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Why did you choose History?

Hello historians,

If you're doing/have done history at A-Level or above, me and The Learn Ranger want to know why you picked it, and what you love about it.

You don't have to write loads, but we thought up a few questions to get you going

What does history involve?

How does A-Level differ from GCSE?

How are you assessed?

What skills have you developed?

What does doing history lead to, either in careers or further education?

Do you have any advice for people thinking of picking history?

Feel free to answer as many or as little questions as you like. We're thinking about writing a little guide to particular subjects - if we use any of your answers you will be credited

Reply 1

username1292215

I chose it for GCSE,A Level, and hopefully Uni because its the only.subject that I seem to be good at lel.

Hopefully results day doesn't proove me wrong

How does A-Level differ from GCSE?

At GCSE History is basically memorise all the content, memorise how to structure your answers, and then practice exam questions. Then boom you have an A* on results day xD. However, for A level you have much more content to remember, essay writing is a matter of practice rather than knowing a structure, and the coursework seems much more independent. However, for AS the best thing I did was to make essay plans!

What skills have you developed?

Essay writing, arguing my opinion,thinking critically

What does doing history lead to, either in careers or further education?

History is great, because you will study something that you enjoy assuming that you enjoy history in the first place. You then have a tonne of skills that are transferable. For example, you could become a script writer, game designer (Tv shows,video games like Assassins Creed need Historians.)

Do you have any advice for people thinking of picking history?
Like any subject pick it if you are intrested/ enjoy it.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 2

username1022139

Original post by Fox Corner

I've just finished Edexcel History:

AS
- British Empire in India.1900-1947
- Mao's China/ Stalin's Russia 1917-1976

A2
- Superpower Relations: Cold War 1945-1991
- Arab/ Israeli Conflict 1915-2007

How does it differ from GCSE?
- A lot more source-based answers.
- Essays are about 40 marks as oppose to 10/15 marks.
- Much tighter with time.
- Balance and depth is very important.

What have I learnt?
- To write a lot in a short space of time.
- To write arguments with balance and coherence.
- To structure an argument.
- To train my left hand to write endlessly for two hours.

What will it lead to?
My A levels were: maths, geography, history and economy - I'm going to study Economics at Leeds in September.

Reply 3

Legendary Quest

Why History?

Because it's interesting! :tongue:

How does A-Level differ from GCSE?

GCSE is quite simple. You are given information and you just have to regurgitate it in the exam. AS is very similar but there is definitely much more to remember. It really changes when you reach A2. You are expected to look into different historians' views and state why you agree or disagree with them. Some may find this challenging but I enjoyed it.

The workload may seem daunting at first but just remember to keep on top of it all. Make sure you understand the content before moving on to a new topic. Take any class tests and mock exams very seriously becsuse it helps a lot. Do as many timed essays as possible to master your timing. Don't do this on a computer. Do it by hand.

How are you assessed?

For GCSE, I believe I had two exams and a controlled. assessment. At AS, I had two exams. One paper had sources and we had to evaluate them. The other paper just had two questions. At A2 I had one exam (two questions worth 45 marks each) and one piece of coursework (4000 words). I used AQA for A Level and OCR for GCSE.

(Not sure how useful this is considering the changes :erm:

)

What does doing history lead to, either in careers or further education?

History is one of many versatile degrees. You can do almost anything with it depending on your skills, work experience, your interests, etc...

To name a few: Law, Civil Service, Teaching, Accountancy, Politics...

Reply 4

ArcticM.

Original post by Fox Corner

I've just finished my 2nd year of Uni so thought i'd review how it's gone thus far. For me, History A Level wasn't a step up from GCSE like you would find in other subjects, such as Maths or the sciences. Essentially I find no part of history can be viewed as harder than another, so the advancement at A level was just the format of assessments. Questions became essays, which required you to sustain a proper argument as opposed to simply giving a few different reasons for an answer. So basically the content isn't harder it's just adjusting to the new format. During A level I had 2 exams and 2 pieces of coursework. Not only did I find the coursework easier, it was more enjoyable too. It allowed an opportunity to formulate your own question and argument, as opposed to the restrictions you face in exams. It was the first time I had written anything of a decent length; the coursework was 4000-4500 words. The introduction of coursework enhanced the independent side of learning History. I developed some initiative through deciding what sources were useful and which were not. The essay style exams taught me how to articulate an argument with more detail whilst not waffling. For me History is a versatile degree regarding career paths. There's the obvious paths such as teaching, Museums, archaeology. But aside from that the skills you learn are transferable to most jobs. I'd rank it as a decent subject for employability, but have something in mind perhaps before choosing it beyond A levels. In terms of advice for those choosing to pick it, I'd say that if you enjoyed it at GCSE then you most likely will at A-Level unless the content is something that doesn't interest you whatsoever. Something else I'd stress is to not worry about the assessment methods at A-level. It takes time to adapt to it but that's what it is, it's not too difficult. If anything it allows you to go more in depth on a topic, which is interesting when you actually enjoy History. If anyone has any questions for me or about what I've said feel free to ask :tongue: