IGCSE History
IGCSE History Syllabus examines some of the major international issues of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, as well as more extensively covering the history of particular regions. The emphasis is on historical knowledge as well as on the skills required for historical research. IGCSE History will stimulate any student who is already interested in the past, provide a basis for further study and also encourage a lifelong interest in the subject.
The students study all the Core Content in either:
- The nineteenth century: the development of modern nation states, 1848–191 or
- The twentieth century: international relations since 1919
IGCSE History course teaches students to raise questions and to develop and deploy historic skills, knowledge and understanding to provide historical explanations. Students explore history from a variety of perspectives, including social, economic, cultural and political perspectives. It gives the opportunity to build interest and enthusiasm in learning about and understanding the past, to explore historical concepts such as cause and consequence, change and continuity, similarity and difference, acknowledge the historical evidence and how to use it, learn more about international issues and inter-relationships, learn how to make clear logical arguments.
Aims of the Syllabus
The objectives are as follows:
- Inspire curiosity and enthusiasm for learning about the past
- Encourage the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of historical individuals, people, and societies.
- Ascertain that learners’ knowledge is founded on an understanding of the nature and application of historical evidence.
- Promote comprehension of key historical concepts such as cause and effect, change and continuity, and similarity and difference.
- Serve as a solid foundation for further study and the pursuit of personal interests
- Foster international understanding
- Foster the development of historical skills such as investigation, analysis, evaluation, and communication.
Syllabus
All candidates must complete all of the Core Content in either:
Alternative A
The nineteenth century saw the rise of modern nation states from 1848 to 1914.
The following Key Questions are addressed in the content:
- How significant were the 1848 Revolutions?
- How did Italy become unified?
- How did Germany become unified?
- What caused the Civil War in the United States, and what were the consequences?
- Why and how did Europeans expand their overseas empires during the nineteenth century?
- What triggered World War I?
(or)
Alternative B
International relations since 1919 in the twentieth century.
The following Key Questions are addressed in the content:
- Were the 1919-23 peace treaties just?
- How successful was the League of Nations?
- What had caused international peace to collapse by 1939?
- Who was responsible for the Cold War?
- How effectively did the United States keep Communism at bay?
- How secure was the USSR’s grip on Eastern Europe from 1948 to 1989?
- Why did events in the Gulf matter between 1970 and 2000?
Furthermore, all candidates must pursue at least one of the following Depth Studies:
- The Great War, 1914-18;
- Germany, 1918-45;
- Russia, 1905-41;
- The United States, 1919-41;
- China, circa 1930-1990;
- South Africa, circa 1940-1994; and
- Israelis and Palestinians since 1945
Planning to Prepare for IGCSE History?
Assessment Objectives
- The ability to recall, select, organise, and apply knowledge from the syllabus.
- An understanding of cause and effect, change and continuity, similarity and difference to construct historical explanations people’s past motives, emotions, intentions, and beliefs.
- Understanding, interpreting, evaluating, and applying a variety of sources as evidence in their historical context.
Assessment
All candidates take three components. All candidates take Paper 1 and Paper 2, and choose either Component 3 or Paper 4.
Paper 1
Written paper
- 60 marks
- Candidates answer two questions from Section A (Core Content) and one question from Section B (Depth Studies).
- All questions are in the form of structured essays, split into three parts: (a), (b) and (c)
- Externally assessed
- 2 hours
- Weighting- 40%
Paper 2
Written paper
- 50 marks
- Candidates answer six questions on one prescribed topic taken from the Core Content.
- There is a range of source material relating to each prescribed topic.
- The prescribed topic changes in each examination session
- Externally assessed
- 2 hours
- Weighting- 33%
Component 3
Coursework
- 40 marks
- Candidates produce one piece of extended writing based on a Depth Study from the syllabus or a Depth Study devised by the Centre
- Internally assessed/externally moderated
- Weighting- 27%
Paper 4
Alternative to Coursework.
- Written paper
- 40 marks
- Candidates answer one question on a Depth Study
- Externally assessed
- 1 hour
- Weighting– 27%
