A-level History advice

Hello
I have started A-level History and I am in a bit of a serious and bad position. I failed my first year and therefore I am retaking this year with a new subject (History), but it feels like I am heading towards the same position as I was in last year.

I have a really rubbish history teacher and every time I am in lesson I feel as though I am not learning anything as he just rambles on anything and everything relating to the topic. I just don't understand anything, or don't know what to take notes on or what will be relevant or not in the exam writing, and I am also new to History (never did it in GCSE).

So I usually come home from college and try and study but I just don't know HOW TO STUDY HISTORY, and HOW to take notes from a book with not much information in it for at least a C in the exam. I don't know where to start and I just don't understand anything in the book or anything about the topic.

Do you have any advice.

Also, It is the Oxford AQA book and I am studying stuart britain and the crisis of monarchy 1603 - 1703

thanks

Reply 1

sammychu00

18

Hi, I've just started A-level History this year so I can tell you what I've been taught so far ...

1) Background knowledge (James' family, how he came to the throne - Scottish & English, personality, leadership style)
2) Court & favourites (Buckingham, Somerset, Overbury Scandal, patronage)
3) Finance (sources of royal revenue, why England had such a large debt, James' spending habits)
4) Religion (Protestantism v Catholicism)
5) Foreign Policy (Thirty Years' War, religion of Europe, James' policies)
6) Parliament (Links to all previous topics)

Start from background knowledge and work down because all the topics link with the topic before so you have to be able to understand the first topic before you move onto the next.

Also, have a look at past papers so you can see what type of questions you have to answer and how they are set out (25 mark source analysis & essay)

If you need anymore help or want anything explaining, feel free to reply to this message or PM me. Good Luck!

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 2

ageshallnot

21

Original post by mnc61

Hello
I have started A-level History and I am in a bit of a serious and bad position. I failed my first year and therefore I am retaking this year with a new subject (History), but it feels like I am heading towards the same position as I was in last year.

I have a really rubbish history teacher and every time I am in lesson I feel as though I am not learning anything as he just rambles on anything and everything relating to the topic. I just don't understand anything, or don't know what to take notes on or what will be relevant or not in the exam writing, and I am also new to History (never did it in GCSE).

So I usually come home from college and try and study but I just don't know HOW TO STUDY HISTORY, and HOW to take notes from a book with not much information in it for at least a C in the exam. I don't know where to start and I just don't understand anything in the book or anything about the topic.

Do you have any advice.

Also, It is the Oxford AQA book and I am studying stuart britain and the crisis of monarchy 1603 - 1703

thanks

Get a second hand copy of Studying History by Black and Macraild. The last few chapters go into details about the practice of, er, studying history.

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A-level History advice

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