Strengthening Canada’s Bilingual Future: New Investments in Francophone Immigration
Canada’s bilingual identity is a key part of its heritage. Supporting French-speaking communities outside Quebec
Alex Darin
Overview of AQA A-level History qualifications
Subject content:
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| 1A The Age of the Crusades, c1071–1204 | 1. Crusader states and Outremer, c1071–1149: • The origins of conflict and the First Crusade, c1071–c1099 • The foundation of new states and the Second Crusade, c1099–1149 2. Islamic Revival and the Late Crusades, 1149-1204: • The Muslim Counter-Crusade and Crusader states, 1149–1187 • The Third and Fourth Crusades, 1187–1204 |
| 1B Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469–1598 | 1. Emergence of the ‘New Monarchy’, 1469–1556: • The forging of a new state, 1469–1516 • The drive to ‘Great Power’ status, 1516–1556 2. Philip II’s Spain, 1556–1598: • The ‘Golden Age’, 1556–1598 • Spain: The ‘Great Power’, 1556–1598 |
| 1C The Tudors: England, 1485–1603 | 1. The consolidation of the Tudor Dynasty: England, 1485-1547: • Henry VII, 1485–1509 • Henry VIII, 1509–1547 2. England: turmoil and triumph, 1547–1603: • Instability and consolidation: ‘the Mid-Tudor Crisis’, 1547–1563 • The triumph of Elizabeth, 1563–1603 |
| 1D Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702 | 1. Absolutism challenged: Britain, 1603-1649: • Monarchs and Parliaments, 1603–1629 • Revolution, 1629–1649 2. Monarchy restored and restrained: Britain, 1649–1702: • From Republic to restored and limited monarchy, 1649–1678 • The establishment of constitutional monarchy, 1678–1702 |
| 1E Russia in the Age of Absolutism and Enlightenment, 1682–1796 | 1. Peter the Great and Russia, 1682–1725: • Establishing authority, 1682–1707 • Increasing the glory of Russia, 1707–1725 2. Enlightenment Russia, 1725–1796: • The epoch of palace coups, 1725–1762 • Catherine the Great and Russia, 1762–1796 |
| 1F Industrialisation and the people: Britain, c1783–1885 | 1. Impact of industrialisation: Britain, c1783–1832: • Pressure for change, c1783–1812 • Government and a changing society, 1812–1832 2. The Age of Reform: Britain, 1832–1885: • Political change and social reform, 1832-1846 • Economy, society and politics, 1846–1885 |
| 1G Challenge and transformation: Britain, c1851–1964 | 1. Victorian and Edwardian Britain, c1851–1914: • Reform and challenge, c1851–c1886 • Challenges to the status quo, c1886–1914 2. The World Wars and their legacies: Britain, 1914–1964: • The Great War and its impact, 1914–1939 • Transformation and change, 1939–1964 |
| 1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964 | 1. Autocracy, Reform and Revolution: Russia, 1855–1917: • Trying to preserve autocracy, 1855–1894 • The collapse of autocracy, 1894–1917 2. Soviet Union, 1917–1964: • The emergence of Communist dictatorship, 1917–1941 • The Stalinist dictatorship and reaction, 1941–1964 |
| 1J The British Empire, c1857–1967 | 1. The High Water Mark of the British Empire, c1857–1914: • The development of Imperialism, c1857–c1890 • Imperial consolidation and Liberal rule, c1890–1914 2. Imperial retreat, 1914–1967: • Imperialism challenged, 1914–1947 • The winds of change, 1947–1967 |
| 1K The making of a Superpower: USA, 1865–1975 | 1. From the Civil War to the World War, 1865-1920: • The Era of Reconstruction and the Gilded Age, 1865–1890 • Populism, progressivism and imperialism, 1890–1920 2. Crises and the emergence of World Power, 1920-1975: • Crisis of identity, 1920–1945 • The Superpower, 1945–1975 |
| 1L The quest for political stability: Germany, 1871–1991 | 1. Empire to democracy, 1871–1929: • The Kaiserreich, 1871–1914 • Empire to democracy, 1914–1929 2. The Impact of Nazism, war and division, 1929-1991: • The Nazi experiment, 1929–1949 • Division to unity: the Federal Republic of Germany, 1949–1991 |
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| 2A Royal Authority and the Angevin Kings, 1154–1216 | 1. The Reign of Henry II, 1154–1189: • The Restoration of Royal Authority, 1154–1166 • The crisis of Royal Authority, 1166–1174 • The struggle for Royal Authority, 1174–1189 2. England under the successors of Henry II, 1189-1216: • Richard I, 1189–1199 • King John, 1199–1214 • The end of John’s reign, 1214–1216 |
| 2B The Wars of the Roses, 1450–1499 | 1. The Fall of the House of Lancaster, 1450-1471: • The origins of conflict, 1450–1459 • The War of the Barons, 1459–1461 • The triumph of the Yorkists, 1461–1471 2. The Fall of the House of York, 1471-1499: • “The Sun in Splendour”: the reign of Edward IV, 1471-1483 • The downfall of the Yorkist Monarchy, 1483–1486 • The end of the Yorkist Dynasty, 1486–1499 |
| 2C The Reformation in Europe, c1500–1564 | 1. Origins of the Reformation, c1500-1531: • The condition of the Church, c1500–1517 • The challenge of Luther, 1517–1521 • The Protestant challenge, 1521–1531 2. Reformation Europe, 1531–1564: • The expansion of the Reformation, 1531–1541 • The second wave of Protestant Reform, 1541–1564 • The Catholic Reformation, 1531–1564 |
| 2D Religious conflict and the Church in England, c1529–c1570 | 1. The Break from Rome, c1529–1547: • The Church in c1529 • The break from Rome, c1529–1536 • Change and reaction, 1536–1547 2. The Formation of the Church of England, 1547-1570: • A more Protestant Nation, 1547–1553 • The restoration of Papal Authority, 1553–1558 • The establishment of the Church of England, 1558–c1570 |
| 2E The English Revolution, 1625–1660 | 1. The Origins of the English Civil War, 1625-1642: • The emergence of conflict and the end of consensus, 1625–1629 • An experiment in Absolutism, 1629–1640 • The crisis of Parliament and the outbreak of the First Civil War, 1640–1642 2. Radicalism, Republic and Restoration, 1642–1660: • War and radicalism, 1642–1646 • The disintegration of the Political Nation, 1646–1649 • Experiments in government and society, 1648–1660 |
| 2F The Sun King: Louis XIV, France and Europe, 1643–1715 | 1. The Sun King, 1643–1685: • The Regency, 1643–1661 • The establishment of Absolutism at home, 1661–1685 • Louis XIV and Europe, 1661–1685 2. Louis XIV in decline, 1685–1715: • Challenges at home, 1685–1715 • Challenges in Europe, 1685–1697 • France defeated, 1697–1715 |
| 2G The Birth of the USA, 1760–1801 | 1. The Origins of the American Revolution, 1760-1776: • Britain and the American Colonies, 1760–1763 • Enforcing the Colonial Relationship, 1763–1774 • Ending the Colonial Relationship, 1774–1776 2. The Establishment of a Nation, 1776-1801: • The War of Independence, 1776–1783 • Founding the Republic, 1776–1789 • Washington and Adams, 1789–1801 |
| 2H France in Revolution, 1774–1815 | 1. The End of Absolutism and the French Revolution, 1774-1795: • The origins of the French Revolution, 1774–1789 • The experiment in constitutional monarchy, 1789–1792 • The emergence and spread of the Terror, September 1792–1795 2. The Rise of Napoleon and his Impact on France and Europe, 1795-1815: • The Directory and Napoleon’s rise to power, 1795–1799 • The impact of Napoleon’s rule on France, 1799–1815 • The impact of Napoleon’s rule on Europe, 1799–1815 |
| 2J America: A Nation Divided, c1845–1877 | 1. The Origins of the American Civil War, c1845–1861: • North and South in c1845 • Attempts to maintain the Union, c1845–1854 • The outbreak of Civil War, 1854–1861 2. Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861–1877: • The War, 1861–1865 • Early Reconstruction, 1865–1867 • Radical Reconstruction, 1867–1877 |
| 2K International Relations and Global Conflict, c1890–1941 | 1. Great Power rivalries and entry into war, c1890–1917: • Great Powers: Britain, Germany, France, Russia and Austria-Hungary, c1890–1900 • The Great Powers and Crises, 1900–1911 • The coming of war, 1911–1917 2. The failure of international peace and the origins of the Second World War, 1917–1941: • The end of the First World War and the peace settlement, 1917–1923 • Attempts at maintaining the peace, 1923–1935 • The coming of war, 1935–1941 |
| 2L Italy and Fascism, c1900–1945 | 1. The Crisis of Liberal Italy and the Rise of Mussolini, 1900-1926: • The Crisis of Liberal Italy, c1900–1915 • The collapse of Liberal Italy and Mussolini’s Rise to Power, 1915–1922 • Mussolini and the establishment of Fascist Italy, 1922–1926 2. Fascist Italy, 1926–1945: • Fascist society, 1926–1940 • Fascist foreign policies, 1926–1940 • Fascist Italy and war, 1940–1945 |
| 2M Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906–1957 | 1. Society in Crisis, 1906–1929: • The Liberal crisis, 1906–1914 • The impact of war, 1914–1922 • The search for stability, 1922–1929 2. The Emergence of the Affluent Society, 1929-1957: • The ‘Hungry Thirties’, 1929–1939 • The People’s War and Peace, 1939–1951 • Churchill, Eden and Macmillan as political leaders. • Economic, social and cultural developments 1951-1957. • Britain by 1957: New Commonwealth migrants, race relations; nuclear issues and the formation of the CND. |
| 2N Revolution and dictatorship: Russia, 1917–1953 | 1. The Russian Revolution and the Rise of Stalin, 1917–1929: • Dissent and Revolution, 1917 • Bolshevik consolidation, 1918–1924 • Stalin’s rise to power, 1924–1929 2. Stalin’s Rule, 1929–1953: • Economy and society, 1929–1941 • Stalinism, politics and control, 1929–1941 • The Great Patriotic War and Stalin’s Dictatorship, 1941–1953 |
| 2O Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945 | 1. The Weimar Republic, 1918-1933: • The Establishment and early years of Weimar, 1918–1924 • The ‘Golden Age’ of the Weimar Republic, 1924–1928 • The Collapse of Democracy, 1928–1933 2. Nazi Germany, 1933–1945: • The Nazi Dictatorship, 1933–1939 • The Racial State, 1933–1941 • The impact of War, 1939–1945 |
| 2P The Transformation of China, 1936–1997 | 1. The Emergence of the People’s Republic of China, 1936-1962: • The Origins of the Civil War, 1936–1946 • Communist victory and the consolidation of Mao’s rule, 1946–1952 • The transition to Socialism, 1952–1962 2. The People’s Republic of China: Economic Growth and State Transformation, 1962-1997: • Reform and Control, 1962–1966 • The Cultural Revolution, 1966–1976 • The PRC under Deng Xiaoping, 1976–1997 |
| 2Q The American Dream: reality and illusion, 1945–1980 | 1. Prosperity, Inequality, and Superpower Status, 1945-1963: • Truman and Post-war America, 1945–1952 • Eisenhower: tranquility and crisis, 1952–1960 • John F Kennedy and the ‘New Frontier’, 1960–1963 2. Challenges to the American Dream, 1963-1980: • The Johnson Presidency, 1963–1968 • Republican reaction: the Nixon Presidency, 1968–1974 • The USA after Nixon, 1974–1980 |
| 2R The Cold War, c1945–1991 | 1. On the brink of Nuclear War: international relations, c1945-1963: • The Origins of the Cold War, c1945–1949 • The Widening of the Cold War, 1949–1955 • The Global War, 1955–1963 2. From Détente to the End of the Cold War, c1963–1991: • Confrontation and cooperation, c1963–1972 • The Brezhnev era, 1972–1985 • The ending of the Cold War, 1985–1991 |
| 2S The Making of Modern Britain, 1951–2007 | 1. Building a New Britain, 1951-1979: • The Affluent Society, 1951–1964 • The Sixties, 1964–1970 • The end of Post-War Consensus, 1970–1979 2. Modern Britain, 1979–2007: • The impact of Thatcherism, 1979–1987 • Towards a new Consensus, 1987–1997 • The Era of New Labour, 1997–2007 |
| 2T The Crisis of Communism: The USSR and the Soviet Empire, 1953–2000 | 1. Crisis in the Soviet Union, 1953–2000: • De-Stalinisation, 1953–1964 • Years of Stagnation, 1964–1985 • The Gorbachev Revolution, 1985–2000 2. Crisis in the Soviet Empire, 1953–2000: • Soviet Satellites, 1953–1968 • ‘Real existing Socialism’, 1968–1980 • The Collapse of the Soviet Empire, 1980–2000 |
Students must present a historical investigation of a topic with various historical interpretations. Requirements include:
– Independent research and writing, 3,500 to 4,500 words;
– Use of primary and secondary sources;
– Focus on a 100-year context;
– Not duplicate the content of other components;
– Analyze the different interpretations of two academic historians;
– Include footnotes and bibliography to demonstrate the need to consult sources and avoid plagiarism.
Topics may be broad or narrow, dealing with British, non-British or multi-country history. Key considerations include:
– Availability of primary sources;
– Debates and different interpretations among historians;
– Formulation of a question to demonstrate historical analysis.
Want to learn more about Advanced Level Qualifications (A-Levels) and how they can shape your academic future? Click here to explore: A-Level Information.
| Component | Questions | Final score | Weighting of final grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breadth study | Section A – one compulsory question linked to historical interpretations (30 marks) Section B – two from three essays (2 x 25 marks) The study of significant historical developments over a period of around 100 years and associated interpretations. | 80 marks | 40% of A-level |
| Depth study | Section A – one compulsory question linked to primary sources or sources contemporary to the period (30 marks) Section B – two from three essays (2 x 25 marks) The study in depth of a period of major historical change or development and associated primary evidence. | 80 marks | 40% of A-level |
Historical Investigation | An individualized research paper of 3500-4500 words on a topic of the student’s choice | 40 marks marked by teachers; moderated by AQA | 20% of A-level |
Weighting of assessment objectives for A-level History
Exams will assess students on the following objectives:
AO1: Demonstrate, organize, and communicate historical knowledge and understanding. Analyze and evaluate key features of the periods studied, making informed judgments on concepts like cause, consequence, change, continuity, similarity, difference, and significance.
AO2: Analyze and evaluate appropriate primary or contemporary source material within its historical context.
AO3: Analyze and evaluate different interpretations of the past within the historical context.
| Assessment objectives AOs* | Component 1 (%) | Component 2 (%) | Component 3 (%) | Overall Weighting (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AO1 | 25 | 25 | 10 | 60 |
| AO2 | 0 | 15 | 5 | 20 |
| AO3 | 15 | 0 | 5 | 20 |
| Overall weighting of components | 40 | 40 | 20 | 100 |
Assessment weightings
Marks from exam papers will be adjusted to match the component weightings. The final mark is the sum of these scaled marks, and grade boundaries will be determined based on the total scaled mark.
| Сomponent | Maximum raw mark | Scaling factor | Maximum scaled mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breadth Study | 80 | ×1 | 80 |
| Depth Study | 80 | ×1 | 80 |
| Historical Investigation | 40 | ×1 | 40 |
| Total scaled mark: | 200 |
If you need help with History or any other subject, our tutors are ready to support you on your academic journey. Don’t miss your chance to succeed—take a trial lesson today!
Canada’s bilingual identity is a key part of its heritage. Supporting French-speaking communities outside Quebec
The DELF (Diplôme d’Études en Langue Française) is an internationally recognized certification that evaluates French
French is a rich and expressive language, full of unique phrases that add color to
Purpose and Recognition Exam Structure and Format Validity and Flexibility Conclusion Purpose and Recognition The
French is one of the most popular languages in the world, spoken by over 300
Follow us, stay informed:
Click the LinkedIn button below to get expert advice, promos and insider news.
