Higher grade is offered in History to pupils gaining a Standard Grade 1 or 2 although entrance to the course is up to the discretion of the teacher. The Higher is challenging and pupils will be required to carry out individual research at home. The Higher exam is split into 2 papers: Paper 1, the essay paper, and Paper 2, the source paper. In addition, students must complete the Extended Essay, an extended piece of writing focused on one aspect of the Higher Course.
Paper 1
Changing Britain, 1851-1951: The topics covered in this section are the Growth of Democracy, Women’s Suffrage Movement, Liberal Welfare Reforms and Labour Welfare Reforms.
Appeasement and the Road to War, to 1939. A study of Fascist foreign policy after 1933 and the reactions of the democratic powers to it, the development of the policy of appeasement, its failure and the outbreak of war in Europe in 1939, illustrating the themes of ideology, conflict and diplomacy.
OR
The Growth of Nationalism: Germany 1815 -1939 A study of the growth of nationalism in nineteenth century Germany leading to the overcoming of obstacles to unification of the nation by 1871, and the development of extreme nationalism after 1918, illustrating the themes of nationalism, authority and conflict.
Students will learn how to write an effective essay at higher level which will incorporate language and analysis skills. Students will be expected to complete both timed essays and homework essays during the course of the year.
Paper 2
The Wars of Independence, 1286-1328
A study of political change and military conflict arising from the Wars of Independence illustrating the themes of authority, conflict and identity.
Students will learn more advanced source analysis skills and will be able to infer and interpret sources effectively whilst placing them in a wider historical context. Students will be asked to complete timed source questions in class and past paper questions at home.
Extended Essay
Students will set themselves an essay question and then research it extensively. This gives students an opportunity to study a topic at an in depth level. Students will normally be given 2 weeks to research and draught their essay before writing it under examination conditions. The Extended Essay will normally be sat in March. In addition to the course work, students will undertake 3 NABs (National Assessment Bank) and must pass these before they are allowed to sit the final exam. One NAB shall be sat for each of the Paper 1 Units and one NAB for Paper 2. The Higher is a one-year course and the final examination shall be sat in May.
Detailed descriptors for higher: MAKE SURE YOU READ AND REFER TO THESE
