Teacher Resource Bank
A-level History
Coursework Guidance
(updated October 2012)
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
A-level History
Coursework Guidance for the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X)
This booklet provides further guidance for teachers and explains in greater detail the requirements
of the Historical Enquiry. Two exemplar approaches are also included to show how the 100+ year
requirement may be met.
Contents
Page
Assessment Objectives
2
Additional guidance for teachers
3
Practicalities
7
Exemplar Approach 1
10
Exemplar Approach 2
12
Appendix A: Advice to centres regarding the revision, re-drafting and reviewing
of students’ work for Unit HIS4X (Historical Enquiry)
14
Assessment Objectives
AO1(a)
Candidates recall, select and deploy historical knowledge appropriately and communicate
knowledge and understanding of History in a clear and effective manner.
(15 marks)
AO1(b)
Candidates demonstrate their understanding of the past through explanation, analysis and arriving
at a substantiated judgement of:
• key concepts such as causation, consequence, continuity, change and significance within
an historical context
• the relationship between key features and characteristics of the period studied.
(20 marks)
AO2(a)
Candidates analyse and evaluate a range of appropriate source material with discrimination.
(10 marks)
AO2(b)
Candidates analyse and evaluate, in relation to the historical context, how aspects of the past
have been interpreted and represented in different ways.
(15 marks)
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
Additional guidance for teachers
Students must undertake a piece of coursework, the Historical Enquiry, which constitutes 20% of
the overall A-level mark. The work is internally marked and externally moderated.
The chosen investigation must:
•
arise from, and be placed in the context of, 100+ years
•
be based upon a country or period different from that chosen for Unit 3
•
have no substantial overlap with the material offered in Units 1 and 2.
Students must produce:
•
an essay of approximately 3500 words which provides a convincing answer to the chosen
question, conveys judgement and reaches a conclusion
•
a bibliography (which would be expected to contain at least 4 substantial sources)
•
a critical evaluation of the sources used, of approximately 500 words.
Various approaches can be adopted.
•
A centre can select a course of study from one of the exemplar topic outlines provided by
AQA (and available on the AQA website).
•
Centres can ask AQA for verification of an appropriate course of study at any time.
•
An individual student may choose his/her own course of study, under the supervision of a
teacher.
Following an introductory study of a 100+ year period – either led by the teacher, or pursued by an
individual under the guidance of a teacher – teachers and students must select a question, within
a 100+ year context, for more detailed investigation. This can be the same for the whole class, or
for groups within a class, or each student may choose a different question. Questions must always
allow reference to a full 100+ year or more period and the dates of the period should be included
in the question.
The chosen question or questions should be submitted to a coursework adviser, allocated by
AQA, on the appropriate Historical Enquiry Outline Form (one deals with group questions, one with
individual questions), available from the AQA website. Students should begin their enquiry as soon
as the taught course, or more detailed individual study, is complete.
Although the chosen questions can either be different for every individual or the same for the
whole class or groups within the class, the Historical Enquiry must be the work of an individual
student. Any subsequent guidance and advice must not compromise this requirement.
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
Questions which have been used successfully in a previous year can be used again, provided that
a moderator has not raised any issues with that question. However, any modifications to any
aspect of the question should be sent to a coursework adviser for re-approval.
Additional requirements
The question chosen for the Historical Enquiry must enable the student to meet the requirements
of the Assessment Objectives. For example, the enquiry must:
•
•
•
•
demonstrate some awareness of historiography
be based on a range of sources (either primary or secondary or both).
show analysis, balance and judgement
be accompanied by an evaluation of approximately 500 words providing a critical
appraisal of the sources used and include a bibliography of the sources used.
Teaching Unit 4
If the centre chooses to allow free choice of topic areas by individual students, the teacher’s role
will be to:
•
ensure appropriate choice of study areas and questions
•
provide general advice and supervision but not to compromise the assessment of AO1(a)
once the student has started to write the enquiry. (See Appendix A)
The guidance below is primarily for centres which opt for a teacher-led introductory course,
although comments on the choice of topic area are applicable to both routes.
Choosing a topic area
Unit 4 offers the possibility to:
•
teach a topic which does not appear elsewhere in the Specification – maybe a personal
enthusiasm of the teacher or student(s)
•
teach a topic which does appear in another unit but where an alternative choice of unit has
been made.
Any topic will be acceptable provided it is historical and meets the requirements of the Historical
Enquiry, as set out in the specification.
However, in choosing both the 100+ year course of study and more specific areas for
investigation, teachers and students need to ensure that:
•
there are themes, issues or debates within the topic area which will provide sufficient depth
for individual enquiries
•
adequate accessible resources are available for students to undertake a personal enquiry
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
•
it is possible to devise questions which draw on the 100+ year context. The enquiry may
address the 100+ year period in a broad fashion but questions could permit a narrower
focus provided at least 20% of the study addresses the 100+ year context.
Choosing questions
There are three important considerations.
•
The question must permit reference to 100+ years, as outlined above.
•
The question should enable the student to demonstrate high level conceptual, analytical
and evaluative skills. Question stems such as ‘to what extent’ or ‘how far’ are encouraged;
however, ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘explain’ (on its own) should be avoided. ‘Why’ may be
appropriate, but care must be taken to ensure that it does not merely encourage a list (see
the coursework section of the specification for further guidance).
•
The question should provoke an argument or debate. This will help students avoid writing a
simple narrative of the 100+ year period.
Other suggestions for question stems include ‘how seriously’, ‘how successfully’ or ‘how
important’. Alternatively, a quotation may be used, followed by ‘Assess the validity of this view’.
For further guidance, look at the different types of questions found in the range of Unit 3 question
papers (available on the AQA website).
How to incorporate the 100+ year context
Various approaches may be employed.
•
Questions may be directed to the full 100+ years. Enquiries could examine issues of
change and continuity, perhaps identifying significant turning points or looking in depth at a
particular issue over the whole period. This type of approach could be particularly
appropriate for questions on economic, social and cultural themes.
Examples
o
To what extent did popular rebellions pose a serious threat to the Tudor monarchy
in the years 1485 to 1603?
o
How far did the strength of the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century depend on the
ability of individual sultans?
o
To what extent was European culture in the 16th century shaped by humanism?
o
"The publication of On the Origin of Species in 1859 marked a turning point in
modern science and technology." Assess the validity of this view with reference to
the years 1800 to 1900.
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
o
•
'The survival of the Habsburg Empire in the years 1815 to 1915 was only made
possible by repression.' Assess the validity of this view.
Questions might be directed to a narrow period but invite contrasts and comparisons over
the broader 100+ year context. In such enquiries, while there would be a strong focus on
the identified period, students would be able to reflect back to what had gone before and
forward to other developments that occurred.
Examples
o
Within the context of the period 1750 to 1850, how serious was the danger of a
revolution occurring in Britain in the years 1789 to 1822?
o
Within the context of the years 1815 to 1917, to what extent did the emancipation of
the serfs by Alexander II in 1861 create more problems than it solved?
o
Within the context of the period 1848 to 1948, how far is it true to say that most
European powers adopted imperialist policies in the years 1871 to 1914?
o
Within the context of the period 1851 to 1951, to what extent were the Liberal
welfare reforms of 1906–1915 indicative of a new relationship between state and
people?
Advice: students must compare and contrast the chosen, narrower period across the whole
100-year period to achieve high levels at AO1(b).
•
Questions might be directed to a narrow period which sits comfortably at the end or
beginning of a 100+ year period. Events with short and long-term causes or an immediate
and long-term impact might be included here.
Examples
•
o
Within the context of the period 1661 to 1789, to what extent was the outbreak of
revolution in France in 1789 the result of long-term political factors?
o
Within the context of the period 1871 to 1975, how far was the economic growth of
West Germany after the Second World War the result of its inherent economic
advantages?
o
Within the context of the period 1474 to 1598, to what extent did Ferdinand and
Isabella lay the foundations for a Spanish ‘golden age’ in the 16th century?
o
Within the context of the period 1815 to 1915, to what extent was the Congress of
Vienna an unqualified failure?
Finally, it is worth remembering that any suitable 100+ year context is admissible. For
example, an enquiry focusing on the Reformation might be set within the context of 100
years of German history/European history/British or another nation’s history/religious
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
history/the history of thought/the history of popular movements/economic or social history
and so on.
Practicalities
The following suggestions are designed to help teachers seeking guidance in the planning of this
unit and are not prescriptive.
Centres adopting the ‘teacher-led’ approach might be expected to devote about 10 weeks (or 30
hours) to the introductory teaching of this unit.
Suggestions for the introductory teaching
•
Provide students with an overview at the outset, comparing the beginning of the chosen
period with the end and looking at aspects of continuity and change. (It may be helpful to
compare maps/sets of statistics/two or more sources/photographs/paintings or the like for
this purpose).
•
Ensure students are aware of the themes, issues and debates contained within this 100+
year period of History. (It is a good idea for the teacher to have some idea of the sorts of
questions to which students may be directed so as to drive the teaching – but these should
not be communicated to the students until the teaching period is complete).
•
Build up a timeline/chart/graph or mixtures of all three highlighting the main features of the
100+ year period. Students can add to this in the course of the teaching period.
•
Provide more ‘in-depth’ treatment of episodes within the 100 year framework, looking for
and explaining those examples which both conform and fail to conform to the overall
pattern of the 100+ years.
•
Avoid excessive year-by-year detail. Students will have the opportunity to research the
areas they choose to write on later. The main purpose of these weeks is to ensure that the
subsequent individual enquiry can be undertaken from a position of broad understanding.
•
Introduce students to both basic and more specialised/challenging texts appropriate to the
field of study and, where possible, to articles and other sources of information, as
suggested in the specification. Students will need to use more specialist material in their
final enquiry in order to reach the highest mark levels for AO1(a) and AO2(a).
•
Encourage some critical reading, developing students’ awareness of differing
interpretations and historiographical controversy.
•
Ensure students have the correct vocabulary and conceptual understanding to be able to
pursue an enquiry in the chosen area.
•
It would be both appropriate and helpful to expect some written work from students during
this teaching time. Essays and shorter tasks around specific themes can help promote
reading and independent learning whilst encouraging students to reflect on what they have
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
learnt, in particular comparing and contrasting events. However, for obvious reasons, work
should not be set which could be replicated in the final enquiry.
•
Where Historical Enquiries are going to have a narrower focus, approximately 4 weeks of
the teaching time might be devoted to that focus. Allowance should also be made for a
week of ‘skills-based’ teaching in which students are taken through the requirements, given
additional guidance on research methods and where to access information, and on
technique and presentation. Students should also be familiar with the assessment criteria.
•
At the end of the teaching period, students should decide on their question (or use one
provided by the teacher).The teacher will need to submit either a joint or a set of individual
Historical Enquiry Outline Forms to the coursework adviser, as explained above. It is
critical that all centres seek approval of their proposed titles to be undertaken by their
candidates before the 15 February deadline.
•
Before undertaking the Historical Enquiry, students need to know whether their question
will address the whole 100+ year period, focus on a narrower period within it and contain
comparisons and contrasts back and forwards or focus on a narrower period at the
beginning or end of the 100+ year period and draw on the broader period in order to
answer to the question.
The individual research period
•
Students are likely to spend a further 10 weeks undertaking personal research and writing
their Historical Enquiry. During this time, the teacher will be able to guide, advise and
supervise students but the final piece of work must be that of the individual.
•
Students should consider a range of sources (which in addition to written material might
include information derived from TV programmes, films, paintings, museums, lectures and
field trips etc.) and should select, organise and analyse the information in the light of the
knowledge, understanding and skills acquired during the introductory teaching period.
•
Towards the end of the research period students may submit one written draft for their
teachers to mark/comment on. (See Appendix A)
•
Students are not allowed any teacher input in the final writing of their Historical Enquiries
which must be authenticated by both the teacher and students as that student's individual
work.
Assessment of the Historical Enquiry
•
Teachers are required to mark students’ enquiries using the assessment criteria detailed in
the specification.
•
All teachers are strongly encouraged to register for AQA’s Teacher Online Standardisation
System (TOLS), accessible via eAQA. This is particularly important when issues have
been raised in the previous summer by coursework moderators.
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
•
The TOLS allows teachers to assess a number of enquiries pre-marked by the Lead
Moderator.
•
Within each centre, teachers should cross-standardise their marking in order to produce an
order of merit for the centre as a whole before submitting the marks. Records of
assessments should be kept.
•
As stated in the specification, no credit will be given for additional material in excess of
4000 words. It is legitimate for teachers to remind their students of this requirement at any
stage prior to the final submission of the enquiry for final assessment. However, in
accordance with JCQ regulations, adding or removing any material to or from coursework
after it has been presented by a student for final assessment will constitute malpractice.
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
Exemplar approach 1
Question
Within the context of the years 1750 to 1850, to what extent were the lives of the people of
England affected by the economic changes of the period 1780–1830?
Suggested introduction – showing how 100 year context might be incorporated
During the period 1750–1850 Britain experienced a massive economic upheaval as it became the
first country to experience industrial revolution. The transformation of the economy did not occur
overnight, yet statistics show a huge growth rate during the ‘take off’ period from below 0.7% per
annum before 1750 to 1.3% in the 1780s, 2% in 1800 and over 3% by 1830, by which time this
trend had become self-perpetuating. The economic changes that helped bring this about were not
continuous, nor felt equally by all economic enterprises or in all regions, yet they were to affect the
lives of most of the people of England, directly or indirectly. A massive population increase was
coupled with changes in transport – particularly the development of the canals – and in agriculture.
Industry was affected by the advent of the first mills and factories, new processes and new
technologies, which although largely confined to the northern industrial towns before 1830, were,
with the coming of the railways, to spread the impact of industrialisation further afield by 1850.
This essay, which will incorporate historical controversy over the standard of living of the
working classes in these years (Hobsbawm v Hartwell and others) and comparisons with
pre-1780 throughout, might follow the following plan:
The impact of change on the industrial workers
•
•
•
•
Employment; opportunities; money and real wages; paternalistic employers
Living conditions; working conditions; health; mortality
Transformation in family relationships; women and children
Emergence of class divisions; political concerns (look ahead to Chartism)
The impact of change on the agricultural workers
•
•
•
Pastoral v arable; agricultural changes – enclosure; selective breeding; new
techniques; transport improvements
Domestic work; market gardening; differing opportunities north and south
Food prices; corn laws; the operation of the poor law; riots and distress (look ahead to
1834 Poor Law Amendment Act)
The impact of change on the ‘Middling Classes’
•
•
•
Opportunities to make money; the factory entrepreneurs; merchants and tradesmen;
new styles of living
The importance of skills and enterprise; engineers, builders, lawyers and bankers; the
emergence of the ‘middle class’
Political impact (look ahead to 1832 Reform Act)
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
The impact of change on the ‘upper classes’
•
•
•
Increase in land profits
Direct opportunities for industrial involvement, e.g. mines, canals
Look ahead to Income Tax (1842) and the Repeal of the Corn Laws (1846)
Suggested conclusion
A conclusion providing balanced and supported judgement as to the effect of economic change on
the lives of the people of England to 1830 and projecting forward to assess how these issues
might be addressed (for better or worse) by action, legislation and changes to the economic cycle
to 1850.
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
Exemplar approach 2
Question
Within the context of the years 1789 to 1890, to what extent was Otto von Bismarck responsible
for the unification of Germany?
Suggested introduction – showing how 100 year context might be incorporated
The Declaration of the German Empire in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles in 1871 was the
culmination of a variety of different impulses, some of which had already emerged before 1789. It
was also, in some respects, only the beginning of a more protracted unification process which was
not fully completed, even when Bismarck retired from office in 1890. Nevertheless, the
achievement of unification was very much linked to the career and personal ambition of Otto von
Bismarck, who used his position as Minister-President in Prussia from 1862 to strengthen and
expand the Prussian state. Whether he set out to unify or not, he had, by 1866, created a Northern
German Confederation, removing Austrian influence from the area. After this, it took only victory in
a war against France to persuade the southern German states to join a permanent union. In one
sense, therefore, Germany was united because of Bismarck’s successful diplomacy, a view put
forward in Bismarck’s own memoirs and perpetuated by German historians following the example
of Heinrich von Treitschke (German History in the 19th Century, written between
1879–1894). However, more recent historians, such as A J P Taylor (Bismarck the Man and
Statesman, 1968) have questioned Bismarck’s motivation and played down his personal role.
This essay might follow the following plan:
A critical appraisal of what might appear to be Bismarck’s role in the creation of German
unity
•
•
•
•
•
The circumstances of Bismarck’s appointment; the Prussian constitutional crisis;
Bismarck’s political background and attitude to Austria
Principle v pragmatism in Bismarck’s foreign policy – the strengthening of the Prussian
position
Bismarck’s manipulation of the Schleswig-Holstein crisis and Austro Prussian War
Bismarck’s moves towards Prussian dominance; the winning over of the southern states;
the Luxembourg question; the Hohenzollern candidature; the Franco-Prussian War and
declaration of Empire
Continuance of moves towards unity under Bismarck’s chancellorship 1871–1890
An assessment of the longer-term factors leading to German unity
•
•
•
•
The rise of Prussia in the 18th century; the effect of the Napoleonic occupation on
Germany; the establishment of the Confederation, 1815 (and the Prussian Rhineland)
Economic developments and the development of the Zollverein
The growth of Liberal and Nationalist thinking (and emergence of socialist ideas)
The impact of 1848–49; the position of Prussia and changes in the Prussian/Austrian
balance of power to1862; the reshaping of the Prussian army.
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
An evaluation of Bismarck’s role with reference to historiography
•
•
•
Why German historians chose to stress Bismarck’s diplomacy
Why Taylor (after World War II) posed an alternative interpretation
Consideration of other views, for instance:
o W E Mosse (The European Powers and the German Question) – that unification
was primarily the result of favourable circumstances
o J M Keynes (The Economic Consequences of the Peace, 1919) – that unification
was the product of ‘coal and iron’, not ‘blood and iron’.
Suggested conclusion
A conclusion providing balanced and supported judgement as to the role of Bismarck in German
unification.
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
Appendix A
Advice to centres regarding the revision, re-drafting and reviewing of students’ work for
Unit HIS4X (Historical Enquiry)
The advice given below is based on the JCQ booklet on coursework administration as modified by
the requirements of the Unit HIS4X mark scheme, in which the marks for AO1(a) require students
to demonstrate their independence and initiative in producing their enquiry.
Teacher guidance during the research and planning stage
1.
Teachers may advise and guide students in the general planning and writing of their Historical
Enquiries, but the amount of advice and guidance provided must be taken into account in the
assessment, as seen in the generic mark scheme criteria for AO1(a).
2. In accordance with AQA policy, teachers may review enquiries before they are handed in for
final assessment. However:
•
advice should remain at the general level, enabling the candidate to take the initiative in
making amendments
•
there should be no more than one review.
Advice may be given in either oral or written form.
3. Having reviewed the student’s coursework it is not acceptable for teachers to give detailed
advice and suggestions as to how the work may be improved in order to meet the assessment
criteria. Examples of unacceptable assistance include:
•
specific details about errors or omissions
•
specific suggestions about improvements needed to meet the criteria
•
the rewriting of introductions, conclusions, the provision of plans and specific structural
help.
4. Guidance should cease once the student is ready to put together a final essay, which should
be his/her own work. The writing of the enquiry must then be the work of the student alone.
5. Teachers should not intervene in the final piece of writing, nor comment on continuous
passages, introductions or conclusions, or ask students to correct sections of such a final
piece. This would be considered a breach of the requirement that the enquiry is the work of the
individual student.
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Teacher Resource Bank Subject: History / Guidance on the Historical Enquiry (Unit HIS4X) / Version 2.0
Quick check
•
The degree of advice will depend upon the ease, or difficulty, experienced by students in
accessing information and preparing their enquiry. The general rule should be that the
teacher should interfere as little as possible, but should give sufficient guidance to ensure
that students are able to research their topic and prepare an enquiry that meets
specification requirements.
•
While teachers should meet students during the research period, the sessions should be
used to enable the teacher to find out what the student has learnt and thinks, rather than
for the teacher to tell the student what to do.
•
Personal initiative and independence of working will inform the level, or mark within the
level at AO1(a). This is designed to differentiate between those students who have had to
be pushed into producing suitable material and those who have been proactive in their
research and planning.
•
In deciding the level in which a student will be placed for AO1(a) a number of criteria have
to be taken into account. The first consideration should be the historical knowledge base,
grasp of subject matter and organisation of the enquiry. Having chosen a level fitting these
criteria, the degree to which the student has been able to work independently or has shown
initiative should be used to inform the choice of mark within that level. Alternatively, where
there is a strong case, the degree of independence and initiative could be used to nudge
the student into the level above or below. As always the level that ‘best fits’ the particular
student should be awarded.
•
Although it is not a rubric requirement, teachers are encouraged to keep a diary of their
meetings with students during the research period. This may help them in deciding where a
student is placed in AO1(a).
AQA 2010: Reissued October 2012
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