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Hi,
I'm going into year twelve in September, and have chosen to study psychology, history and English literature. However, I'm now in two minds about doing history, as I didn't study it at GCSE and, with two other subjects that require a lot of writing, I'm not sure if I'd find it a bit overwhelming. The alternative would be sociology. Could any of you please let me know what to expect from A level history and the workload?
Thank you
I'm going into year twelve in September, and have chosen to study psychology, history and English literature. However, I'm now in two minds about doing history, as I didn't study it at GCSE and, with two other subjects that require a lot of writing, I'm not sure if I'd find it a bit overwhelming. The alternative would be sociology. Could any of you please let me know what to expect from A level history and the workload?
Thank you
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#2
i did history since year 8 and i think if you haven't done it for GCSE
the skills you need in the subject will be hard to learn during sixth form as the majority of students already done it for GCSE
however you can still do it if you set your mind on it
its a very interesting subject and i highly recommend you doing it
good luck
for any more info pm me
the skills you need in the subject will be hard to learn during sixth form as the majority of students already done it for GCSE
however you can still do it if you set your mind on it
its a very interesting subject and i highly recommend you doing it
good luck
for any more info pm me
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#3
Do both history and sociology and drop history if it's too hard and drop sociology if it's not
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#4
(Original post by charles dickens)
i did history since year 8 and i think if you haven't done it for GCSE
the skills you need in the subject will be hard to learn during sixth form as the majority of students already done it for GCSE
however you can still do it if you set your mind on it
its a very interesting subject and i highly recommend you doing it
good luck
for any more info pm me
i did history since year 8 and i think if you haven't done it for GCSE
the skills you need in the subject will be hard to learn during sixth form as the majority of students already done it for GCSE
however you can still do it if you set your mind on it
its a very interesting subject and i highly recommend you doing it
good luck
for any more info pm me
I just get taught the content and NOP/PEEA, the latter which is not exclusive to history.
Personally I would say that the units should decide whether you want to do it, there's no point studying something that you won't enjoy
I beyond hated my A2 units which made for a really crappy time, despite the fact that I got an A at GCSE and an A at AS.
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#5
In regards to the amount of writing, for the exams it's huge. A cheeky 4,000 word coursework which is to the standard of a dissertation (just half the size). Then if you do Edexcel you will have eight 20 mark essays spread over 3 exams, 3 of those essays require sources. Exams are generally 2hrs+ long.
However during the course it's dependent on the teacher. You will of course have to do essays, up to three a week, but the amount of compulsory writing is generally overstated. Reading will take up much more of your time, irrespective of teacher. I had to read hundreds of pages each term and I had a folder full to the brim of just photocopies of books.
The general workload is very very big. At GCSE you could get away with a very simple, very brief textbook. At A-level you are best served when you have multiple textbooks, most of which have few pictures and all of which have very very small fonts. It may sound daunting, but unlike science or maths your learning cannot be supported from just a 300 page textbook. Once you're in Y13 expect to do about 20hrs additional work for history in the later weeks and months, because you'll need to revise for all three of your very content heavy exams and your coursework. Anyone who says they got by with just a few hours a week is lying to you, I have history nerds as friends and even they struggled with the amount they had to know.
Also don't expect exam scheduling to be forgiving in Y13. They will mix your history exams with other subjects and your hardest unit will be at the end when you're exhausted and there's double the amount to revise.
My advice is steer clear from history if you can't manage your time and/or a heavy workload.
However during the course it's dependent on the teacher. You will of course have to do essays, up to three a week, but the amount of compulsory writing is generally overstated. Reading will take up much more of your time, irrespective of teacher. I had to read hundreds of pages each term and I had a folder full to the brim of just photocopies of books.
The general workload is very very big. At GCSE you could get away with a very simple, very brief textbook. At A-level you are best served when you have multiple textbooks, most of which have few pictures and all of which have very very small fonts. It may sound daunting, but unlike science or maths your learning cannot be supported from just a 300 page textbook. Once you're in Y13 expect to do about 20hrs additional work for history in the later weeks and months, because you'll need to revise for all three of your very content heavy exams and your coursework. Anyone who says they got by with just a few hours a week is lying to you, I have history nerds as friends and even they struggled with the amount they had to know.
Also don't expect exam scheduling to be forgiving in Y13. They will mix your history exams with other subjects and your hardest unit will be at the end when you're exhausted and there's double the amount to revise.
My advice is steer clear from history if you can't manage your time and/or a heavy workload.
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