history coursework criteria

A Level History Coursework AQA – A Guide

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• Post date January 8, 2024
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This guide shows you how to plan, research and write A Level History Coursework for AQA using ideas, resources, examples and structure. This coursework is weighted in the following format. Assessment Objective One (AO1) 10% (20 marks), Assessment Objective Two (AO2) 5% (10 marks) and Assessment Objective Three (AO3) 5% (10 marks). For AQA coursework this gives a total of 20% (40 marks) divided as shown above across all three of the A Level History Assessment Objectives.

A Level History Coursework AQA – Ideas, Examples and Resources

Choosing an Issue and Question – You are required to identify an issue or topic that you wish to study and develop a question from this. This gives a broad scope for potential questions. There are however two specific requirements of the question.

• The question must not duplicate any of the content that you are studying for examination assessment in components 1 and 2.
• The question must place the issue or topic in the context of approximately 100 years of history.

Question Ideas, Example and Selection

There are two potential ways to ensure that you cover the 100 year requirement for this coursework. You could identify an issue and related question which traces development over approximately 100 years. Alternatively, you could focus on a narrower issue but place it in the context of a 100 year period. Lets look at a couple of examples below to make this clear.

• Q1. Q. ‘Despite a period of unprecedented economic and social change, British women remained marginalised and downtrodden’. During the period 1760-1867, assess the validity of this view. – This is the perfect example of a broad issue and question from which you could analyse development over the time period.
• Q2. In the context of the period 1905 to 2003, to what extent was the Cuban missile crisis the biggest turning point in the relationship between Russia and the USA? – This question highlights a more specific issue (the Cuban missile crisis) and places it in context of the relationship between the two countries over the c100 year period.

There are some key points to consider when selecting a question for your coursework.

• Question formulation – Students are advised to use the type of question formulations seen in AQA examinations and shown in the examples above.
• Historiographical debate – There needs to be a scholarly debate around the question or issue. This means differing views on the question from different historians. This makes it easier to select appropriate works to analyse and compare.
• Primary sources – Is there a range of primary sources and primary material available to support the coursework? These primary resources need to be accessible to the student.

Coursework Resources

• Library – school, local, college, university – you should be able to borrow appropriate works.
• Teacher – your teacher should be able to provide you with copies of appropriate resources to use.
• JSTOR – www.jstor.org – contains a large collection of journal articles from historical publications covering numerous topics. These will often engage in the historical debate by replying to opposing views.
• Purchase Books – many second-hand books are available to purchase at very cheap prices through Amazon or similar sites.

A Level History Coursework AQA – Structure and Planning

First section – introduction to the question (c. 350 words).

Introduction to the overall topic. You need to put the question into context by providing relevant information regarding what was happening at the time. You then need to define any key terms in the question. For the British women example question above you would need to define ‘remained marginalised and downtrodden’ .

This we could do by defining;

• remained as showing continuity rather than change
• marginalised as a group treated as insignificant and peripheral. 
• downtrodden as a group oppressed or treated badly by those in power.

You would then need to set-out valid criteria by which the question can be judged in order to provide an accurate answer. These criteria will go on to become your factors as you can see in the plan below.

For the British women example question, we could potentially use the following criteria to judge whether they remained marginalised and downtrodden. Did women’s lives change for the better, during the period, in the following different areas?

• Socially and Culturally
• Legally and Politically
• Education and Work

Second Section – Historians Viewpoints (c. 800 words – 400 each)

In this section we look at the viewpoints of two different academic historians. In order to achieve the highest marks, Level 5 (9-10 Marks) we need to do the following:

• Show a very good understanding of the differing historical interpretations raised in the question.
• Convincingly evaluate the interpretations with reference to time, context and/or limitations placed on the historians.

Using the example Cold War question shown above, you could analyse the views of a US historian writing after the Cold War has ended, with a Soviet historian writing during the period. This would enable you to contrast the content of both works and evaluate the interpretations given. This would also show how the time period affected the works, how limitations affected the works, how purpose affected the works, amongst many other issues that help to explain the authors differing viewpoints.

Third Section – Factor 1 and Source 1 (c. 650 words Factor 1 and 350 words Source 1)

In this section you cover the first factor that you have identified from your criteria in the introduction, as well as one of your primary sources that matches with this theme. So for the British women example question this section would concentrate on the Socially and Culturally factor that we are using as criteria to answer the question. Crucially you have to cover the time period and show your understanding of change and continuity as illustrated by the mark scheme detailed below.

• Level 5 (17-20) marks – Very good understanding of change and continuity within the context of approximately 100 years.

You then add to this section your evaluation of your first primary source that matches with this theme. So for the British women example question you would have a primary source that related to the Socially and Culturally factor being covered here.

Fourth Section – Factor 2 and Source 2 (c. 650 words Factor 2 and 350 words Source 2 )

In this section you cover the second factor that you have identified from your criteria in the introduction, as well as one of your primary sources that matches with this theme. So for the British women example question this section would concentrate on the Legally and Politically factor that we are using as criteria to answer the question. Crucially you have to cover the time period and show your understanding of change and continuity as illustrated by the mark scheme detailed below.

You then add to this section your evaluation of your first primary source that matches with this theme. So for the British women example question you would have a primary source that related to the Legally and Politically factor being covered here.

Fifth Section – Factor 3 and Source 3 (c. 650 words Factor 3 and 350 words Source 3 )

In this section you cover the second factor that you have identified from your criteria in the introduction, as well as one of your primary sources that matches with this theme. So for the British women example question this section would concentrate on the Education and Work factor that we are using as criteria to answer the question. Crucially you have to cover the time period and show your understanding of change and continuity as illustrated by the mark scheme detailed below.

You then add to this section your evaluation of your first primary source that matches with this theme. So for the British women example question you would have a primary source that related to the Education and Work factor being covered here.

Sixth Section – Overall Conclusion (c. 350 words)

In the final section you need to produce an overall conclusion that fully answers the coursework question. So for the British women question you would be answering ‘did they remain marginalised and downtrodden during this period?’. This will take into account everything you have considered throughout the piece of work including your criteria, the viewpoints of the academic historians, the primary sources and the factors that you have covered from your criteria. In reaching a final judgement and conclusion, you need to take into account the entire period considering continuity and change across it, as you should have done throughout the rest of the coursework.

A Level History Coursework AQA – Primary Source Analysis

Looking at the primary source mark scheme table from the AQA website can help you to understand the requirements. Firstly, you must ensure that three sources are used and that there are a minimum of two different types (can be two different types of written source). To achieve the highest marks you must then ensure that a range of relevant and well supported comments are made on the value of the sources. Finally, you must provide a balanced and convincing judgement on the merits of each source in relation to our question.

Assessing Your Primary Sources

• Provenance – The five W’s of Who, Why, What, When, Where; can help you to identify the provenance of a primary source and assess its value or limitations.
• Tone and Emphasis – How does the tone and emphasis impact the value of the source. Is it impartial, critical, formal, aggressive, empathetic, mocking, candid etc?
• Content – What is the actual content of the source saying? How true is this in terms of your contextual knowledge? Is there value in the inaccuracies of the content?
• Value/Limitations and Judgement – The above three points ( Provenance, Tone and Emphasis and Content ) can be used to assess how much we can learn from the source, by weighing up value and limitations, as well as giving judgement on the merit of the source.

How To Improve Further at A Level History

Pass A Level History – is our sister site, which shows you step by step, how to most effectively answer any A Level History extract, source or essay question. Please click the following link to visit the site and get access to your free preview lesson. www.passalevelhistory.co.uk

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History Coursework: how to Choose the Best Question

• Dr Janet Rose
• June 13, 2020

So, just when you thought your first A-level History year was over and you could relax before tackling next year, you have to think about your history coursework. This will be the non-exam assessment (NEA) or Historical Investigation.  It can cause a lot of angst amongst students but taking some time and thinking it through carefully before you start can make the world of difference.

1. Choose to study something interesting for your history coursework

If you have the chance to choose whichever topic you like for your history coursework and set your own question, or if you are given a list of different topics, choose one you are genuinely interested in. You will be working on this piece for months, so it makes sense to choose something that will hold your interest.

2. Make sure there are no clashes with your other topics

In practice, there are constraints set by the various exam boards to make sure that your topic does not overlap with the components you are already studying for your A level or Pre U. Your exam centre (school, college or independent centre) will need to have your question approved by the exam board and they will not approve a topic with an obvious overlap. For example, if you are already studying the Tudors for AQA, it is unlikely that you can  study a topic set in England between 1485 to 1603. Therefore, if you are setting your own question, ask yourself if it overlaps in date or topic with one of your components. If it does, you will need to find an alternative. Each exam board has slightly different rules, so check on their website to see what the rules are for your exam board.

3. Find your source material early

For your history coursework, you will need to find two types of source material – primary and secondary:

P rimary sources are those that were written at the time and you will also need to find a range of these to support your investigation. To achieve high marks you should look for a variety of primary sources, for example, a letter, a report, a painting, a speech etc.

Secondary sources are scholarly books or articles by historians, or what the a-level exam boards call ‘interpretations.’ this means that your investigation will only be viable if historians have written about the topic and, preferably, argued over it. you will need to understand the arguments that provide a framework for your chosen topic. historians call this the historiography..

Therefore, the question you set yourself will only be able to achieve high marks if you make sure there are both secondary sources (scholarly argument) and primary sources (original material) to support your investigation. If you cannot find these, you should re-think your question.

4. Remember you actually have to answer the question!

It sounds really obvious – but remember that you actually have to answer the question you set yourself!  You need to choose something that is achievable in the time frame and gives you a good chance of success. A good question will give you a framework within which to research and write – you are looking for something that is not too vague nor too wide.

You also need something that you can address in the historical time frame (e.g. around 100 years for AQA) and a topic that you can analyse and evaluate in approximately 3, 500 words (check the word limit for your own exam board). In practice, any question that is too wide, too vague or unlikely to be achievable should be vetoed either by your school/college/independent centre or the exam board. However, this will waste your valuable time and is not totally foolproof, so choose an achievable project to give yourself a fighting chance of achieving that elusive A grade.

5. Choose a good format for your history coursework question

The standard ‘for and against’ question format will always be a good choice and will give you a framework within which to set your investigation. There are various ways to word such a question e.g. ‘How far…’, To what extent…’ ‘Within the context of … how important was…’ which will give you a clear framework and a direction for your investigation. Keep it simple is good advice here. Remember, though, to define your framework by including the date range in your question. For example ‘Within the context of 1790 to 1890, how important was…?’

Done well, the NEA or Personal Investigation will teach you a huge amount about how historians work, how sources are used and how to construct an argument. This will help you enormously when you come to the final exams and it can be a very valuable contribution to your qualification. It can also be enjoyable as it is your first chance to ‘do’ some real historical research. Choose your question with care and you automatically give yourself a head start.

Exam Board History Coursework Guidance

AQA Guidance

Cambridge Pre U Guidance

OCR Guidance

Edexcel Guidance

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AS and A-level History

• Specification
• Planning resources
• Teaching resources
• Assessment resources

Introduction

• Specification at a glance
• 1A The Age of the Crusades, c1071–1204
• 1B Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469–1598 (A-level only)
• 1C The Tudors: England, 1485–1603
• 1D Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702
• 1E Russia in the Age of Absolutism and Enlightenment, 1682–1796 (A-level only)
• 1F Industrialisation and the people: Britain, c1783–1885
• 1G Challenge and transformation: Britain, c1851–1964
• 1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964
• 1J The British Empire, c1857–1967
• 1K The making of a Superpower: USA, 1865–1975
• 1L The quest for political stability: Germany, 1871–1991
• 2A Royal Authority and the Angevin Kings, 1154–1216
• 2B The Wars of the Roses, 1450–1499
• 2C The Reformation in Europe, c1500–1564 (A-level only)
• 2D Religious conflict and the Church in England, c1529–c1570
• 2E The English Revolution, 1625–1660
• 2F The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715 (A-level only)
• 2G The Birth of the USA, 1760–1801
• 2H France in Revolution, 1774–1815 (A-level only)
• 2J America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877
• 2K International Relations and Global Conflict, c1890–1941 (A-level only)
• 2L Italy and Fascism, c1900–1945
• 2M Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957
• 2N Revolution and dictatorship: Russia, 1917–1953
• 2O Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945
• 2P The Transformation of China, 1936–1997
• 2Q The American Dream: reality and illusion, 1945–1980
• 2R The Cold War, c1945–1991
• 2S The Making of Modern Britain, 1951–2007
• 2T The Crisis of Communism: The USSR and the Soviet Empire, 1953–2000 (A-level only)

Component 3: Historical investigation (non-exam assessment) (A-level only)

• Scheme of assessment
• Non-exam assessment administration
• General administration

Purpose of the Historical investigation

The purpose of the Historical Investigation is to enable students to develop the skills, knowledge and historical understanding acquired through the study of the examined components of the specification.

Through undertaking the Historical Investigation students will develop an enhanced understanding of the nature and purpose of history as a discipline and how historians work.

• ask relevant and significant questions about the past and undertake research
• develop as independent learners and critical and reflective thinkers
• acquire an understanding of the nature of historical study
• organise and communicate their knowledge and understanding in a piece of sustained writing

Students will be required to submit a Historical Investigation based on a development or issue which has been subject to different historical interpretations. The Historical Investigation must:

• be independently researched and written by the student
• be presented in the form of a piece of extended writing of between 3500 and 4500 words in length, with a limit of 4500 words
• draw upon the student's investigation of sources (both primary and secondary) which relate to the development or issue chosen and the differing interpretations that have been placed on this
• place the issue to be investigated within a context of approximately 100 years
• be an issue which does not duplicate the content of Components 1 and 2.

The Historical Investigation must be supervised in accordance with the requirements of Section 5.1 of this specification.

The centre must complete a non-examined assessment (NEA) title approval form no later than 20 October in the year before the intended completion of the A-level course. The form must detail the title and date range of the proposed historical investigation for each student. The teacher must state which examined components will be studied. This form must be submitted to AQA for review. AQA will check that the proposed historical investigation title, when combined with the examined components, meets the following requirements:

• the proposed title is set in the context of approximately 100 years
• there is no overlap with the content of the options studied for the examined components
• all three components together cover a chronological range of at least 200 years

AQA will inform the centre if any historical investigation title does not meet the requirements and the focus for the non-examined assessment will need to be changed.

Failure to comply with these requirements will invalidate the student’s entry and no A-level result will be issued.

It is therefore vital that the teacher ensures that all requirements are met. If a student changes their historical investigation title, a new form should be completed.

On completion of the NEA, each student must also complete a Candidate Record Form (CRF) detailing the options studied for the examined components. The student must sign this form. The teacher must counter sign the CRF and this declaration will confirm that the historical investigation complies with the NEA title approval form and has adhered to all requirements.

The CRF must be sent to the moderator at the same time as marks for the NEA are submitted. The moderator will check that all course requirements have been met.

If the requirements have not been met, then the entry will be invalid and no result issued.

Copies of all the documentation, including the NEA proposal form and guidance on submission procedures are available from the AQA website at www.aqa.org.uk/history

Further guidance is available from the History subject team: [email protected]

Choice of issue and question to be studied

Students will be required to identify an issue or topic they wish to study and develop a question from this issue or topic as the focus of the Historical Investigation. The issue or topic to be studied and the question which stems from it must place the issue or topic in the context of approximately 100 years of history. The question could be based on British history or non-British history or could be a multi-country issue. However, it must not duplicate content studied in Components 1 and 2.

The Historical Investigation could identify an issue and a related question which traces a development over approximately 100 years. Alternatively, it could focus on a narrower issue, but place it the context of approximately 100 years.

• A broad issue and related question which analyses its development over approximately 100 years, for example: assessing how Puritanism changed during the Seventeenth Century; or assessing the extent to which the condition of the Russian peasant improved over the period 1850–1950
• A more specific issue in the context of approximately 100 years, for example: assessing the extent to which the Glorious Revolution successfully settled relations between Crown and Parliament in the context of the Stuart period; or assessing the extent to which Tsar Nicholas I changed the nature of Tsarist rule set against the period of Catherine the Great, Alexander and Nicholas I.

Issues which relate to international, national or local developments are appropriate, as are investigations which adopt specific historical perspectives such as cultural, social or technological.

However, in choosing the issue, students need to take the following into account:

• Is there a range of primary sources and primary material available to support individual investigation?
• Is the issue and related question one which has promoted debate and differences of interpretation amongst historians?

When framing the question to be answered, students must ensure that it enables them to demonstrate skills of historical analysis, evaluation and judgement, to appraise the views of historians and to evaluate primary sources.

Students are advised to use the type of question formulations seen in examinations such as the use of questions which begin ‘To what extent’ or a quotation in the form of a judgement followed by ‘Assess the validity of this view’.

The A-level subject content for history requires that students carry out a Historical Investigation that is independently researched. It is acceptable that students within a centre base their Historical Investigations around the same topic. However, the essential pre-requisite of non-exam assessment and the principal purpose of the Historical Investigation both require that the Historical Investigation is the work of individual students each developing a question to investigate and each evaluating individually, primary sources and historical interpretations. Where students in a centre are studying a similar topic or topics, there may be only a limited number of primary sources and, more so, a limited number of historical interpretations. However, the centre must ensure that students assess and evaluate sources individually, even where sources used are similar. It is not permitted for centres to direct students to the same sources as this fundamentally undermines the need for the Historical Investigation to be the work of an individual student.

Further guidance and exemplar material are available via the AQA website.

The skills and qualities to be demonstrated and assessed

The skills and qualities of all three Assessment Objectives must be demonstrated in the Historical Investigation. These are:

AO1: demonstrate, organise and communicate knowledge and understanding to analyse and evaluate the key features related to the periods studied, making substantiated judgements and exploring concepts, as relevant, of cause, consequence, change, continuity, similarity, difference and significance.

AO2: analyse and evaluate appropriate source material, primary and/or contemporary to the period, within the historical context.

AO3: analyse and evaluate, in relation to the historical context, different ways in which aspects of the past have been interpreted.

The task required of students in responding to AO3 will be different from that in the examined components in that students will be expected to:

• show an understanding of the limitations placed on historians
• show an understanding of the significance of the time and/or context in which an historian writes
• compare and evaluate differing historical interpretations.

Students must base their analysis and evaluation of historical interpretations on the work of academic historians. It is not acceptable that the analysis and evaluation is based on textbook historians or course books.

Students are expected to use short quotations, paraphrase and/or footnotes to show the source of their interpretations. Lengthy extracts are not required.

In developing their response to a chosen issue to investigate, students are expected to consult a range of resources, which may include textbooks, course books and work of academic historians. Within the Historical Investigation, however, there must be explicit analysis and evaluation of two differing interpretations by academic historians where students analyse and evaluate the differences between the interpretations, show an awareness of the time and/or context of the interpretations and demonstrate an understanding of the limitations placed on historians.

The Historical Investigation must be written with the qualities of all three objectives integrated within the body of the work. For example, students will analyse, evaluate and reach judgements about the question chosen (AO1) and within this analysis and evaluation, appraise the views of historians (AO3) and analyse and evaluate primary source material and the extent to which it is useful in supporting arguments or conclusions (AO2).

Completion of the Historical investigation

The Investigation should be completed in approximately 3500-4500 words, excluding bibliography, footnotes, and appendices, with a limit of 4500 words. Work that exceeds this word limit will incur a five mark penalty. This penalty will be applied by AQA, and should not be applied by the teacher. A word count must be included on the Candidate Record Form.

The Investigation must contain an evaluation of three primary sources. At least two different types of primary source should be evaluated. These may be different types of written primary sources, for example: official publications; reports; diaries; speeches; letters; chronicles; observations of elite or ‘ordinary’ people (from the inside or from the outside). Other appropriate sources may include artefacts, archaeological or visual sources.

The Investigation must also demonstrate an understanding of differing interpretations presented by two academic historians about the issue.

Students are advised to avoid extensive, verbatim copying from sources and to ensure that the Investigation is written in their own words. Extensive verbatim copying can lead to malpractice.

The use of footnotes is strongly advised in order to demonstrate the range of evidence consulted and validate the bibliography. Additionally, footnotes alleviate concerns about plagiarism, as the source of comments, views, detail or others' judgements is acknowledged. Skill in the use of footnotes is also highly valued by Higher Education. A bibliography should be provided, listing the sources that have been consulted.

The role of the teacher

Teachers have a number of significant roles:

• to explain the requirements of the Historical Investigation to students
• to ensure that students do not duplicate content already covered in Components 1 and 2 and to ensure that the NEA title which forms the focus of the Historical Investigation is placed in the context of approximately 100 years
• to provide appropriate supervision of students, offering general guidance about the issue and question chosen for investigation
• to monitor the progress of the Investigation
• to submit to AQA, by 20 October in the year before intended A-level certification, an NEA title approval form. This form will require that options from Components 1 and 2 are identified, along with the title of Component 3 and its chronological range for each student
• to sign a declaration that the Investigation is the work of the individual working independently
• to inform AQA where there are concerns about malpractice, such as plagiarism or the submission of work that is not that of the student

Assessment and moderation

The Historical Investigation will be marked by centres and moderated by AQA. It is most important that centres establish rigorous internal standardisation to ensure that the rank order of the students is fair, accurate and appropriate. This is particularly important in larger centres where more than one teacher has prepared and assessed students.

The work of students is to be assessed by a levels of response mark scheme which addresses each of the following assessment objectives, with the weighting as indicated:

Mark Scheme to be used when assessing the Historical investigation

AO1: 20 marks

Demonstrate, organise and communicate knowledge and understanding to analyse and evaluate the key features related to the periods studied, making substantiated judgements and exploring concepts, as relevant, of cause, consequence, change, continuity, similarity and significance.

NOTE: An Historical investigation which fails to show an understanding of change and continuity within the context of approximately 100 years cannot be placed above Level 2 in AO1 (maximum 8 marks)

Level 5: 17–20 The response demonstrates a very good understanding of change and continuity within the context of approximately 100 years and meets the full demands of the chosen question. It is very well organised and effectively delivered. The supporting information is well-selected, specific and precise. It shows a very good understanding of key features, issues and concepts. The answer is fully analytical with a balanced argument and well-substantiated judgement.

Level 4: 13–16 The response demonstrates a good understanding of change and continuity within the context of approximately 100 years and meets the demands of the chosen question. It is well-organised and effectively communicated. There is a range of clear and specific supporting information, showing a good understanding of key features and issues, together with some conceptual awareness. The response is predominantly analytical in style with a range of direct comment relating to the question. The response is well-balanced with some judgement, which may, however, be only partially substantiated.

Level 3: 9–12 The response demonstrates an understanding of change and continuity within the context of approximately 100 years and shows an understanding of the chosen question. It provides a range of largely accurate information which shows an awareness of some of the key issues. This information may, however, be unspecific or lack precision of detail in parts. The response is effectively organised and shows adequate communication skills. There is a good deal of comment in relation to the chosen question, although some of this may be generalised. The response demonstrates some analytical qualities and balance of argument.

Level 2: 5–8 The response demonstrates some understanding of change and continuity but may have limitations in its coverage of a context of approximately 100 years. The response may be either descriptive or partial, showing some awareness of the chosen question but a failure to grasp its full demands. There is some attempt to convey material in an organised way although communication skills may be limited. The response contains some appropriate information and shows an understanding of some aspects of the investigation, but there may be some inaccuracy and irrelevance. There is some comment in relation to the question but comments may be unsupported and generalised.

Level 1: 1–4 The response demonstrates limited understanding of change and continuity and makes little reference to a context of approximately 100 years. The chosen question has been imperfectly understood and the response shows limited organisational and communication skills. The information conveyed is extremely limited in scope and parts may be irrelevant. There may be some unsupported, vague or generalised comment.

AO2: 10 marks

Analyse and evaluate appropriate source material, primary and/or contemporary to the period, within the historical context.

Level 5: 9–10 Provides a range of relevant and well-supported comments on the value of three sources of two or more different types used in the investigation to provide a balanced and convincing judgement on their merits in relation to the topic under investigation.

Level 4: 7–8 Provides relevant and well-supported comments on the value of three sources of two or more different types used in the investigation, to produce a balanced assessment on their merits in relation to the topic under investigation. Judgements may, however, be partial or limited in substantiation.

Level 3: 5–6 Provides some relevant comment on the value of three sources of at least two different types used in the Investigation. Some of the commentary is, however, of limited scope, not fully convincing or has only limited direction to the topic under investigation.

Level 2: 3–4 Either: provides some comment on the value of more than one source used in the investigation but may not address three sources in equal measure or refers to sources of the same 'type'. Or: provides some comment on the value of three sources of at least two types used in the investigation but the comment is excessively generalised and not well directed to the topic of the investigation.

Level 1: 1–2 Provides some comment on the value of at least one source used in the Investigation but the response is very limited and may be partially inaccurate. Comments are likely to be unsupported, vague or generalised.

In commenting and making judgements on the value of the sources, students will be expected to apply their own contextual knowledge and perspectives of time and place in order to assess the value and limitations of their sources as evidence. They will be expected to comment on, as appropriate to the investigation and chosen sources:

• the differing perspectives of the sources chosen
• the social, political, intellectual, religious and/or economic contexts in which the sources were written
• the credibility, authority, authenticity, consistency and comprehensiveness of the sources
• the bias, distortion or propagandist elements found in the sources

AO3: 10 marks

Analyse and evaluate, in relation to the historical context, different ways in which aspects of the past have been interpreted.

Level 5: 9–10 Shows a very good understanding of the differing historical interpretations raised by the question. There is a strong, well-substantiated and convincing evaluation of two interpretations with reference to the time, context and/or limitations placed on the historians.

Level 4: 7–8 Shows a good understanding of the differing historical interpretations raised by the question. There is some good evaluation of the two interpretations with reference to the time, context and/or limitations placed on historians, although not all comments are substantiated or convincing.

Level 3: 5–6 Shows an understanding of differing historical interpretations raised by the question. There is some supported comment on two interpretations with reference to the time, context and/or limitations placed on historians, but the comments are limited in depth and/or substantiation.

Level 2: 3–4 Shows some understanding of the differing historical interpretations raised by the question. They may refer to the time, context and/or limitations placed on the historians in an unconvincing way.

Level 1: 1–2 Shows limited understanding of the differing historical interpretations raised by the question. Comment on historical interpretations is generalised and vague.

In showing an understanding of historical interpretations and evaluating historical interpretations, students will be expected to apply their own contextual knowledge.

They will be expected, as appropriate to the investigation:

• to show an understanding of the limitations placed on historians
• to show an understanding of the significance of the time and/or context in which an historian writes
• to compare and evaluate differing historical interpretations.

NOTE: The Investigation has a limit of 4500 words. Work that exceeds this word limit will incur a 5 mark penalty. This deduction will be applied by AQA, and should not be applied by the teacher.

History / Social Science

Course criteria & guidance.

All courses approved for the history/social science (A) subject requirement will expose students to primary sources and secondary literature, and promote critical thinking and questioning regarding historical events and perspectives.

Course Content Guidelines

Courses meeting the history/social science (A) subject requirement will do at least three of the following:

• Examine how and why societies change and the different ways (economic, political, cultural, social) we can explain those changes.
• Explore the building blocks of different societies (e.g., family, tribe, caste, class, religion, citizenship, ethnicity) and what cultural norms shape how these units relate to, and interact with, each other.
• Examine how societies obtain, produce, and distribute the resources and services they need to continue to exist.
• Identify the defining features of different political systems by answering such questions as: Where does political power originate and how is it exercised? How do political practices and institutions relate to other aspects of historical development?
• Analyze the impact of environmental or geographic change on societies.

World history, cultures, and historical geography

• Courses do not need to cover every culture or period in the history of humankind, but they will spend some time examining historical periods before the 18th century .
• Specifically, a course can be an in-depth study of a single culture over an extended period of time (at least three centuries), such as Chinese history from the Tang dynasty to the present, as long as other world cultures are regularly included as comparisons.
• Alternatively, several cultures might be studied and compared, as in a more traditional world history, cultures, or historical geography course.
• An important element is that the focus be outside the United States and, whenever possible, away from contemporary cultures very similar to our own.

U.S. history

• Courses will:
• cover a substantial period of U.S. history (e.g., at least 200 years),
• examine U.S. history in its wider international context, and
• avoid examining particular groups isolated from the larger society of which they are a part.
• U.S. history courses may have a particular emphasis, such as business and economy, ethnicity, immigration, gender and family, or science and technology but must be covered within a broader context, such as within a comparative framework.

American government / civics

• Courses must focus on the U.S. federal government and/or U.S. politics.

Two years of college-preparatory history/social science required, including: one year of world history, cultures or historical geography, and one year of U.S. history; or one-half year of U.S. history and one-half year of civics or American government.

For information on how a student can fulfill UC A-G admissions requirements, please visit the UC Admissions website .

Skills Guidelines

Because the history/social science (A) subject requirement seeks to ensure that students have a repertoire of skills for historical analysis, approved courses will support students to:

• Formulate research questions that can provide the basis for productive investigation.
• Develop library skills, including use of online databases and other research tools.
• Examine the nature of evidence and the ways in which evidence is created, identified, compared and contrasted, curated, and accepted or rejected.
• Undertake a research project so that students learn fundamental elements of historical practice, namely: formulating a question they wish to answer, identifying primary and secondary historical sources, analyzing those sources, and using them to create a narrative and an analytical argument. Such projects may vary in depth and extent as students build skills for research over the high school years.
• Engage in writing exercises of different lengths, including at least one longer (depending on grade level, 1,000- to 2,000-word) writing project. These exercises may also include visual or web-based presentations of evidence.
• Develop confidence in oral presentation through regular practice.

Honors Course Criteria & Guidance

Honors-level history / social science (A) courses must offer content and/or experience that is demonstrably more challenging than what is offered through a non-honors course, and will fulfill the following criteria:

• General A-G  honors-level course criteria .
• Include the assignment of either one long annotated research paper or numerous short annotated research papers.

The history / social science (A) requirement supports students in developing a repertoire of historical concepts and skills through exploration of particular historical and geographical periods. More important than content coverage is the set of attitudes and habits of mind that foster students’ historical literacy. The core competencies students gain from taking area A courses include:

• An understanding of the significance of time and place as variables in shaping culture, politics, and social arrangements.
• Comprehending and evaluating a wide range of historical evidence across a variety of cultures and time periods, and constructing narratives and arguments based on that evidence.
• Offering multiple explanations of causality − social, political, economic, and environmental.
• Knowledge of a variety of social, economic, and political practices across time and space , including the building blocks of different societies, the distribution of resources within societies, and the variety of political systems.
• Being aware of the contingent nature of our knowledge of the past , as it is shaped by variations in interpretation and differing perspectives .
• Communicating historical knowledge in oral and written formats.