History A-Level

Modern history at East Sussex College is an exciting, engaging and rewarding subject. Students will explore a number of topics that will develop their knowledge and a range of highly sought after skills, from critical thinking to analytical writing. A large focus of the History A Level course will be on understanding the development and changes of modern Communist states in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These will include Russia between the Revolution of 1917, right up until the end of the Cold War in 1991, as well as Communist China under Chairman Mao. You will be studying challenging historical controversies, such as the reasons for the fall of the USSR or the rapid and tragic transformation of Chinese society during the 1950s and 60s. Students will also have the opportunity to explore the rise and fall of the British Empire, studying key moments in British colonial history such as American Independence, the conquest of India and the birth of the Settler colonises such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Students will attempt to answer questions which resonate politically with the modern world today, such as how did the small British Isles come to dominate a third of the world today, banning the slave trade and spreading parliamentary democracy, but also leaving a legacy of human suffering and dispossession? All of these subjects draw on a range of disciplines, including economics, law, politics and geography

A GCSE grade 5 in English Language and grade 4 in History (if taken).,Our general entry requirements to study 3 A-Levels or any mixed level 3 programme are: 5 GCSEs grade 4-9 including English Language and/or Maths at grade 5. Subject specific entry criteria may also apply. Our general entry requirements to study 4 A-Levels are: 6 GCSEs grade 4-9 including English Language and Maths at grade 6. Subject specific entry criteria may also apply.

Your History A Level will be assessed through a series of exams at the end of your two year course.

Paper 1, ‘Russia, 1917-91: from Lenin to Yeltsin’, and Paper 3, ‘Britain: losing and gaining an empire, 1763-1914’, will each consist of a 2 hour exam in which students will answer three questions on their topic, worth a total of 60 marks for each paper.

Paper 2, ‘Mao’s China, 1949-76’, will be worth 40 marks and students will be required to answer two questions. The questions will range from standard essay answers to those using a number of historical sources which students will need to interpret and analyse

History A Level, grade E to A*

As a traditional academic subject, History is highly respected in all areas of education and employment, and is highly sought after by universities and employees. Students with a History A Level will have proven analytical skills, able to evaluate, analyse and assess a range of historical sources, arguments and ideas.

Students will need to purchase a number of key course textbooks