History

A/B/C Grade Examples

Grade descriptions are provided to give a general indication of the standards of achievement likely to have been shown by students awarded particular grades. The descriptions are to be interpreted in relation to the content of the specification. The grade awarded will depend in practice upon the extent to which the student has met the assessment objectives overall. Shortcomings in some aspects of the assessment may be balanced by better performances in others.

Grade A

Candidates recall, select, organise and deploy historical knowledge of the specification content accurately, effectively and with consistency, to substantiate arguments and reach historical judgements.  Candidates produce developed, reasoned and well substantiated analyses and explanations which consider the events, people, changes and issues studied in their wider historical context.  They also consider the diversity and, where appropriate, the interrelationship of the features and ideas, attitudes and beliefs in the periods, societies and situations studied.

Candidates evaluate and use critically a range of sources of information in their historical context to investigate issues and reach reasoned and substantiated conclusions. They recognise and comment on how and why events, people and issues have been interpreted and represented

in different ways and consider their value in relation to their historical context.

 

Grade C

Candidates recall, select, organise and deploy historical knowledge of the specification content to support, generally with accuracy and relevance, their descriptions and explanations of the events, periods and societies studied. Candidates produce structured descriptions and explanations of the events, people, changes and issues studied. Their descriptions and explanations show understanding of relevant causes, consequences and changes. They also consider and analyse key features and characteristics of the periods, societies and situations studied, including the variety of ideas, attitudes and beliefs held by people at the time.  Candidates evaluate and use critically a range of sources of information to investigate issues and draw relevant conclusions. They recognise and comment on how and why events, people and issues have been interpreted and represented in different ways.

 

Grade F

Candidates recall, select and organise some relevant knowledge of the specification content. They identify and describe some reasons, results and changes in relation to the events, people, changes and issues studied. They describe a few features of an event, issue or period, including characteristic ideas, beliefs and attitudes. Candidates comprehend sources of information and, taking them at their face value, begin to consider their usefulness for investigating historical issues and draw simple conclusions. They identify some differences between ways in which events, people or issues have been represented and interpreted and may identify some of the reasons for these.