Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency

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CCEA
QCA

GCE ADVANCED SUBSIDIARY (AS) AND ADVANCED (A) LEVEL SPECIFICATIONS

SUBJECT CRITERIA FOR HISTORY

1. Introduction

1.1 AS and A level subject criteria set out the knowledge, understanding, skills and assessment objectives common to all AS and A level specifications in a given subject. They provide the framework within which the awarding body creates the detail of the specification.

Subject criteria are intended to:

• help ensure consistent and comparable standards in the same subject across the awarding bodies;

• define the relationship between the AS and A level specifications, with the AS as a subset of the A level;

• ensure that the rigour of A level is maintained;

• help higher education institutions and employers know what has been studied and assessed.

Any specification which contains significant elements of the subject History must be consistent with the relevant parts of these subject criteria.

2. Aims

2.1 AS and A level specifications in History should encourage students to:

• acquire and effectively communicate knowledge and understanding of selected periods of history;

• develop their understanding of historical terms and concepts;

• explore the significance of events, individuals, issues and societies in history;

• understand the nature of historical evidence and the methods used by historians in analysis and evaluation;

• develop their understanding of how the past has been interpreted and represented;

• develop their understanding of the nature of historical study, for example, that history is concerned with judgements based on available evidence and that historical judgements may be provisional;

• develop their interest in and enthusiasm for history.

AS and A level specifications in History should provide a coherent, satisfying and worthwhile course of study for all students whether they progress to further study in the subject or not.

3. Specification Content

3.1 AS and A level specifications in History should be of sufficient length, depth and breadth to allow students to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills specified below, and must include a rationale for the specification of periods and/or themes which indicate how the following criteria for content are addressed.

There are no prior knowledge requirements for AS and A level specifications in History.

Knowledge, Understanding and Skills

3.2 AS and A level specifications should require students to study:

• significant events, individuals and issues;

• a range of historical perspectives, for example cultural, economic, political. The balance of these perspectives may vary between specifications;

• developments affecting different groups within the societies studied.

Knowledge and Understanding

AS and A level specifications should require students to:

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the historical themes, topics and periods studied;

• assess the significance in their historical context of events, individuals, ideas, attitudes and beliefs and the ways in which they influenced behaviour and action;

• analyse historical interpretations of topics, individuals, issues or themes;

• analyse, evaluate and use historical sources in their historical context;

• demonstrate their understanding of key historical terms and concepts.

Skills

AS and A level specifications should require students to:

• analyse, evaluate, interpret and use historical sources of different kinds appropriate to the period(s) covered in the specification;

• use a range of historical concepts in appropriate ways, for example in presenting a case, argument or account;

• communicate clear, concise and logical arguments substantiated by relevant evidence.

Knowledge and Understanding

3.3 In addition, A level specifications should require students to:

• study the history of more than one country or state;

• study a substantial element of British history and/or the history of England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales. This requirement does not apply to specifications in Ancient History;

• study change over a period of time sufficient to demonstrate understanding of the process of change, its causes and consequences, both long-term (at least 100 years) and short term;

• demonstrate breadth of historical knowledge and understanding by making links and drawing comparisons between different aspects of the period, society, theme or topic studied.

Skills

3.4 In addition, A level specifications should require students to:

• investigate specific historical questions, problems or issues. This aspect of the work will be conducted via a personal study, or internal assessment or an examined equivalent;

• use historical sources, accounts, arguments and interpretations to explain analyse and synthesise and to make judgements.

4. Key skills

4.1 AS and A level specifications in History should provide opportunities for developing and generating evidence for assessing the Key Skills listed below. Where appropriate, these opportunities should be directly cross-referenced, at specified level(s), to the criteria listed in Part B of the key skills specifications.

• Communication

• Information Technology

• Improving Own Learning and Performance

• Working with Others

• Problem Solving

5. Assessment Objectives

5.1 All candidates must be required to meet the following assessment objectives. The assessment objectives for AS and A level are the same. The assessment objectives are to be weighted in all specifications as indicated.

 

Assessment Objectives		Weighting
AO1 a	recall, select and deploy historical knowledge accurately, and communicate knowledge and understanding of history in a clear and effective manner;	60-70%
AO1 b	present historical explanations showing understanding of appropriate concepts and arrive at substantiated judgements;
AO2	in relation to historical context; interpret, evaluate and use a range of source material; explain and evaluate interpretations of historical events and topics studied.	30-40%

Within a specification covering both AS and A level, assessment objective 2 should have a higher weighting at A level than at AS.

The assessment objectives apply to the whole specification.

6. Scheme of Assessment

6.1 Internal Assessment

A level specifications in History may have a maximum internal assessment weighting of 30%.

6.2 Synoptic Assessment

All specifications should include a minimum of 20% synoptic assessment. All synoptic assessment units should be taken at the end of the course and be externally assessed. The synoptic element will be assessed through all assessment objectives and can be defined in the context of History as follows:

• the drawing together of knowledge and skills in order to demonstrate overall historical understanding. It involves the explicit assessment of understanding of the connections between the essential characteristics of historical study including at least two of the concepts and/or perspectives included in section 3.2 above.

Examples of synoptic assessment tasks might include:

• a personal study, individual assignment etc investigating a valid historical issue such as an assessment of the contribution a key historical figure has made to cultural, social, political or economic developments of the time, or an evaluation of the range of perspectives, or economic developments of the time or an evaluation of the range of perspectives in contemporary accounts of a key historical event;

• an internally or externally assessed assignment or essay question which focuses on the process of historical change across the full breadth of the period studied or on links between a range of historical perspectives (political, cultural, social, etc).

6.3 Key Skills Assessment

The Key Skill of Communication must contribute to the assessment of History at AS and A level as stated in paragraph 13 of the Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced level qualification-specific criteria.

The requirement for all AS and A level specifications to assess candidates' quality of written communication will be met through assessment objective 1.

7. Grade Descriptions

7.1 The following grade descriptions indicate the level of attainment characteristic of the given grade at A level. They give a general indication of the required learning outcomes at each specified grade. The descriptions should be interpreted in relation to the content outlined in the specification; they are not designed to define that content. The grade awarded will depend in practice upon the extent to which the candidate has met the assessment objectives overall. Shortcomings in some aspects of the examination may be balanced by better performances in others.

7.2 Grade A

Candidates recall, select and deploy relevant, detailed and comprehensive knowledge drawn from the study of the specification content. They respond critically to the main issues, presenting the discussion in a thorough and analytical style. Accurate and comprehensive understanding of key terms and concepts is demonstrated in the explanations and conclusions drawn and placed in their historical context.

Candidates demonstrate clear understanding of the complexities of the process of change, its causes and consequences, drawing comparisons, making links and reaching considered and reasoned conclusions.

Candidates demonstrate awareness of a range of differing perspectives on the past, making connections, comparisons and contrasts and placing them in context.

Candidates extract, evaluate and synthesise information, ideas and attitudes from a range of source material, placing them in context and integrating them effectively into coherent arguments and explanations

Candidates demonstrate clear understanding of how historical events, topics and personalities have been interpreted, making well supported and balanced judgements about these interpretations which are communicated with clarity and precision.

7.3 Grade C

Candidates recall, select and organise relevant and detailed knowledge drawn from their study of the specification content to respond effectively to the main issues. Their response is presented in a largely analytical form. Understanding of key terms and concepts is well developed and used to support explanations and conclusions, placed in their historical context.

Candidates demonstrate clear awareness of causes and consequences in relation to the process of change, making some links and drawing conclusions.

Candidates demonstrate knowledge and clear understanding of a range of differing perspectives on the past, and make connections between them.

Candidates evaluate and synthesise information and ideas from a range of source material, placing them in context in order to construct clear explanations and substantiated arguments.

Candidates demonstrate understanding of how historical events, topics and individuals have been interpreted, making reasoned judgements about these interpretations which are communicated effectively.

7.4 Grade E

Candidates recall and select relevant information from the themes, topics and periods studied to provide a largely relevant but unfocussed response to the main issues, which may be in narrative or discursive form. Key terms and concepts are used and applied with some accuracy.

Candidates demonstrate understanding of historical change, for instance by showing awareness of causes and consequences relating to specific developments.

Candidates demonstrate awareness of a variety of factors which contribute to an understanding of the past and make some connections between them.

Candidates extract information from a range of source material and use it to construct an explanation.

Candidates demonstrate awareness that historical events, topics and individuals have been interpreted in different ways and can offer conclusions which may be underdeveloped or largely unsubstantiated.