[BenWood!X]

i was just wondering what a level history is like? any advice...is it fun/boring?

[JollyGreenAtheist]

Like all other subjects, it is what you make of it.

I am personally finding it a challenging, but enriching and rewarding course. It's certainly more difficult than GCSE level. You need to know the course content inside out, know how to write coherently, know how to structure arguments and be prepared to revise a hell of a lot to understand this.

I found my AS course fascinating, some modules more than others. The Russian Revolution, for example, is great if you're interested in ideology - you examine and analyse the creation of the first Communist state (oxymoron, I know): why it happened, how it happened, what the results were and how it stayed that way.

If you find history interesting, and think that interest could motivate you to work pretty hard, go for it.

[Agenda Suicide]

It's pretty good. Certainly fascinating. I did Russia and it is fantastic to learn. However, I must warn you it isn't a stroll in the park. I got an A* in GCSE and put bluntly it took me a few retakes and a lot, a lot of studying to get me onto course for a strong A.


That said, it is definitely interesting, my favourite subject and is very enjoyable. Just that comes with the burden of a lot of work and a lot of dedication if seeking high grades.

[Mz-Nmh]

I can actually say I love a level history! I didn't do it for GCSE and only picked it for My A level choices as a fourth subject. Now I'm in my A2 year and planning on studying history and politics at Uni I highly recommend the subject especially Edexcel History. I studied British mass media in the twentieth century, the USA in asia (Korean & Vietnamese war) and Civil right in the US for AS was absolutely amazed about how much I learnt and analytical, essay writing and language skills I learnt. I got an A in AS and A* for my A2 coursework on the British empire in Africa. I was so surprised at my grade because I only got two As in my GCSEs and was predicted Cs for most of my Alevels. I'm hoping to get an A in my A2 german history exam next Tuesday. You should definitely pick it and revise the textbooks back to front and do some practice essays then I'm sure you'll do excellent

[DanLorenzo]

Very challenging. Expect it to be the most time consuming of your courses, and it will require great dedication.

As far as course content is concerned, I was disappointed with what we have studied. We've been doing Nazi Germany/WW1 and Stuart England. Very politically based, as all history is, giving politics students an unfair advantage in my opinion.

I was hoping for ancient history, and more extensive culture (Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, Ancient Eygpt, Feudal Japan). Unfortunately this year I've found myself revising a lot of vote counts and party policies. Slightly boring to be honest.

Anyway that's just subjective! It's up to you and your interests. Remember to put 100% into your coursework as it will serve as a good base when going into the exam. I managed to get an A for my coursework and hopefully I can get at least a B in my exam. I much prefer coursework to tests as it doesn't drill me for all my knowledge on the spot; so naturally I don't perform as well in my exams. Anyway, take it if you are willing to embrace the workload!

Good luck!

[tsveta]

Ok so this is my honest opinion. The jump from History GCSE to AS/A2 is very big. You have to go into AS/A2 with an open mind and be prepared to indulge yourself in whatever period you study, if you want to get a good grade.

At GCSE we did Russia amongst other things and I got an A, mainly because I was totally fascinated with Russia and really worked hard for it. However, at AS, I didn't do as well as I hoped because I was totally bored stiff with Edwardian Britain. The Weimar Germany side of things was good though - I got an A in that paper. I got a B overall, which I'm not disappointed with, but as I always thought I would get an A because I pretty much strolled through GCSE.

So, all in all, history is what you make of it. I found the people who performed best in my class were those who grasped the technique the quickest and wrote the most fluent essays. Unlike GCSE, A Level doesn't focus mainly on you being able to redistribute facts - it's mostly about how you write the essays. Good luck!