Alevel history - whats it like really
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Original post by jamestg
Ouch!
Politics is really interesting but I HATE THE MARK SCHEMES AND ESSAYS IN GENERAL. It's all so vague and the questions are honestly horrid, I got 12/25 on my second politics essay which was abysmal and I've got no idea how to improve.
It's really, really hard! I think it's funny that the difficulty of Politics and History have kind of swapped around since the start of Y12 - I'm struggling with Poltiics now but not History!
Politics is really interesting but I HATE THE MARK SCHEMES AND ESSAYS IN GENERAL. It's all so vague and the questions are honestly horrid, I got 12/25 on my second politics essay which was abysmal and I've got no idea how to improve.
It's really, really hard! I think it's funny that the difficulty of Politics and History have kind of swapped around since the start of Y12 - I'm struggling with Poltiics now but not History!
Sounds irritating.
Are you doing AQA history?
Original post by CoolCavy
whhaaaaaa? it gets worse 
what exam board was that with?
what exam board was that with?OCR! I sat my AS exams in June, so it's the old specification. The new specification has only 50 marks max per question (I think) so you have it easier in some ways.
OP, I find it really interesting. There are some boring parts but, like with any subject, they're just things that have to be done. It depends on the topics your school does though. The gap between GCSE and A level is pretty big, but that's to be expected. You have to do some extra reading outside the standard textbooks in order to get higher grades. Have a set structure for the exam questions and just do a lot of practice and it gets easier.
History is not that bad as long as you keep up to date with content and memorise exam plans you cannot go wrong
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Original post by jamestg
Ouch!
Politics is really interesting but I HATE THE MARK SCHEMES AND ESSAYS IN GENERAL. It's all so vague and the questions are honestly horrid, I got 12/25 on my second politics essay which was abysmal and I've got no idea how to improve.
It's really, really hard! I think it's funny that the difficulty of Politics and History have kind of swapped around since the start of Y12 - I'm struggling with Poltiics now but not History!
Politics is really interesting but I HATE THE MARK SCHEMES AND ESSAYS IN GENERAL. It's all so vague and the questions are honestly horrid, I got 12/25 on my second politics essay which was abysmal and I've got no idea how to improve.
It's really, really hard! I think it's funny that the difficulty of Politics and History have kind of swapped around since the start of Y12 - I'm struggling with Poltiics now but not History!
SAME! This is exactly how I feel!
Started A2 this year, It's a fun subject, AS you can get away with doing light revision with your notes, but A2 your arguments need to be really clear and cover everything that is asked of you, it's very exam technique based with using own knowledge to plug the gaps, I hope you enjoy primary and secondary source analysis!
Original post by FaithKG
yeppp
I've almost finished C1 and it's alright.
I'm averaging around 90% which is pretty good but there are couple of difficult bits.
With C1 you can't underestimate it - you can have some really vile questions asked and just one mistake will make you lose the marks for the rest of the 15 mark question. To be good - your algebra has to be REALLY strong and your factorisation needs to be pretty snappy (able to factorise at quadratic equation with a coefficient greater than 1 in less than a minute).
in a nutshell
demanding, but extreeemly rewarding!
all the practice for skills I used in history are doing well for me now that I've started uni
demanding, but extreeemly rewarding!
all the practice for skills I used in history are doing well for me now that I've started uni
Original post by TheonlyMrsHolmes
SAME! This is exactly how I feel!
Do you know of any online resources to help with the essays?
Original post by jamestg
I've almost finished C1 and it's alright.
I'm averaging around 90% which is pretty good but there are couple of difficult bits.
With C1 you can't underestimate it - you can have some really vile questions asked and just one mistake will make you lose the marks for the rest of the 15 mark question. To be good - your algebra has to be REALLY strong and your factorisation needs to be pretty snappy (able to factorise at quadratic equation with a coefficient greater than 1 in less than a minute).
I'm averaging around 90% which is pretty good but there are couple of difficult bits.
With C1 you can't underestimate it - you can have some really vile questions asked and just one mistake will make you lose the marks for the rest of the 15 mark question. To be good - your algebra has to be REALLY strong and your factorisation needs to be pretty snappy (able to factorise at quadratic equation with a coefficient greater than 1 in less than a minute).
right........... okay
Original post by FaithKG
right........... okay
I'm not wanting to put you off, but I kind of want to make sure you're mentally prepared for what's to come.
The actual topics are straightforward and most stem from GCSE Maths, Add Maths and L3 Algebra.
But because C1 is the most straightforward module they tend to make the topics REALLY hard by putting in difficult questions. The way you'll overcome this is with practice, and lots of it!
I've already done some stupid number of questions for each topic, maybe 100? And you'll be able to build up confidence with any type of question as you go through, it will be daunting to start with but so is everything!
Original post by Tarte Tatin
I did history at AS level and then dropped it. It was quite enjoyable but I found the essay writing stressful, as the amount of time you have in the exam is quite harsh considering how much you have to write.
This. I did it last year, the things you study are quite interesting but the exam style kills the whole subject imo.
I'm in year 13 now and currently wish to study history at university, what I found is that if you do genuinely have a flair and like the subject, no essay or work will be too tedious or not worth doing. The jump for me was miniature, I think this is purely down to my commitment to the subject, the new work didn't affect me in the slightest becuase I wanted to do it and I wanted to learn and become better at the subject. However a lot of other students who picked history because they sort of just didn't mind it, or thought it'd be a nice a level to have really struggled at times as they didn't want to work hard or commit themselves. The point I'm getting at is that if you love the subject, the extra work won't really be a problem, you may actually enjoy the new bredth and detail but of course if you don't enjoy the subject then, well, good luck!
Hope this helps! X
Hope this helps! X
I took AS history last year and found it extremely difficult. Requires a lot of independent study and to learn the vast content and master the technique. Lots of people enjoyed it however it was not for me so I dropped for A2. I struggled but if you keep on top of everything I'm sure it'd be great
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Hi, last year I got an A in History AS and this year I'm predicted an A*,
I think the most important thing to say is that History is really demanding compared to other AS levels. I found myself putting in way more effort, though I'm not sure if it was because I find the subject so interesting or because I wasn't naturally as good at it. Something to note is that I didn't do GCSE History, so I can't really compare what the courses are like, but as long as you are good at writing essays and using substantiated evidence, you will be fine. It's a really interesting course to do.
I think the most important thing to say is that History is really demanding compared to other AS levels. I found myself putting in way more effort, though I'm not sure if it was because I find the subject so interesting or because I wasn't naturally as good at it. Something to note is that I didn't do GCSE History, so I can't really compare what the courses are like, but as long as you are good at writing essays and using substantiated evidence, you will be fine. It's a really interesting course to do.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by lookitsbeccy
I'm in year 13 now and currently wish to study history at university, what I found is that if you do genuinely have a flair and like the subject, no essay or work will be too tedious or not worth doing. The jump for me was miniature, I think this is purely down to my commitment to the subject, the new work didn't affect me in the slightest becuase I wanted to do it and I wanted to learn and become better at the subject. However a lot of other students who picked history because they sort of just didn't mind it, or thought it'd be a nice a level to have really struggled at times as they didn't want to work hard or commit themselves. The point I'm getting at is that if you love the subject, the extra work won't really be a problem, you may actually enjoy the new bredth and detail but of course if you don't enjoy the subject then, well, good luck!
Hope this helps! X
Hope this helps! X
Ya it does thankyou
There is a LOT of content with lot of detail, as expected. The topics you study maybe a bit boring but hopefully it grows on you 
And basically all the questions have to be answered in the form of an essay or at least thats how we were taught to do so. For AQA History, we have to do a source question where you compare sources and another essay question asking your view on a given statement, which requires backing up from own knowledge. I personally really enjoy writing essays, therefore History is a personal favourite. Plus, it can help your essay writing skills too as you will be practising the technique so many times !! If you like the essay writing bit and learning a lot of content, History would be ideal. Good luck!
And basically all the questions have to be answered in the form of an essay or at least thats how we were taught to do so. For AQA History, we have to do a source question where you compare sources and another essay question asking your view on a given statement, which requires backing up from own knowledge. I personally really enjoy writing essays, therefore History is a personal favourite. Plus, it can help your essay writing skills too as you will be practising the technique so many times !! If you like the essay writing bit and learning a lot of content, History would be ideal. Good luck!Quick Reply
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