness. As a GCSE-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.

Fill in the blanks

Using past papers are an effective way to establish your strengths and weaknesses so you know where to focus your revision time. Don’t spend hours on a topic you’re familiar with while neglecting an area that needs more time and effort to familiarise yourself with.

Learn effective time management

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.

Walk into your exam with confidence

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.

Get to know your questions

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.

Where do I find past papers? Right here, of course! School History has hundreds of examination-style questions to help you practice for your history exams. By signing up, you’ll not only have access to past papers but thousands of resources related to what you’re studying, including notes, activities, quiz questions and more. Let’s dive in! Take a look below at the major examination boards we cover. Give yourself every advantage to excel in your exams and sign up today!

Programmes & Qualifications

Cambridge igcse history (0470).

• Syllabus overview

Cambridge IGCSE History looks at some of the major international issues of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and covers the history of particular regions and events in more depth.

The syllabus:

• enables learners to develop historical knowledge and the skills required for studying historical evidence
• gives flexibility for teachers to develop a course that interests and stimulates their learners
• provides a sound basis for further study and encourages a lifelong interest in the subject.

Coursework and non-coursework options are available.

The syllabus year refers to the year in which the examination will be taken.

• -->2023 Syllabus update (PDF, 156KB)
• -->2024 - 2026 Syllabus update (PDF, 143KB)

Syllabus support

• -->Support for History (PDF, 851KB)
• -->2023 - 2026 Grade descriptions (PDF, 118KB)

Syllabus updates

We have updated Cambridge IGCSE History to make sure that the content reflects the interests of our schools. Some content has been amended and introduced to improve the international focus and some content has been removed. The assessment has been refreshed to make it clearer and more accessible for both teachers and learners.

The 2023 syllabus (previously for 2023-2025) is now for examination in 2023 only. The updated syllabus is for examination from March 2024 onwards.

We communicated this to schools in March 2022.

For full details of the changes, please see the 2024-2026 syllabus above.

Visit the School Support Hub for a wide range of teaching and learning resources to support this syllabus.

To book a place on any of our face-to-face or online training courses, visit our Events and training calendar .

Endorsed resources

Rely on author Ben Walsh's bestselling approach to navigate through the syllabus content and help students acquire the skills they need.

Read more on the Hodder Education website

Encourage your students’ curiosity for the past with our new series. Includes source analysis guidance, revision tips, essay-writing support and more alongside five depth studies, including WW1 and WW2.

Read more on the Cambridge University Press website

Important notices

Please note that if you make an entry for the A*-G grading scale, it is not then possible to switch to the 9-1 grading scale once the entries deadline has passed. If you find that you have accidentally made an entry for the A*-G syllabus, you must withdraw and re-enter before the entries deadline.

School Support Hub

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