British Social and Economic History GCSE	Introduction

 

 

Welcome to your GCSE History course! History is a fascinating subject and, by understanding the past, we give ourselves a much better chance of understanding the present and making the right decisions that will affect our future.

 

GCSE History

 

The written exams you will take at the end of this course cover British Social and Economic History from 1700 to 1900, although part of your coursework will also look at some aspects of 20 th century history.

 

The GCSE examiners expect that the student should understand the social and economic forces that helped to lay the foundations of modern Britain. These may be approached both in terms of broad themes covering the whole period, and individual topics of much shorter duration.

 

Naturally the examiners will be looking for a good stock of factual knowledge, but the GCSE examination is designed to test more than this — the successful candidate will also have acquired the skills necessary to any true historian. For instance, he or she will not accept ‘facts’ at face value, but will instead be capable of understanding how far they can be trusted, what they can and cannot tell us about the past, and how people at the time felt about them.

 

We will look at the nature of history in more detail later in this Introduction.  

 

 

The Arrangement of Lessons

 

The lessons of this course are arranged to cover the AQA History (British Social and Economic History) Specification C
(syllabus no. 3043) very closely. Each lesson of Module 1 covers a topic from Paper 1. Module 2 covers coursework. Each lesson of Module 3 covers a topic from Paper 2.

 

Although the lessons on coursework (Lessons 10-12) appear in the middle of the course, you need to begin planning your first coursework assignment early on in your studies, and then work on it at the same time as you work through the lessons of
Module 1. It would be a mistake to do nothing about coursework until you have completed Lessons 1-9.

 

You are therefore strongly advised to complete Lesson 10 immediately after completing your first Tutor-marked assignment (at the end of Lesson 3). You will then be in a position to complete your first coursework assignment while you are about halfway through the course.

 

In Papers 1 and 2 you will be expected to answer questions on any two out of the three options. You are advised to study all three options in each case, in order to maximise your choice of questions in the examinations. It will also give you a broader knowledge of the period.

 

Further details of your syllabus and the structure of the assessment (examinations and coursework) are given later in this introduction.

 

Module 1       (Paper 1: Studies in Depth)

 

(Paper 1, Option A: Social Protest)

 

1         Trade Unionism 1750-1850

2         Chartism 1832-1860

3         Trade Unionism 1851-1900

          Tutor Marked Assignment A

 

(Now you might move on to Lesson 10.)

 

 

(Paper 1, Option B: Social Reform)

 

4         Poor Law and Poverty 1750-1833

5         Poor Law and Poverty 1834-1900

6         Public Health 1750-1900

          Tutor Marked Assignment B

 

(Paper 1, Option C: Social Improvement)

 

7         Education 1750-1869

8         The Development of Education 1870-1900

9         Philanthropic and Religious Movements c.1738-1900

          Tutor Marked Assignment C

 

Module 2       (Coursework)

 

(Assignment 1: Local History)

 

• Planning your Local History Assignment

Tutor Marked Assignment D

 

(Assignment 2: Changing British Society)

 

• The Emancipation of Women 1800-1900
• The Emancipation of Women 1900-2000

Tutor Marked Assignment E

 

Module 3       (Paper 2: Thematic Studies)

 

(Paper 2, Option A: Agriculture 1700-1900)

 

13       The Agrarian Revolution 1700-1815

14       The Corn Laws and their Repeal 1815-1846

15       The Golden Age c.1850-c1870

16       The Depression c.1870-c1900

          Tutor Marked Assignment F

 

(Paper 2, Option B: Industry 1700-1900)

 

17       The Industrial Revolution 1700-1850

18       The Steel Industry 1850-1900

19       Working Conditions and Improvements 1700-1850

          Tutor Marked Assignment G

 

(Paper 2, Option C: Transport 1700-1900)

 

20       Road Transport 1700-1850

21       Water Transport 1700-1850

22       Railways 1800-1900

          Tutor Marked Assignment H

Examination Practice - TMA I and TMA J

 

What is History?

 

History is, according to the Oxford English Dictionary:

 

"The study of past events. The past considered as a whole. The past events connected with someone or something. A continuous record of past events or trends."

 

The word comes from the Greek ‘historia’ which meant narrative or history.  

 

History, then, is the study of the past. It’s about looking at people, places and events and seeing how the world has got to where it is now. It is only through studying history that we can really understand the present day. Modern conflicts can be explained by looking back in history, and firmly-held attitudes and ideas are often rooted in the past.

 

Activity	Look at these quotations about history. What do you think  of them? Which is your favourite?   There are no right and wrong answers. This activity is just aimed at getting you to think about what history means.
.	“Life must be lived forward, but understood backward.” Kierkegaard   “History is bunk.” Henry Ford   "History is a myth we all agree to believe." Napoleon   "People are trapped in History, and History is trapped in them!" James Baldwin   “T hose that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Churchill

 

Why Study History at GCSE?

 

Studying history, as we’ve seen, helps you to understand more about the world we live in. You will learn about population expansion, technological developments and society transformations.

 

As well as being fascinating in itself, History GCSE is also a very useful qualification to have. It shows potential employers that you are:

 

• an independent thinker
• open-minded
• self- disciplined
• able to pick out the key points in a text

 

You will learn how to evaluate and analyse sources and how to apply your own knowledge to decide what is true and what is propaganda.

 

History also helps you to develop the skills to look beyond the headlines, to be able to ask questions confidently and express your own opinion.

 

This History GCSE will teach you the origins of some modern political and social problems. It will help you understand why people behaved as they did.

 

How can we make Judgments about the Past?

 

Since we cannot travel back in time to see the past for ourselves, we must depend on what has survived from a given period as evidence, which is bound to be incomplete or inaccurate to some extent. To make matters worse, much of it reaches us secondhand, after processing by, for instance, book authors or film editors. It is hardly surprising that historians living at different times, or in different countries, have produced very different accounts of the same events.

 

This is not a cause for despair. Rather, it offers the challenge of piecing together a realistic picture of the past which may include many grey areas of uncertainty, but which still makes sense as a whole. It is vital to remember that history is the study of people; human beings are nothing like as predictable as the atoms studied in physics or chemistry!

 

Nevertheless, as our knowledge of them increases, so too does our understanding. “The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there” said L.P. Hartley. This is true and that’s what makes history so interesting!

 

Why Study this History GCSE?

 

The AQA History GCSE syllabus provides an opportunity for a fascinating insight into Britain during the industrial revolution.

 

The course looks at the social and economic changes in Britain from 1700 to 1900 – a period when the nation underwent a dramatic transformation. Every aspect of British life changed during this incredible time as we will see in this course.

 

During the eighteenth century there were some changes in British life, as you will discover during the course, but on the whole the Britain of 1800 was fairly similar to the Britain of 1700. Industry and technology began to develop after the 1750s, but it was not until the nineteenth century that these changes really began to affect the lives of ordinary Britons. In 1801, the population of Britain was just 9 million. Within a hundred years, this figure had quadrupled to 36 million and the century had witnessed a massive migration away from the country and into towns and cities.

 

Many of these changes came about as a result of the development of the steam engine. Although first invented in 1769, James Watt patented his design which prevented further significant developments for a number of years. Think how different history might have been if James Watt hadn’t done that!

 

Steam transformed agriculture and industry. Fields were ploughed faster than ever before thanks to steam and a machine in a factory could do the work of ten men or women.

 

By the 1820s, railways were being developed and expanded. The opening of the Stockton to Darlington line in 1825 had a huge impact on British life. Many more train lines followed in the coming decade and people could now move across the country in a matter of hours, rather than days.

 

Every aspect of British life was affected by the railways:

 

• Even as late as the 1840s, Bristol and London ran on different times because of when sunrise was!
  Cross-country trains meant that British time now had to be standardised.

 

• Raw materials and finished goods could now be transported easily around the country and business boomed as a result. This was the Golden Age of farming, commerce and British trade.

 

• Trains were not just used for business. Passenger carriages took people to different cities, down to the seaside and into the country and changed the way people looked at their fellow Britons. Local dialects faded, and national fashions spread.

 

Other significant developments included:

 

• The invention of the Penny Black and the standardisation of postal services in 1839. Mail services greatly increased as a result and communication between people in different towns and cities was now easy and quick.

 

• The opening of the telegraph in the 1840s. Within a decade, people were frequently sending telegraphs to one another. By the 1860s, London was even able to communicate with New York!

 

• This was also the time when hobbies and interests sparked up as people began to have a little more leisure time. Football and cricket became popular past times, as did going to Music Halls or visiting the seaside.

 

Britain under Queen Victoria (who reigned from 1837-1901) was heady and fast-moving, as the country underwent a dramatic transformation from village-based rural economy to a booming, commercial, exciting nation.

 

Yet Britain in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was also a country of poverty, exploitation and disease.

Some notable problems in the Victorian era include:

 

• Child exploitation.
• Terrible conditions of factory labourers.
• Diseases - like cholera and typhoid - were widespread and killed dozens of thousands of the population.
• Horrific overcrowding in cities - thousands of poor people living in dirty, smelly slums.

 

So which is the real Victorian Britain?

 

It would seem perhaps that Victorian Britain was a nation of two halves - the rich and the poor. Both of which were deeply affected by the technological developments which swept through the country. This course will explain how these changes came about and examine the ways they transformed British life.

 

Two Kinds of Sources

 

Sources are generally divided into two main categories: primary sources and secondary sources. Primary sources stem directly from the period under study, and could be written (letters, diaries, government records, and so on); visual (pictures or photographs) oral (sound recordings of descriptions of the past from memory); material (objects surviving from the past like buildings or furniture); or statistical (tables of figures based directly on past information).

         

Secondary sources are generally accounts of the past which have already been processed or edited by someone closer to the present than the events described (e.g. a printed textbook).

         

Since secondary sources must be based on primary sources, an historian will generally work backwards to the original material, using textbooks only as an introduction.

 

AQA Aims

 

The aims of this course are the same as the aims listed in the AQA specification. Please refer to the AQA website (listed below) for full details. The stated aims for this subject are for the student to:

 

a.     acquire knowledge and understanding of selected periods and/or aspects of history, exploring the significance of historical events, people, changes and issues;

b.     use historical sources critically in their context, recording significant information and reaching conclusions;

c.     develop understanding of how the past has been represented and interpreted;

d.     organise and communicate their knowledge and understanding of history;

e.     draw conclusions and appreciate that historical judgements are liable to reassessment in the light of new or reinterpreted evidence.

 

Skills

When you have finished studying this course, you should be
able to:

 

• recall, select, organise and deploy knowledge of the syllabus content. In other words you need to be able to remember relevant facts and arguments, to be able to select appropriate information to use in an essay, to arrange that information in an appropriate way, and to write a clear and logical historical argument;

 

• describe, analyse and explain the events, people, changes and issues studied;

 

• describe, analyse and explain the key features and characteristics of the periods, societies or situations studied;

 

• comprehend, analyse, and evaluate, in relation to the historical context, how and why historical events, people, situations and changes have been interpreted and represented in different ways.

 

 

The Syllabus/Specification

 

Your GCSE History course follows the AQA syllabus no. 3043, which is called History (British Social and Economic History) Specification C. As explained above, each lesson of the course is designed to prepare you for a particular topic. The lessons are arranged to deal with topics in the order in which they occur on the syllabus.

 

Studying the Syllabus

 

You should be sure to acquire your own copy of the syllabus. The syllabus can be purchased from:

 

Publications,

AQA, Aldon House,

39, Heald Grove,

Rusholme,

Manchester

M14 4NA               (tel: 0161-953-1170)

 

or downloaded from www.aqa.org.uk/qual/pdf/AQA3043WSP.pdf.

 

We advise that you obtain a copy of the syllabus so that you can assess which topics you have covered in the most detail and which ones you will feel happiest about in the exam. AQA can also provide advice booklets on your course, including ‘Supplementary Guidance for Private Candidates’. As you approach the examination, it may also be helpful to purchase and tackle past papers from AQA.

 

AQA's Scheme of Assessment

 

The Scheme of Assessment comprises three components. Your practice examinations found at the end of the course follow the layout and design of the AQA examination exactly. The only difference is that in the practice examination you do not have a choice about which questions to answer, but in the real examination you do!

 

Written Paper 1 (1h 45 min)         37.5% of total marks

 

Studies in Depth: Social Protest, Social Reform and Social

Improvements in the 18 th and 19 th Centuries (Lessons 1-9)

 

This paper is in two sections, A and B. Candidates must answer three questions in total – one from Section A and two from Section B as follows:

 

Section A

Three four-part structured questions will be set – one on each Study in Depth. Each question will contain four historical sources and will require short and more extended written responses. Candidates must answer one question.

 

Section B

Six three-part structured questions will be set – two on each Study in Depth. Each question will contain one or two historical sources and will require short and more extended written responses. Candidates must answer twoquestions chosen from different Studies in Depth.

Written Paper 2 1 ¾ hours

Written Paper 2 (1h 45 min)         37.5% of total marks

 

Thematic Studies: Agriculture, Industry and Transport
1700–1900 (Lessons 13-22)

 

This paper is in two sections, A and B.

 

Candidates must study two of the three thematic studies on Agriculture, Industry and Transport, 1700–1900, and answer three questions as follows:

Section A

Three four-part structured questions will be set – one on each of the three thematic studies. Candidates will be required to answer one of these questions, which will contain two historical sources and require short and more extended written responses.

 

Section B

Three three-part structured questions will be set – one on each of the three thematic studies. Candidates will be required to answer twoof these questions, each chosen from different thematic studies. Each will contain three historical sources and require short and more extended written responses.

 

Some Advice about the Written Exams

 

Obviously, if you are reading this at beginning of the course then the examinations are a long way off, so don’t panic! This section is just to give you a bit of extra advice about the written examinations. You may like to refer back to it when you are further on in the course.

 

This advice is taken from AQA Examiners comments on previous papers. They have marked the exams and know what students should and shouldn’t do, so it’s worth listening to them!

 

• Make sure you indicate which source you are referring to. It sounds obvious, but it is important that you say “As Source A indicates,” or “to quote Source B,” etc.

 

• You must look at who is writing the source, why and when. (More advice is given about this in Lesson 3 when we look at source work in more detail).

 

• You should quote directly from the source.

 

• Make sure you place the sources in the wider context of what was going on at the time.

 

• Look carefully at the wording of the question. If it asks for ‘reasons for’ then make sure you give ‘reasons for’, not ‘consequences of’, for example!

 

• Make sure you look carefully at the dates of the question. Although the time we are studying is 1700-1900, some questions may ask you to focus on a smaller time period, so make sure you match your answer accordingly.

 

• Do make sure that you know lots of factual information. Again, this sounds obvious but it is easy to think that if you have sources to prompt you then you don’t need to know as much. This is not true! Some of the questions in Paper 2 are very factually demanding. Make sure you are not caught out!

Coursework 2 Assignments

Coursework                                     37.5% of total marks

 

(Lessons 10-12)

 

Candidates will complete two assignments for coursework, one of which will be based on a locality. Coursework Assignment 2 may be based on any aspect of British Social and Economic history but the coursework must arise from the study of specified content which is additional to the content of Papers 1 and 2. (On your behalf, this course has selected a particular topic for Coursework Assignment 2. See Lessons 11 and 12.)

 

The two assignments must also be based on different areas of subject content. Each assignment must be weighted at 12.5%. The two assignments together must total 2500 – 3000 words, i.e. each assignment taken separately must be between 1250 and 1500 words in length.

 

As mentioned earlier, you are advised to plan your first coursework assignment early on in the course. You should therefore study Lesson 10 immediately after you have completed TMA A (at the end of Lesson 3). From then on, you should work on your first coursework assignment in parallel with your studies for Paper 1 (Lessons 1-9).

 

For further details about coursework assignments, see the section headed ‘Coursework’ later in this Introduction.

 

How should I Study the Course?

 

The exam board allows you a considerable amount of flexibility in the topics you need to study. With the exception of the Coursework Assignments, where we have chosen the topics for you to study, this course does not make all the choices for you. It does not say you must do a question on Chartism and another one on Trade Unions.

 

But there is also a risk that you will specialise too much, that you will say “I’m going to do Chartism but I’m going to ignore trade unions completely because they don’t interest me.” Unfortunately, the exam is organised in such a way that you need to have some broad general knowledge and so you can see the links between different themes or problems at a particular time. You are therefore strongly advised to work through all of the lessons and complete all of the activities and assignments, so as to maximize the choices available to you in the exam. If necessary, you can always focus your attention on particular topics at the expense of others when implementing your revision plan.

 

The trick is to get the balance right, to specialise enough but not too much. That is the balance we have tried to achieve in this course.

 

We would suggest that you follow the following procedure for each lesson:

 

• Read carefully through the text.

 

• Make notes under the various headings given in the lesson.

 

• Compare these with the summary at the end of the lesson.

 

• Attempt any self-assessment questions, then compare your answers with the suggested answers given at the end of the course.

 

If you encounter a lesson which covers material outside the range of topics you have chosen, does it follow that studying it is a waste of time? Certainly not! Why is this? Here are some sound reasons:

 

• The historical skills taught throughout the lessons are equally valid, whether or not questions on the topic concerned are actually answered.

 

• You may change your mind about the topics you wish to prepare for the examination at some time during your course.

 

• Personal interest in a particular topic is unlikely to be aroused unless you find out something about it.

 

But passing exams is not the only priority. This period of history has been specially selected because of how much it tells us about the foundations of the world in which we live now. By understanding the relatively recent past, we have a much better chance of understanding the present. With any luck, that is why you have chosen this particular subject in the first place.

 

When in doubt .... ask your tutor!

 

The Sort of Question you will face

 

GCSE has broken with the traditional examination format of set essays. Although the ability to produce extended pieces of writing is still called for, there is much more emphasis on the shorter answer, designed to test a particular item of factual knowledge and/or an historical skill. Accordingly, students will be encouraged to practise dealing with such questions at every available opportunity, either through self-assessed questions or through lengthier sample questions suitable for tutorial assessment.

 

Textbooks

The Oxford Open Learning History GCSE is self-contained and all the information you need is in the course. Nevertheless, as with all subjects, you may find it helpful to consult some other textbooks from time to time to gain a different perspective on the topic you are reading.

 

Some good textbooks for this course include:

 

David Taylor: Mastering Economic and Social History (Macmillan, 1988), ISBN 0-333-36804-5.

 

R. Alison and C. Brown, Britain 1750-1900, (Macmillan, 1995), ISBN 1-852-76661-1.

 

B. Walsh, Social and Economic History, ( Murray, 1997),
ISBN 0-7195-72711

 

There are many other books which you will probably also find very helpful. Look in your local library to see what books are available there.

 

You will also find a number of very helpful sites on the Internet, some of which are referred to throughout the course. Internet access is not compulsory and you will not lose out if you are unable to access these websites. The Internet is, nevertheless, a very useful research tool. Some particularly good websites for this History GCSE include:

 

www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk

www.bbc.co.uk/history

www.schoolhistory.co.uk

www.channel4.com/history  

www.victoriantimes.org

www.victorianweb.org

 

Because websites come and go, we cannot guarantee that any site will still be there when you decide to look!

 

Coursework

 

As mentioned earlier, you are advised to plan your first coursework assignment early on in the course. You should therefore study Lesson 10 immediately after you have completed TMA A (at the end of Lesson 3). From then on, you should work on your first coursework assignment in parallel with your studies for Paper 1 (Lessons 1-9).

 

What does Coursework Entail?

 

There is no need to be alarmed by the prospect of coursework; it will form a natural part of your studies. Coursework is not supposed to be a special requirement; the exam boards say it should be a normal part of your work. During your study, you will work on your coursework in exactly the same way as you would approach one of the tutor-marked assignments. The only difference is in the marking and administration.

 

To do well in coursework you will need almost exactly the same skills as you will require for success in the examination and the same qualities that you will require to get you through this course of study. All three require an ability to work and think independently, to hunt out information and make notes, to make good use of resources (e.g. libraries) and to organise and express your ideas effectively.

 

Indeed, the very fact that you are studying through an open learning, flexi-study or “supported self-study” mode means that you will be starting at an advantage when it comes to coursework compared with the typical classroom–based student. As long as you show some of the skills you have learnt along the way you will get a good mark. Perhaps it’s a shame it only counts for such a small percentage of the examination!

 

It is expected that your tutor will give you a certain amount of help with your coursework. You may be advised on the methods you adopt to collect information and ideas, and some help may be given with preparatory drafts. But after that you are on your own.

 

So you will need to plan your time carefully. Discuss a possible timetable for producing coursework with your tutor and work out your own private calendar to meet that deadline. It is perhaps advisable that you should have completed most of your basic studies before embarking on your coursework in order to create a good impression. But right from the beginning you can be looking out for topics which are of special interest to you and keeping a file of any useful items (e.g. newspaper articles) which might contribute to your investigations.

 

Because coursework is a very individual thing, this course can only give you a limited amount of guidance with this aspect of your studies.

 

With luck, the coursework should be the most enjoyable and rewarding part of your studies!

 

Coursework: Syllabus Requirements

 

To be eligible for the maximum marks, candidates must produce two assignments each from a different area of subject content. A coursework assignment may consist of one, two or three questions.

 

Assignments are normally written and must have the assessment and subject focuses described later in this section. Coursework must be based on studies which are different from those undertaken for the written examination papers. There must be no duplication of content.

 

Coursework will be assessed by the candidate’s teacher (in the case of students attending college) or by AQA (in the case of external candidates). Both groups of candidates will be subject to

the monitoring and moderation procedures of the AQA.

 

Coursework is weighted at 25% of the total assessment for the examination (12.5% per assignment).

 

The two Coursework Assignments will normally total 2500-3000 words in length. It is envisaged each assignment can be tackled in about 1250-1500 words. Candidates exceeding 1500 words will be encouraged to edit their work by being more selective in their use of supporting information.

 

Assessment Focus: Model B

 

Two broad approaches to the assessment structure of the coursework assignments are possible. These are called Model A and Model B. In this course, Model B has been selected. Details of Model B are given below. (For details of Model A, please refer to your copy of the syllabus.)

 

In Model B, each of the two assignments aim to fulfil the same assessment objectives as follows:

 

Assessment Objective 6.1 is concerned with the selection, organisation and deployment of knowledge to describe, analyse and explain:

 

• the events, people, changes and issues studied;
• the key features and characteristics of the period, societies or situations studied.

 

Assessment Objectives 6.2 and 6.3 are concerned with:

 

• the use of historical sources critically in their context by comprehending, analysing, evaluating and interpreting them, and

 

• the comprehension, analysis and evaluation, in relation to the historical context, of how and why historical events, people, situations and changes have been interpreted and represented in different ways.

 

 

The coursework assignments must have the following subject focus:

 

Coursework Assignment 1 – based on a locality or local history

(History Around Us)

 

Coursework Assignment 2 – based on changing British society.

 

The exam board publishes ‘exemplar’ coursework assignments, and we have chosen two of these assignments for you to complete. This is easier than finding something to study yourself, and it also ensures that the work you do will cover all of the necessary assessment objectives. The chosen subjects are:

 

• Assignment 1: The History of a Locality
• Assignment 2:The Changing Role and Status of Women   in Britain Since 1900

 

 

Coursework Assignment 1 (12.5%): The History of a Locality

 

This must be based on British social and economic history which is significantly different from, but complementary to, the subject content chosen for the written papers.

 

The study of history from its visible remains provides a vivid and immediate way of encouraging and helping candidates to learn how to use and evaluate sources of evidence. It is also important for itself in making them more aware of the aspects of historical development of the environment in which they live, providing opportunities to relate the investigation of a site or locality to the wider context of changes in British history.

 

This assignment is intended to develop candidates’ abilities to:

 

• become aware that the visible remains of the past around us are as important a resource for our understanding of history as documentary sources;

 

• acquire the relevant knowledge, skills and techniques so that they can: identify the visible remains, study and interpret them, place them in their wider historical context;

 

• learn about the lives and purposes of people associated with historical sites or locality at particular periods in the past;

 

• understand why there may have been different interpretations of the lives and purposes of people associated with the site and develop the ability to compare and analyse these interpretations;

 

• gain an interest in and basis for further historical exploration of their environment which will continue beyond their school life.

 

Coursework Assignment 2 (12.5%): Changing British Society

 

Again, the course of study must be significantly different from the subject content chosen for the written papers. There must be no duplication of subject content.

 

The syllabus suggests a range of possible topics. This course has chosen ‘The Changing Role and Status of Women in Britain Since 1900’ as the topic for Course Assignment 2.

 

Other Coursework Issues

 

The Presentation of Coursework

For each of Coursework Assignments 1 and 2, although it is expected that work will normally be presented in written form, the use of film and video, diagrams, models, tape recordings and photographs – with explanatory written material – is also admissible.

 

Because of the need to ensure that such non-written coursework assignments are appropriate, students intending to avail themselves of this facility must discuss their plans with their tutor, and ask Oxford Open Learning to contact AQA’s Coursework Adviser for guidance at the earliest opportunity.

 

Word Processing of Coursework Assignments

Assignments may be word-processed but candidates are advised to keep all notes and draft materials as they may need to be inspected in order to ensure that the final product is the candidate’s own work.

 

 

Making Notes

 

You will want to take your own notes as the course proceeds, to help with the learning process and to assist with examination revision. What sort of notes should they be? How lengthy? There are no fixed answers to these questions. Some students seek reassurance in writing out elaborate reams of notes which they boil down later; others are happy to keep note-taking to a minimum by merely recording key references. A number of points relating to the needs of the GCSE course should be taken into account:

 

•        It is important to cross-reference facts, sources and conclusions as they are encountered in the course, so that knowledge and skills are not separated in revision.

 

•        Notes should be kept as brief as possible (i.e. without omitting crucial facts or concepts).

 

•        Details of individual sources should not be copied out, unless they contain crucial information. While knowledge of the major types of source for each theme and topic is obviously useful, candidates are not expected to know particular sources in advance.

         

The examination papers reproduce sources in full, questions being aimed at their context and interpretation rather than at the candidate’s ability to recognise them individually.

 

It is strongly recommended that students make notes under each of the headings given throughout the text every lesson. These may then be compared with the summary that closes each lesson. Do you feel that the summary is full enough? If not, make sure that your own notes fill in any gaps that you feel exist.

 

The course contains plenty of white space, particularly in the left hand margin. This is because most students find it helpful to write notes directly on the course they are studying. This will help when you are planning essays or when you are skimming through the course later for revision.

 

Assessment during the Course

 

GCSE differs from traditional ‘O’ level examinations by finding out not merely what you know but also how you use what you know. The aim is not to penalise you for what you may not be certain of, but to reward you for your historical skills, as shown in various ‘active’ pieces of work. Accordingly, in schools and other institutions, GCSE is often ‘project-based’ with the student being assessed by the teacher as part of the overall scheme of assessment. This course has been prepared for people who will not be assessed in this way, but whose assessment will be wholly in terms of examination.

 

Nonetheless, in a GCSE there remains a great deal of emphasis on skills and more practical work, and you will need to develop these aspects of your study of history.

 

Your GCSE course responds to this situation in various ways, and will provide you with a thorough grounding in the historical skills, as well as a thorough understanding of the requirements of the examination. Firstly, each lesson contains a number of activities   which will help you develop various skills. Secondly, each lesson contains reading references to parts of the textbook which you can study in the context of the lesson as a whole.

 

Tutor-marked Assignments

 

Finally, throughout the course you will find, at the end of certain lessons, tests for tutor-assessment, culminating in a final mock examination. You should send your answers to these tests and examination (but to these only) to your tutor.

 

When you have received your corrected tests from your tutor you will be sent a specimen marking scheme which will give you an indication of what an examiner is looking for and how the questions should be answered for GCSE purposes. Although these schemes may seem strange at first, they show how tutors and examiners are on the lookout for an openness of mind and a willingness to see beyond the documentary evidence to the wider issues involved.

 

Using the Internet

 

As has been discussed, students would benefit from access to the Internet. As well as the AQA website (www.aqa.org.uk), you should get into the habit of checking the Oxford Open Learning site (www.ool.co.uk) where you may find news, additional resources and interactive features as time goes by. If you have not already done so, you may register for your free copy of How to Study at Home, our 200-page guide to home learning, or enrol on further courses. Put it on your Favourites list now!

 

A Word of Encouragement

 

It is easy to be intimidated by all the complicated discussion of ‘skills’, ‘themes’, ‘topics’, etc, which GCSE History involves, especially when you are just setting out on your course of study. In fact, GCSE is only drawing your attention systematically to the kinds of questions that occur anyway to any thoughtful person, once he or she starts to think about the past.

 

With patience, the historical skills involved will become almost second nature, and will simplify rather than complicate the task of learning the factual material. By the end of the course, you should be convinced that history is an open-ended subject based on debate, rather than a closed, narrow set of facts.   With history, as with life, “it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive.”

 

Finally, all that remains is to say good luck with the course and enjoy your studies!

 

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