There are 3 different History A-levels on offer at St Brendan’s, each of which covers a range of historical periods and different countries. Students select one course to follow:
If you are unsure which course to choose, pick the one that interests you the most. You will have the chance to change course before you start with us and in the first few weeks of the term.
If you wish to travel further back in time, our Early Modern course is the one for you. Find out more about the impact the Early Tudors had on England, discover more about the witch craze that gripped Early Modern Europe and America, with a particular focus on Scottish Witch Trials and explore the rise and fall of West African Kingdoms.
Please Note: If you have not studied GCSE History, you will need to have some proven literacy skills in essay based subjects.
OCR is the exam board for this course.
1st Year: England & African Kingdoms
Paper 1 |
England 1485-1558: The Early Tudors |
Paper 2 |
African Kingdoms c1400-c1800 |
2nd Year: Witchcraze & The English Civil War
Paper 3 |
Popular culture and the Witchcraze in the 16th and 17th Centuries |
Coursework |
The Scottish Witch Trials 16-17th centuries |
The course is taught by highly qualified members of staff. The mix of individual and group work encourages students to take responsibility and initiative for their own learning. Presentations by staff and students, group assignments and lectures by the St Brendan’s staff and visiting lecturers are incorporated into the learning programme for this course.
We run a number of enrichment activities including day visits to course related sites. In the past these have included a trip to Oxford for Early Modern History, Tintern Abbey, and the SS Great Britain. We have also run residential visits to the battlefields of Belgium and to Edinburgh. Our students have also visited university conferences to encourage progression to Higher Education.
Students will develop their communication skills. They will be encouraged to present and communicate their ideas verbally to small groups and use Information Technology to research and present their ideas. Written communication is integral to History A-level, including the writing of essays and source analysis.
The department is well-stocked with resources, including exam board textbooks. There is also support for student learning in the Learning Resource Centre, which includes books recommended by our examination board and a range of academic journals.
Charges
There are a number of visits available to students on this course. All visits are optional and may cost around £30 for day visits and £350 for overseas trips. It is recommended that students purchase revision guides.
A-level History encourages effective research skills, the ability to evaluate conflicting evidence and helps students to produce balanced arguments. These attributes are highly sought after in a wide range of occupations and are particularly useful for careers in Law, Media, Politics, Accountancy, and Museum and Heritage work. The History department have built up links with a number of Russell Group Universities through our visiting speakers and our alumni.