St Bede's College

Why study History?
There are two main answers to this. The first is that studying History helps students to develop a variety of useful and marketable skills, including the ability to acquire, organise and evaluate information, develop an interpretation, present a clear argument and enter into debate. History at sixth form and degree level is recognised as providing skills which employers value. However, by far the most important reason to study History is that it is enjoyable! History is a fascinating subject and a challenging intellectual pursuit, and it is entirely unsurprising that it remains so popular at St Bede’s and nationally, both at A Level and at university.

History as an option
Most A Level students will have taken History at GCSE, but those who did not should not be discouraged from considering it as an option – the topics studied are different and prior knowledge is not a requirement. Similarly, while most students will be combining History with other arts subjects, scientists and mathematicians might like to take advantage of the opportunity to maintain breadth at AS level by opting for History.

The History Department
The department is a large one, reflecting the popularity of the subject among students, and this allows it to provide a variety of courses and teaching styles. Teachers choose courses in which they are specialists rather than to conform to an artificial pattern, providing students with a lively and rigorous academic experience. Debate, argument, research, student presentations and problem solving all take place alongside effective traditional teaching, and students are expected to be willing to think for themselves.

The course
History, like all A Levels, is made up of four modules, two in each year. At AS there is a Period Study (25%) leading to an examination of the traditional essay type, and an Enquiry (25%) with questions based on a set of sources. At A2 the Historical Theme (30%) involves the study of a longer period, concentrating on major changes rather than detail, leading to an essay paper, and Historical Interpretations and Investigations (20%) leading to two pieces of coursework, the first dealing with sources and the second an extended essay.

The exact combination of courses to be taken will depend on staff expertise, but all students in the Lower Sixth will take an English History course from the early modern period, i.e. the Tudors, and a European course from the modern period.

The current combinations at AS are:

Mid-Tudor Crises 1536-69 with Democracy and Dictatorship in Germany 1919-63
or
Church and State 1529-89 with the Unification of Italy 1815-70

At A2 the courses most likely to be offered are:

A2 Historical Interpretations and Investigations, 20%

Elizabeth I, 1558-1603
Napoleon I, 1795-1815

A2 Historical Themes, 30%

Rebellion and Disorder under the Tudors 1485-1603
Russia and its Rulers 1855-1964

Full details from Mr Paul Griffin, Head of History.