OCR A2 History Advice

02mik_e

Has anyone got any advice on how to get a good A grade? I've been told it is a major step up. Thanks :smile:

Reply 1

stargirl001

Just finished my A level and got an A :smile:

Heres some advice for each unit

Themes in History - writing style is key in this unit. You need to know how to write a good synoptic essay to get the high marks, knowledge is irrelevant if you dont know how to write in themes. You need a good overview of the period and you need to look at it broadly when comparing different stages of the period. You'll answer 2 synoptic questions (choice of 3) and each question will cover the whole period. This is the biggest unit with 120 marks available

Historical Investigations - obviously it depends on what topic you are doing but this is usually seen as the harder of the two exam units. I did Oliver Cromwell and found it a difficult unit as I hated the content and the essays are difficult. You'll be incorporating historians views into your essays and you'll be making judgments on which views are most plausible so you'll need to know each view inside out to use as evidence. Detail is paramount for this unit as the exam questions can be concentrated on very small periods (though again, this may differ with each topic). There is also a passage question which will use 4 passages written by historians. This is similar to the AS Document paper as you'll be analysing each passage in your answer. Your passage skills need to be up to scratch for this. You'll answer 1 compulsory passage question and one essay from a choice of 2, with a total of 90 marks available.

Independent Investigation (Coursework) - This will be the bain of your life. When your teachers say start working on it now, they mean it. Research is vital in this coursework - believe me, you do NOT want to be trawling through books trying to find quotes when you're supposed to be writing the essay. Choice of topic is important - make sure you talk about it with your teacher to check you have a suitable question (alot of Centres actually send proposal forms to OCR where an examiner can confirm your plan and question are suitable). Your question needs to allow you to debate an argument throughout the essay. One of the most popular styles of question is to argue one factor is more important than others e.g. "To what extent was X the main reason for Y". You'll be taking different views and arguing which is the most valid/plausible using historian's views as evidence. This coursework is quite similar to Historical Investigations in that you'll be using various historian's views and analysing each one as a means of answering the question. Make sure your topic is something you are interested in as it will make the research so much easier. Theres always controversy over how the courseworks are marked (ever year there are stories of people being predicted A's and getting U's) and whilst this does happen (albeit rarely) dont worry about it too much. Most candidates do get the grade they deserve

A2 is a step up from AS undoubtedly but it doesnt have to be a struggle if you work at it. Obviously I can only speak for myself but I did alot better at A2 than at AS. I got a B at AS with CBA across the units. At A2 I got an A with AAA across the units so it can be done. Just work, work, work throughout the year and you will be fine.

Good luck!

OCR A2 History Advice

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