OCR A-Level Ancient History (H407): how the Greek and Roman components, period studies, depth studies, sources and interpretations fit together

OCR A-Level Ancient History (specification H407) studies the political and military history of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds through their primary sources. It is assessed by two written examinations and has no coursework. This page explains how the components fit together and how this site is organised around the most popular options.

The two components

You take one Greek component and one Roman component. Each is a single 2 hour 30 minute paper marked out of 98 and worth 50 per cent of the A-level.

Component Group 1: the Greek component (50%). A choice of Sparta and the Greek World (H407/11), Athens and the Greek World (H407/12) or Macedon and the Greek World (H407/13). All three share the period study Persia and Greece c560 to 479 BC and differ in their depth study (the Politics and Society of Sparta, the Politics and Culture of Athens, or the Politics and Society of Macedon).

Component Group 2: the Roman component (50%). A choice of Roman options whose period study is the Julio-Claudian Emperors 31 BC to AD 68, paired with a depth study such as the Breakdown of the Late Republic 88 to 31 BC or Ruling Roman Britain.

Inside each paper

Every H407 paper splits into two sections:

• Section A: the period study (50 marks). A broad span of about eighty years (Persia and Greece, or the Julio-Claudians). It is examined through short-answer questions, a 20-mark essay (chosen from two) and a 12-mark source-utility question in which you assess the value of one to four named ancient sources.
• Section B: the depth study (48 marks). A narrower, intensively sourced topic (Sparta, Athens, the Late Republic, Roman Britain). It is examined through one 36-mark essay chosen from two, built closely on the prescribed ancient sources.

Because the marks are scaled by OCR, you simply write the answers in proportion: a focused short answer, a tight 12-mark source evaluation, a full 20-mark period essay, and an extended 36-mark depth essay.

The four assessment objectives

• AO1. Knowledge and understanding of the historical periods studied. Rewarded in every answer.
• AO2. Analyse and evaluate historical events and issues, using second-order concepts (cause, consequence, change, continuity, similarity, difference, significance).
• AO3. Analyse, evaluate and use the primary ancient sources as evidence. The focus of the 12-mark source-utility question and of the depth-study essay.
• AO4. Analyse and evaluate the differing interpretations of modern scholars about the ancient world.

Knowing the target AO is half the battle: the source-utility question wants evaluation of named ancient sources, the period essay wants a ranked analytical argument, and the depth essay wants an argument built on and tested against the prescribed sources.

The options on this site

This site covers the most widely taught route through H407, each with dot-point pages, an overview guide and a paired quiz:

• Greek period study: Persia and Greece c560 to 479 BC (the rise of Persia, the Ionian Revolt, Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis and Plataea).
• Greek depth study: the Politics and Society of Sparta 478 to 404 BC (the constitution, the helots, the agoge, and Sparta in the Peloponnesian War).
• Roman period study: the Julio-Claudian Emperors 31 BC to AD 68 (Augustus to Nero, the principate, succession and the army).
• Roman depth study: the Breakdown of the Late Republic 88 to 31 BC (Sulla to Actium).
• Shared skills: the prescribed ancient sources, the four assessment objectives, source evaluation, modern interpretations, and essay technique.

How to study Ancient History

Work from OCR's named content and prescribed sources, because the questions are written directly from them. Build a precise factual framework for each period, then attach the key ancient sources to each event so you can both narrate and evaluate. Drill the question types in isolation, giving most practice to the 20-mark period essay and the 36-mark depth essay, and always evaluate the sources rather than treating them as neutral fact.