Wider reading necessary??????

Hi,

I'm studying Russia for module 1 with AQA (AS Level). My teachers teaching method is via lectures and by the time of the exam in january, in total there will be 12 lectures. i was just wondering if it was possible to get an A grade in this module by simply revising the lectures or is it necessary to do wider reading?

Are there any other people who are/were in the same situation? Could you please tell me what advice your teacher has given you and how you went about studying for the exam.

Reply 1

WelshPixie

I didn't sctually study the same module at you when I did history but a general piece of advice would be to always do some wider reading of your own, if you can bear it. This will not only give you a better understanding of the wider context but also give you examples that none of your classmates will be able to spout thus giving you a clear edge over the *competition*. You don't need to make notes, just read a broad introduction to your topic that you find interesting.

Reply 2

Happy1

WIDER READING IS NEVER NECESSARY!

Ok.. that was harsh... maybe it can be... but the thing with AS and A2 is that you ONLY have to fulfill the syllabus criteria! Your teacher and textbooks will fulfill this criteria... and if you learn it thoroughly and apply it to the question, you dont need to read around the subject. To be honest, most of the stuff they tell you to read about in wider reading isnt even relevant to your exam so i personally never bother.

I got 292/300 at AS without any wider reading.. all i did was thoroughly learn what the teacher and my textbook told me

Reply 3

FadeToBlackout

read the textbooks, and definately a "Seminar Studies" type volume. You really need university-style training to get anything truly useful out of long, academic-style books.

I would say, though, read a classic book like "Cancer Ward" if you're doing Tsarsit Russia, or the abridged "Gulag Archipelago" if Soviet russia, both by Solzhenitsyn. They are both very powerful books, and as long as you treat them as historical sources and don't let him influence your entire judgement, they can be very powerful. "Gulag Archipelago" is perhaps the most powerful book I ever read.