Monday 06 February 2012
History GCSE

History is a useful subject to choose when thinking about your future career. It shows employers that you understand what motivates people, that you are able to gather different kinds of information and check it for bias and propaganda and that you are able to communicate clearly and argue your case. If you are interested in becoming a lawyer, journalist, researcher, conservation worker, town planner or archaeologist, then studying history would be helpful to you.


The History GCSE course consists of three topics and there are two exams and one controlled test. Everyone enters at the same level (no higher or foundation papers).

Topics

1.    Medicine Through Time:
This topic covers developments in medicine from pre-historic times up to the present day, including public health problems like the Black Death. It is worth 35% of the total mark and is assessed through an exam.
2.    The American West; 1840-95: This topic is an in depth enquiry and covers the lives of the Plains Indians and the ways in which mountain men, Mormons, homesteaders, cowboys, cattle barons and gold miners  came to settle the West. It is worth 40% of the total mark and is assessed through an exam.
3.    History Around Us: Conwy Castle. This topic is based around a visit to Conwy Castle and covers the reasons for building and improving castles in the Middle Ages. It is assessed by a controlled test spread over several sessions and students will be able to bring their notes, diagrams and photos into the test. It is worth 25% of the total mark.



Visits

1.    Conwy Castle
2.    Thackray Medical Museum, Leeds