Edexcel A-Level History Paper 2 depth study: a complete overview
A complete overview of Edexcel A-Level History Paper 2, the depth study. Explains the structure of the paper, how the primary-source question and the depth essays work, and ties together the popular options of the German Democratic Republic, the USA civil rights and Mao's China.
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Edexcel A-Level History Paper 2 is the depth study. Like Paper 1 it is option-based, and each Paper 2 option pairs with the Paper 1 option chosen by the school. This overview ties together the popular depth options and the primary-source skill the paper demands. Each section has a matching dot-point page.
How Paper 2 works
Paper 2 lasts 1 hour 30 minutes for 40 marks. Section A is a primary-source question testing AO2, where you evaluate contemporary sources for a stated enquiry. Section B is a depth essay testing AO1, where you build an analytical argument on a shorter, intense period. The depth focus means detailed knowledge of a narrower span than the breadth study.
The German Democratic Republic 1949 to 1990
This option studies how the SED built, held and lost control of East Germany. The regime survived the 1953 uprising with Soviet tanks, built the Berlin Wall in 1961, and relied on the Stasi and Soviet backing, before collapsing in 1989 to 1990 as Gorbachev withdrew support and the Wall fell.
The USA civil rights 1865 to 1992
This option traces the African American struggle from emancipation through Jim Crow segregation to the twentieth-century movement. Change came from the Supreme Court (Brown v Board, 1954), grassroots campaigns and leaders such as Martin Luther King, and federal legislation, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, though economic inequality persisted.
Mao's China 1949 to 1976
This option studies communist rule under Mao: the establishment of the People's Republic, the command economy and the catastrophic Great Leap Forward famine, social and cultural change, and the upheaval of the Cultural Revolution and the cult of Mao until his death in 1976.
How Paper 2 is examined
- The source question (Section A, AO2). Evaluate primary sources for their value to a stated enquiry, using content, provenance and your own knowledge.
- The depth essay (Section B, AO1). Build an analytical argument on the narrower period and reach a substantiated judgement.
Sources & how we know this
- Pearson Edexcel A-Level History (9HI0) specification — Pearson Edexcel (2015)