Specification/Exam Board

AQA GCSE History (8145)

Paper 1 Examination (2 hours) 50%

Paper 2 Examination (2 hours) 50%

For Paper 1 (Understanding the Modern World) we study the following two options:

  • Section A (Period Study): Germany 1890-1945 (Studied in Year 10)
  • Section B (Wider World Depth Study) Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945–1972 (Begin studying in Year 10 and complete in Year 11)

For Paper 2 (Shaping the Nation) we study the following two options:

  • Section A (Thematic Study): Britain: Health and the People c1000 to the present day (Studied in Year 11)
  • Section B (British Depth Study): Elizabethan England 1568-1603 (Studied in Year 10)

The exams will measure how students have achieved the following assessment objectives:

AO1: demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the key features and characteristics of the period studied.

AO2: explain and analyse historical events and periods studied using second-order historical concepts.

AO3: analyse, evaluate and use sources (contemporary to the period) to make substantiated judgements, in the context of historical events studied.

AO4: analyse, evaluate and make substantiated judgements about interpretations (including how and why interpretations may differ) in the context of historical events studied.

Curriculum Allocation

History is taught for 3 100 minute lessons per fortnight.

Curriculum Period 1:

This curriculum period has 12 lessons

*Note: this is the curriculum plan for GCSE 2024. It will need slightly adapting for GCSE 2025

Curriculum content

Pupils began studying the Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945-1972 unit of work in Year 10; We will spend this curriculum period finishing this topic. This topic follows on chronologically from the Germany topic. This topic has 3 parts to it and will be delivered in the following way:

Part 1: The origins of the Cold War continued...

  1.  The Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan
  2.  The Berlin Blockade and Airlift and Unit 1 Summary

Part 2: The development of the Cold War

3. The Nuclear Arms Race

4. The Space Race

5. The spread of the Cold War into Asia (China, Korean War, Vietnam)

6. The Hungary Uprising, 1956

Part 3: The Transformation of the Cold War

7. The U2 Crisis, 1960

8. The Berlin Wall, 1961

9 & 10. Cuban Missile Crisis

11. The Prague Spring, 1968, Detente and SALT 1

12. Exam skills and prep for Mock Exam

Assessment

For this mock exam period pupil will sit a full Paper 1 (Germany and Cold War papers)

    Curriculum Period 2:

    This curriculum period has 15 lessons

    Curriculum content

    We will begin our final GCSE  topic, Britain: Health and the People c1000 to the present day. This topic has 4 parts and will be delivered in the following way:

    Part 1: Medicine Stands Still (6 lessons)

    1. Topic introduction (Themes) and the influence of Hippocrates and Galen

    2. Public Health in Medieval England

    3. Surgery in the Medieval world (Inc visit to a Barber Surgeons!)

    4. The influence and contribution of Christianity to medical progress and the importance of Islamic medicine and surgery

    5. Case Study - How well prepared was Medieval England to deal with a pandemic (Black Death, 1348)

    Part 2: The beginnings of change 

    6. The Renaissance - Pare, Vesalius and Harvey

    7. The Plague of 1665 - what had changed with how this was tackled compared to 1348?

    8. Renaissance hospitals/Jenner and the first vaccine and the work of John Hunter

    Part 3: A revolution in Medicine 

    9. The development of Germ Theory and its impact on the treatment of disease in Britain: the importance of Pasteur, Robert Koch and microbe hunting; Pasteur and vaccination; Paul Ehrlich and magic bullets; everyday medical treatments and remedies.

    10. A revolution in surgery: anaesthetics, including Simpson and chloroform; antiseptics, including Lister and carbolic acid; surgical procedures; aseptic surgery.

    11. Improvements in public health: public health problems in industrial Britain; cholera epidemics; the role of public health reformers; local and national government involvement in public health improvement, including the 1848 and 1875 Public Health Acts.

    Part 4: Modern Medicine

    12. Modern treatment of disease: the development of the pharmaceutical industry; penicillin, its discovery by Fleming, its development; new diseases and treatments, antibiotic resistance; alternative treatments.

    13. The impact of war and technology on surgery: plastic surgery; blood transfusions; X-rays; transplant surgery; modern surgical methods, including lasers, radiation therapy and keyhole surgery.

    14. Modern public health: the importance of Booth, Rowntree, and the Boer War; the Liberal social reforms; the impact of two world wars on public health, poverty and housing

    15. The Beveridge Report and the Welfare State; creation and development of the National Health Service; costs, choices and the issues of healthcare in the 21st century.

    Assessment 

    Pupils will sit a full Paper 2 (Medicine and Elizabeth Papers)

      Curriculum Period 3:

      There are 9 lessons in this curriculum period

      This curriculum period will be spent doing final preparation for the GCSE exams. Plans will be based on pupil performance in assessments and what we feel as a department will best prepare the cohort for the final exams. 


      Revision resources

      We provide booklets of knowledge organisers for all the units covered through Year 10 and 11. Pupils should use these to revise for recall tests throughout the year.

      Pupils will also be directed to specific firefly pages with revision resources and past papers at appropriate times during the course.

      The best revision guide available to purchase is:

      My Revision Notes: AQA GCSE (9-1) History . 

      Subject advice and guidance

      If you need any further guidance then please contact your child’s teacher via email:

      j.townend@endon.set.org

      r.eastwood@endon.set.org

      j.barlow@endon.set.org