Page 17 - Pathways Booklet 2020

History

Why Choose History?
• GCSE History is a well-established, hugely valuable qualification. Universities see History as a ‘facilitating
subject’ and consequently it looks impressive when applying to study a wide range of degree courses.

• You will develop a range of essential skills including communication, research and analysis which can lead
to a variety of different careers in education, journalism, law and business.
• GCSE History at Hagley is hugely successful. There are currently four groups in Year 10 and three in Year
11. Last year 43% of pupils achieved 7-9 grades, with 70% achieving 5-9 grades. In the last two year’s pupils
also achieved progress that was on average half a grade higher than in other schools nationally.

• In the summer term of Year 10 you will have the opportunity to secure a place on a two day trip to
London where pupils will visit a range of attractions including The Imperial War Museum South, The British
Museum and the Tower of London. The tour will also include a ‘Jack the Ripper Walk’ through the area of
Whitechapel where the gruesome crimes were committed. The department have also taken successful
visits to Normandy, France and the D-Day landing beaches and are also considering trips to other sites of
Historical interest in Europe.

You will study:

Year 10 Year 11
 Medicine and Treatment Throughout Time  Early Elizabethan England 1558-88
c1250 to present  British America 1713-83: Empire and
 The British Sector during World War One. Revolution
 Hitler and Nazi Germany
The topics above are covered in three exams:

 In your study of Medicine and Treatment Throughout Time you will begin by studying practices and beliefs
within the Greek and Roman Empires before examining the medieval period all the way through to the
modern world. This will involve assessing key events and individuals such as the Black Death, Edward Jenner
and Florence Nightingale. You will also study WW1 with a focus on The British sector of the Western Front.
In this section of the course you will learn about common injuries during the war, the impact of the new
weapons that had been developed, treatments that were used and what it was like to live in the trenches.
 You will also study life in early Elizabethan England. This will involve learning about the problems that
Elizabeth faced during her reign including the Spanish Armada invasion. You will also develop an
understanding of what life was like for ordinary people during this time including what they did to enjoy
themselves.
 You will also examine what Germany was like between the wars. This will include exploring the problems
that the country faced after WW1 and how it was left in ruin following the Wall Street Crash in 1929. A large
focus of this module will be on how Hitler comes to power and what life was like under his dictatorship.
 You will also learn about how Britain developed its control of America as a colony which will include a study
of the role of slavery. You will also look at why America successfully fought a war against Britain that ended
in the Declaration of Independence.

Examination Board: EDEXCEL, Option B

Head of Department: Mr D Lavender

dlavender@hagleyrc.worcs.sch.uk