The course

The A Level History course unveils a fascinating treasure trove of characters, ideas and events. A Level History gives you more than just names and dates; it gives you insights into human nature and builds your skills in critical thinking and reasoning.

The course programme is focused on encouraging students to understand and think intelligently about aspects of modern history. It involves much more than merely learning vast amounts of factual information. The aspect of History that most students find most rewarding is the attempt to understand, evaluate and analyse the past.

Who studies it?

First and foremost, students who choose to study History do so because they have a genuine interest in the subject and analysing the past.

Apart from those interested in the subject, history attracts students who want to study subjects such as Politics and Economics and many take History alongside English or Modern Languages.

History attracts students who are able to master a lot of factual information quickly and accurately; to use books effectively to pick out relevant information and to understand relatively academic language; to analyse, evaluate and explain events and problems; and develop sufficient linguistic skills to write a clear and logical essay.

Where will the subject take you?

Like most A Level subjects, a History A Level is non-vocational, meaning that studying the subject doesn’t lead to a small group of degrees to study or career paths. The skills you learn from the subject are very transferable.

History is a good A Level to study if you want to pursue a humanities-based degree at university. It is perhaps the best A Level to take if you are thinking of studying Law at university. It is widely recognised that A-level History remains an academically demanding subject with high prestige. Universities and employers know that someone who has been successful in the study of History should have acquired a range of important skills.