GCSE History

Year 10

Current year 10 are studying the new AQA expanded specification GCSE course for first examination in the summer of 2018.

Students in year 10 will study:

  • The Norman Conquest 1066- 1087- to be studied in the first half of Year 10
  • The People's Health (Medicine) 1000-2000- to be studied in the second half of Year 10
  • Weimar and Nazi Germany 1890-1945
  • Conflict and Tension 1918-39 (Causes of the Second World War)- both subjects to be studied together in Year 11

There is no controlled assessment on the new course.

There are two exam papers.

  • Paper 1 covers Weimar/ Nazi Germany and Conflict and Tension and is 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Paper 2 Covers Norman England and Medicine and is also 1 hour 45 minutes

Year 11

NUAST follows the OCR GCSE History A Specification (A951/ A952) and our exam topics are Medicine Through Time and Nazi Germany 1918-45.

For detailed information about assessment objectives, the scheme of assessment, examination structure, coursework requirements and study specification, view/download extracts from the specification. The full specification can be found on the OCR website.

Course assessment components:

  • Paper 1: 45%- 2 hours- Medicine and Nazi Germany source and essay questions
  • Paper 2: 30%- 90 mins- Source analysis questions on Medicine (Public Health in the 19th Century)
  • Controlled Assessment: 25%- Written piece on Terrorism (done in September of Year 11)

Medicine through time

This is a topic that appears on both GCSE papers in year 11 and looks at how Medicine has developed over time- the key developments and the individual genius's involved, as well as the factors that have caused change.

The first part of this course, on Ancient and Medieval Medicine is studied in year 10

  • Prehistoric Medicine- Trepanning (drilling holes in the head to release evil spirits) and Shamans
  • Egyptian Medicine- the first doctors and use of mummification to learn the anatomy
  • The Ancient Greeks- The Asclepion healing temple, the theory of the four humours and the work of the "father of medicine", Hippocrates
  • The Romans- early surgery, their public health system and the work of Galen, the famous doctor who was followed for 1500 years.
  • Medicine in the Islamic world- Rhazes and Avicenna
  • Medieval medicine- why things suddenly got worse, Medieval church hospitals and the Black Death
  • The Renaissance- Vesalius, Pare and Harvey, the advancement of medical knowledge
  • Edward Jenner and the discovery of Vaccination
  • Louis Pasteur and Germ theory
  • Robert Koch and the development of bacteriology
  • Paul Ehrlich and the first chemical cure for disease
  • Alexander Fleming, Howard Florey, Ernst Chain and the development of Penicillin
  • 19th Century Surgery- the problems of pain, infection and bloodloss
  • James Simpson and the development of anaesthetics
  • Josepth Lister and the development of anti-septics
  • Karl Landsteiner and blood groups
  • Gillies and McIndoe- Plastic surgery
  • 19th century public health and its problems- Chadwick, Snow and the move towards sanitation.
  • The development of the NHS

Nazi Germany 1918-45

In year 10 and 11 students study their second exam topic: Nazi Germany 1918-45, which appears on paper 1.

  • Germany under the Kaiser before the World War I
  • The effects of losing WWI
  • The treaty of Versailles and its effects
  • Hitler's early life, joining of the Nazi party and early Nazi policies.
  • The 1923 crisis- the French invasion of the Ruhr, Hyperinflation and Hitler's Munich Putsch
  • Hitler's trial and time in prison
  • Germany's recovery and Golden Age, 1924-29
  • The 1929 Wall Street Crash and the depression in Germany
  • Hitler's rise to power- how he became Chancellor in 1923
  • Hitler's consolidation of power in 1933-4- The Reichstag fire, The Enabling Act and Night of the Long Knives
  • Features of Nazi Germany
  • How Hitler controlled Germany- Terror and propaganda, including the Gestapo, courts and camps
  • Who opposed Hitler
  • The Holocaust
  • Women in Nazi Germany
  • Young people in Nazi Germany
  • Workers in Nazi Germany
  • Religion
  • The Nazi Economy
  • The effect of WWII on Nazi Germany
  • The July bomb plot

Nottingham Castle through time

This is our controlled assessment topic which is worth 25% of the course. Students will complete this independently following a number of research lessons and will write their 1500-2000 word piece at the end of year 10 in class. Students have 8 hours across lessons to plan and write.

The question changes yearly but the taught course includes:

  • Castles and their defenses
  • The Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest throughout England
  • The origin of the Castle, its defenses and its purpose
  • Key events in the castle's history up until the present day
  • Development of the castle throughout time
  • The castle's importance locally
  • The castle today

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