A level AQA history advice

Hiya, I'm a year 12 student who studies Nazi Germany and Britain challenge and transformation. However, my current marks are around 18-21 out of 25 which apparently averages out at around an A. This is without any wider reading so far. I have started to do wider reading with various books for greater context to my essays, however, usually my feedback is largely around my approach to the essay rather than my lack of understanding. I have my mocks in June and really want to achieve an A star, does anyone have any advice on how to advance my essays?

Reply 1

SharlLeglerg16

Hi, I'm year 13 and do Nazis and Tudors. We might be different exam boards (AQA here) but i was always told 18 was A and 20 was A* roughly, so your really on track!
I can only answer this for AQA, but state your hypothesis clearly in the intro, and make sure to select evidence carefully; you can't write about everything (sadly) so being selective is very important. Link this point back to the question, for example if I had a question "to what extent was Henry VII's position as King secure?" I could say as a brief point:

One way Henry VII's position as King can be argued to be insecure was through the pretender Perkin Warbeck. Warbeck's imposture of Edward V was significant in weakening Henry's security because he had foreign support from Burgundy, giving Henry reasons to worry about his position as king.

The key is linking back to the wording of the question.

I know this isn't strictly relevant, but try to nail coursework early. I'm currently in the stressful position of doing history and English coursework whilst trying to revise :unsure:

Hopefully this helps you, good luck with your studies! I'm happy to share a mark 20 essay with you, as this is the highest I have achieved, so if you'd like that just say!