Kings Bournemouth
Go
Kings Brighton
Go
Kings London
Go
Kings Oxford
Go
Kings Bournemouth
Go
Kings Brighton
Go
Kings London
Go
Kings Oxford
Go
Apply
Contact
Chat

A-level History factsheet

Overview

Everything happening around us today has been influenced by and is a result of what has happened in the past. History can help us predict what could happen in the future. Students develop transferable skills of analysis, prioritisation, drawing conclusions, decision making and effective communication.

Key Facts

Start Dates:

  • 3 January 2023
  • 11 September 2023

Colleges:

  • Bournemouth
  • Brighton
  • Oxford

Entry level:

  • Academic: Completed 10 years of schooling (GCSE or equivalent)
  • English: IELTS 5.5 or equivalent

Minimum age:

  • 16

Length:

  • 2 Academic Years (3 terms)
  • We also offer entry from Year 12

Lessons:

  • Average 7 hours per week for each A-level subject (plus homework and private study)

Learning outcomes

  • Gain UK national university entrance qualification
  • Raise English to university level
  • Develop study skills required at degree level
  • Develop specialist subject expertise

Course content and structure

The following content outline is based on the Edexcel exam board. Please note that exam boards may vary from college to college.

Edexcel A level History specification offers a wide and stimulating choice of content including British, European and world history, with options covering areas such as Medieval England and the British Empire. Schools can design their own teaching programmes.

Sample content

Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII, 1399– 1509

  • Changing relationships between crown and the nobility: ‘overmighty subjects’
  • Changes in the sinews of power 

Rebellion and disorder under the Tudors, 1485–1603

  • Changes in governance at the centre
  • Gaining the cooperation of the localities

The Golden Age of Spain, 1474–1598

  • Changing geographical reach of Spanish power
  • Changing military and financial power

The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750

  • Changing attitudes to witchcraft in Britain
  • The wider intellectual context: the coming of the age of science and reason

Industrialisation and social change in Britain, 1759–1928

  • Changing patterns of adult work and working conditions
  • The world of childhood

Poverty, public health and the state in Britain, c1780–1939

  • The impetus for public health reforms
  • Changes in public health

Britain: losing and gaining an empire, 1763–1914

  • The changing nature and extent of trade
  • The changing Royal Navy, 1763–191

The British experience of warfare, c1790–1918

  • Changes in organising the military
  • Changes in the role of the people

Typical A-level subject combinations with History

Sample enrichment activities

  • Houses of Parliament trip
  • Bletchley Park visit
  • History Film Club
  • Trinity Arts Awards
  • Current Affairs and News Club
  • Debating Society

Sample academic calendar (2023-2024 and 2024-2025)

Year 1

Sept

11th: term starts
Student induction

Oct

23 – 27th: half term
Progress tests

Nov

University fairs and talks

Dec

15th: term ends
End of term exams

Jan

8th: term starts

Feb

15th – 16th: half term
Progress tests
University fairs

Mar

End of term exams
22nd: term ends

Apr

8th: term starts

May

Progress tests

June

Exams
14th: term ends

Year 2

Sept

9th: term starts

Oct

21st Oct – 1st Nov: half term
15th October: UCAS deadline (Medicine)
Progress tests

Nov

University fairs and talks

Dec

13th: term ends
End of term exams

    Jan

    6th: term starts
    15th January: UCAS deadline (other subjects)

    Feb

    13 – 14th: half term
    Progress tests

    Mar

    21st: term ends
    Mock exams

    Apr

    7th: term starts
    Progress tests

    May

    Final exams

    June

    13th June: term ends

    Recommended reading

    Below is a list of books which may help you prepare for your studies prior to arrival. Please note that additional books, and online resources such as websites and journals will be shared once you begin your course.

    • Access to History: The Wars of the Roses and Henry VII: Britain 1450–1509 by Roger Turvey
    • Enquiring History: Tudor Rebellions 1485–1603 by Barbara Mervyn
    • Spain, 1474–1700 by Colin Pendrill
    • The Witchhunt in Early Modern Europe by Brian P Levack
    • The First Industrial Nation: the Economic History of England 1700–1914 by Peter Mathias
    • Edexcel GCE History AS Unit 2 B2 Poverty, Public Health and Growth of Government in Britain 1830–75 by Rosemary Rees
    • Empire by Niall Ferguson
    • Crimean War by John Sweetman

    Degree progression

    Many students who do History at A-level use their qualification to do a degree in History or a related subject.

    A History related degree is useful for a number of careers, including teaching, librarianship, banking and commerce, the law, publishing, museums and art galleries and a wide variety of social work.

    Example degree courses which require or accept History A-level include:

    • Archaeology
    • Architecture
    • Anthropology
    • Classics
    • History
    • History of Art
    • Law
    • Philosophy
    • Politics

    Sample alumni progression

    Nikita Stetsyuk

    • History/Economics/Maths
    • University of Manchester (Business)

    Janice Chee Jing Wong

    • History/Economics/Maths/Further Maths
    • University of Manchester (Law)
    © Kings Education 2022

    Thank you for your enquiry.
    We'll be in touch soon.
    The Kings Admissions Team

    Factfiles
    Factfiles
    Video
    Video
    Photos
    Photos
    VR Tours
    VR Tours
    • Locations here
    • Learning here
    • Popular searches here

    Contact Us

    ENQUIRY FORM

    More ways to get in touch

    Full contact list

    Enquiry form

    Back to Contact Us page
    Are you
    select
    a student
    not a student
    First name

    We need your first name to identify you and communicate with you.

    Read our full Privacy notice

    Last name

    We need your last name to identify you and communicate with you.

    Read our full Privacy notice

    Email

    We need your email address to identify you and communicate with you.

    Read our full Privacy notice

    Phone

    We need your phone number to identify you and communicate with you.

    Read our full Privacy notice

    Preferred way of communication
    Email
    Email
    Phone
    Nationality
    Select
    Afghani (AFG )
    Afghanistan (AFG )
    Africaans (AFR )
    Albanian (ALB )
    Algerian (ALG )
    American (USA )
    Amharic (AMH )
    Angolan (AGO )
    Antigua & Barbuda (AAB )
    Arabic (Do not use) (ARA )
    Argentinian (ARG )
    Armenian (ARM )
    Australian (AST )
    Austrian (AUS )
    Azerbaijani (AZE )
    Bahamian (BHS )
    Bahraini (BAH )
    Belgian (BEL )
    Belizean (BLZ )
    Belorusian (BLR )
    Bengali (BEN )
    Benin (BEN )
    Bissau-Guinean (GUB )
    Bolivian (BOL )
    Bosnia & Herzegovina (BOS )
    Botswana (BOT )
    Brazilian (BRA )
    British (BRI )
    Brunei (BRU )
    Bulgarian (BUL )
    Burkinabe (BFA )
    Burmese (BUR )
    Cambodian (CAM )
    Cameroonian (CMR )
    Canadian (CAN )
    Cape Verdean (CPV )
    Catalan (CAT )
    Chadian (CHA )
    Chilean (CHL )
    Chinese (CHI )
    Colombian (COL )
    Congolese (CON )
    Costa Rican (COS )
    Croatian (CRO )
    Cuban (CUB )
    Cypriot (CYP )
    Czech (CZE )
    Danish (DEN )
    Domenican (DM )
    Dominican (DOM )
    Dutch (DUT )
    Dzongkha (DZO )
    Ecuadorian (ECU )
    Egyptian (EGY )
    Emirati (UAE )
    Equitoguinean (EGN )
    Eritrean (ERI )
    Estonian (EST )
    Ethiopian (ETH )
    Faroese (FRO )
    Farsi (FAR )
    Fijian (FJI )
    Filipino (PHI )
    Finnish (FIN )
    French (FRA )
    Gabonese (GAB )
    Gambian (GAM )
    Georgian (GEO )
    German (GER )
    Ghanaian (GHA )
    Greek (GRE )
    Grenadian (GRD )
    Guatemalan (GUT )
    Guinean (GUI )
    Hatian (HTI )
    Hebrew (HEB )
    Honduran (HOD )
    Hungarian (HUN )
    I-Kiribati (KIR )
    Icelandic (ICE )
    Indian (IDA )
    Indonesian (IND )
    Inuit (INU )
    Iranian (IRA )
    Iraqi (IRA )
    Irish (IRL )
    Israeli (ISR )
    Italian (ITA )
    Ivorian (IVO )
    Japanese (JAP )
    Jordanian (JOR )
    Kazakh (KAZ )
    Kenyain (KEN )
    Khmer (KHM )
    Kirgiz (KGZ )
    Korean (KOR )
    Kosovo (KOS )
    Kuwaiti (KUW )
    Kyrgyzstani (KYR )
    Lao (LAO )
    Latvian (LAT )
    Lebanese (LEB )
    Lesotho (LSO )
    Libyan (LIB )
    Liechtenstein (LIE )
    Lithuanian (LIT )
    Luxembourgish (LUX )
    Macedonian (MAC )
    Madagascain (MAD )
    Malawi (MLA )
    Malaysian (MAL )
    Malian (MLI )
    Maltese (MLT )
    Mauritanian (MAU )
    Mauritian (MAU )
    Melanesian (SLB )
    Mexican (MEX )
    Monegasque (MCO )
    Mongolian (MON )
    Montenegrin (MNE )
    Moroccan (MOR )
    Mosotho (LSO )
    Mozambique (MOZ )
    Namibian (NAM )
    Nauruan (NRU )
    Nepali (NEP )
    New Zealander (NZL )
    Nicaraguan (NIC )
    Nigerian (NGR )
    Niuean (NIU )
    Norwegian (NOR )
    Omani (OMA )
    Pakistani (PAK )
    Palestinian (PAL )
    Panamanian (PAN )
    Paraguayan (PAR )
    Peruvian (PER )
    Polish (POL )
    Portuguese (POR )
    Qatari (QAT )
    Replubica Democratica De Timor (RTL )
    Romanian (ROM )
    Russian (RUS )
    Rwandan (RWA )
    Saint Kitts and Nevis (SKN )
    Salvadorian (SLV )
    Sammarinese (SMR )
    Samoan (WSM )
    Saudi Arabian (SAU )
    Senegalese (SEN )
    Serbian (SRB )
    Sesotho (LSO )
    Seychellois (SEY )
    Sierra Leone (SIE )
    Singaporean (SGP )
    Slovak (SLO )
    Slovenian (SLN )
    Somali (SOM )
    South African (SAF )
    Spanish (SPA )
    Sri Lankan (SRI )
    Sudanese (SUD )
    Swahili (SWA )
    Swaziland (SWZ )
    Swedish (SWE )
    Swiss (SWI )
    Swiss-German (do not use) (CHD )
    Syrian (SYR )
    Taiwanese (TAI )
    Tajik (TJK )
    Tanzanian (TAN )
    Thai (THA )
    Tibetan (TIB )
    Togolese (TOG )
    Tokelauan (TKL )
    Tongan (TON )
    Trinidad&Tobago (TRT )
    Tunisian (TUN )
    Turkish (TUR )
    Turkmen (TKM )
    Turlish Cypriot (TRNC )
    Tuvaluan (TUV )
    Ugandian (UGA )
    Ukrainian (URU )
    Urdu (PAK )
    Uruguayan (URY )
    Uzbek (UZB )
    Vanuatu (VUT )
    Venezuelan (VEN )
    Vietnamese (VET )
    Yemeni (YEM )
    Yugoslavian (YUG )
    Zambian (ZAM )
    Zimbabwe (ZIM )

    We need your nationality to provide appropriate information and assistance for you.

    Read our full Privacy notice

    Preferred location
    Select
    Kings Bournemouth
    Kings Brighton
    Kings London
    Kings Oxford
    Course of interest
    Select
    Your questions
    I would like to receive information from Kings
    Yes
    No

    Fields marked with * are mandatory.