KS4 History
History gives us the opportunity to discover the past to make sense of the present and the future. Our History GCSE builds directly on KS3 utilising the historical skills of extended writing, using sources and analysing interpretations.
The units we have chosen allow our students to understand the past at different scales from British, global and local perspectives. Students will leave with a curiosity about the past and a thirst to learn more.
Exam board:
Number of exams:
3 in total
- 1 x 1 hour 45 minutes (Health and Normans)
- 1 x 1 hour 45 minutes (USA and Nazis)
- 1 x 1 hour (Bristol Docks)
| Year 10 | Year 11 |
|
Term 1 & 2: People’s Health, 1250 to present Core knowledge and exam skills Term 3 & 4: Living Under Nazi Rule, 1933 – 1945 Core knowledge and exam skills Term 5 & 6: The Norman Conquest, 1065 – 1087 |
Term 1 & 2: Bristol Docks, 1000 to present
Term 3 & 4 Revision |
NOTE: This is an adapted curriculum for our current Year 11s as the GCSE has been reduced due to the pandemic. In a normal year our Year 11s would study Bristol Docks and The Making of America, 1789-1900. This year the latter unit has been removed.
Why is the course sequenced this way?
We start with People's Health as this allows us to consolidate the chronological framework gained from KS3 and is important to understand the context for the other units. The Nazis and Normans follow as they allow a chance to study something in depth rather than breadth. They work together well as although they are obviously chronologically very different they share similar themes of invasion and control.
Year 11 opens with Bristol Docks to provide a contrast to everything studied so far with a chance to investigate local history in depth. We end with The Making of the USA unit as this is the most difficult conceptually. As students by this point are now more confident historians they can cope with this more effectively than if it was earlier in the course.
How will I be assessed during the course?
- Regular exam questions in lessons to test your historical skills
- Short low stakes knowledge quizzes to test your knowledge
- Longer end of unit mock exams to consolidate everything we have done so far
What’s the best way to revise?:
- Seneca Learning quizzes - remember we do OCR B History
- Recommended revision guide: My Revision Notes: OCR GCSE (9-1) History B: Schools History Project
- Mr Kennett’s YouTube revision videos - lots on Nazis, Normans, Bristol and exam skills
