History A Level

*IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM THE JUDD SCHOOL FOR SEPTEMBER 2024 APPLICATIONS*

Applications open: - awaiting information from school

Applications close: - awaiting information from school

Entry Requirements: - 6.5 average point score, minimum of 4 in English Language and Maths GCSE. Entry grade criteria for A Level subjects chosen.

How to Apply: - We are not taking applications via KentChoices

Open Event: - To be confirmed, please check our school website for updates

Why Study History?

Studying History not only provides us with fascinating insights into human nature, but it also helps us understand the emergence of the political and societal structures we find today. Conflict and the struggle for power are concepts that have dominated the course of history, and the department therefore aims to provide an A-level course that pays tribute to this in structure and content.

What can I do with an A-Level in History?

History has a well-deserved reputation as a highly rigorous academic discipline and has therefore traditionally been held in high regard by employers and universities alike. A good historian combines an analytical mind with good research technique and the ability to put forward a strong, coherent and persuasive argument – a skill set needed to succeed in law, journalism, politics, and management amongst other more history-based careers; but also one that is essential to most other jobs where communication, persuasion and research are required.

History graduates can therefore be found in a wide range of fields from politics to business and even in the royal family. John F Kennedy, Prince Charles and Annita Roddick, the founder of ‘Body Shop’, are only a few examples of highly successful and influential history graduates.

Which other subjects combine well with History?

History complements other analytical subjects such as Economics and Maths but also has significant overlaps with other humanities subjects like Government and Politics, Religious Studies, English, Classics and Geography, allowing students to develop a coherent specialism when studying a combination of these subjects. Furthermore, History can also provide a useful balance for students whose strengths lie in Maths, Sciences or Languages. Universities look favourably on students who have shown an interest or aptitude in subjects outside their specialism.

What trips and visits does the History Department offer?

We firmly believe that our students’ enthusiasm for history should not stop at the classroom door. In order to foster a life-long interest in the past and develop the study skills needed for university education, we aim to provide all A-level historians with a wide range of experiences beyond their studies in school.

All students usually have the opportunity to go on a residential trip to Berlin, where we visit fascinating historical sites that provide further insight into the themes studied in the Germany and Russia units. This has not only proven to have a direct effect on academic achievement, but it also brings History to life and thereby leaves a long-lasting impression on our young historians.

We frequently take our students to lecture days, archives and other events that enrich their academic studies. This allows them to meet professional historians, get an idea of History as an academic discipline at university level, gain access to further resources and work with primary evidence.

As a department, we are also always keen to offer day trips when the opportunity arises. Last year, for example, we took our medieval historians to Dover Castle to study the role of fortifications in the strengthening of royal authority.

What you will be learning (course outline):

All students will conduct a Breadth Study covering a time span of over 100 years to investigate a nation’s internal power struggles throughout time. This is counter-balanced by a Depth Study that provides detailed insight into a particularly tumultuous period of history and complemented by a Non-Examined Unit (coursework) which allows students to research independently and use both historians and primary sources in context.

The chosen themes give insights into the changing nature of political authority and the challenges to it as all of our students study an aspect of Medieval or Early Modern Britain and one modern totalitarian regime. Covering this wide range of countries and historical eras, the course therefore exposes students to different historical methodologies and equips them with the valuable skills and the sound basis of knowledge required in higher education and today’s job market.

The Judd School enters students for the AQA History course. Students will study the following:

Course details: Board and Specification Code: AQA 7042

Unit 1 – Breadth Study

The Quest for Political Stability: Germany, 1871-1991

OR

Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855-1964

Unit 2 – Depth Study

Royal Authority and the Angevin Kings, 1154–1216

OR

The English Revolution, 1625-1660

Unit 3 – Non-Examined Unit (coursework)

A topic of your choice from a range of four different questions (currently the crusades, British foreign policy, US history or Empire)

How it will be assessed:

Unit 1: 2.5h exam

Unit 2: 2.5h exam

Unit 3: 3000-word coursework essay

The normal entry requirement is a Grade 7 at GCSE/ IGCSE. Students who have not taken the subject at GCSE must seek the permission of the Head of Department in order to opt in.