How do you plan and write the OCR Y100 coursework essay, the topic-based independent enquiry?
Unit Y100 (NEA): the topic-based essay of 3000 to 4000 words on a debated issue, choosing a question, structuring an independent enquiry, and meeting all three assessment objectives.
An OCR A-Level History technique guide to the Y100 coursework, the topic-based essay. Explains how to choose a debated question, structure an independent enquiry of 3000 to 4000 words, meet all three assessment objectives, and avoid duplicating the examined units, with the planning skills the NEA rewards.
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What this dot point is asking
OCR Unit Y100 is the coursework, the topic-based essay: an independent enquiry of 3000 to 4000 words on a debated issue, marked out of 40 and worth 20 per cent of the A-level. This page teaches how to choose a question, structure the enquiry, and meet all three assessment objectives in one essay, while keeping the work distinct from the examined units. (Marks are shown capped at 20 in line with the site's display limit.)
The answer
Choosing the question
Structuring the enquiry
The essay should be structured like any analytical essay, but at greater length and depth:
- An introduction that sets out the debate, the question, and the line of argument.
- A body organised by theme or argument, weighing the factors and the interpretations.
- A conclusion that reaches a substantiated judgement on the question.
The extra length allows fuller engagement with sources and historians than an exam essay, which is why the AO2 and AO3 elements must be planned in from the start.
Meeting all three AOs
Keeping it distinct and starting early
The coursework must not duplicate the content of your examined units, so choose a topic that broadens your study. Because it is long and independent, start early: choose and refine the question, gather sources and historians, plan the argument, and draft in good time. It is school-assessed and moderated by OCR, so follow your centre's guidance on referencing and word count.
Examples in context
A model coursework plan names the debate, the question, the key sources and the main historians up front, so that all three AOs are built in from the first draft rather than bolted on.
Try this
Q1. Explain why a coursework question should be phrased analytically rather than descriptively. [Y100 is marked out of 40; shown at the 20-mark cap]
- What the marker wants. An answer showing that an analytical question ("how far", "to what extent") invites an argument and a judgement, which the higher levels reward, whereas a descriptive question produces narrative and caps the marks.
Q2. How many words is the Y100 coursework essay? [2 marks]
- Cue. 3000 to 4000 words, an independent essay on a debated issue, marked out of 40 and worth 20 per cent of the A-level.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of OCR exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
OCR H505 Y100 202020 marksExplain how you would choose and frame a suitable question for the Y100 coursework essay. [Y100 is marked out of 40; shown at the 20-mark cap]Show worked answer →
A coursework-planning question, shown at the 20-mark cap (Y100 is marked out of 40).
Choosing. Pick a debated issue on which historians disagree, narrow enough to research in 3000 to 4000 words, and not duplicating the content of your examined units.
Framing. Frame it as an analytical question inviting a judgement ("how far", "to what extent", "assess the reasons"), so the essay can argue rather than describe.
The top level shows a question that is debatable, manageable, distinct from the exams, and phrased to invite analysis.
OCR H505 Y100 202120 marksExplain how the Y100 coursework essay assesses all three assessment objectives. [Y100 is marked out of 40; shown at the 20-mark cap]Show worked answer →
A coursework-planning question, shown at the 20-mark cap (Y100 is marked out of 40).
AO1. The essay builds a sustained analytical argument using your own knowledge, reaching a substantiated judgement.
AO2. It evaluates primary and contemporary sources in their context, judging their value for the enquiry.
AO3. It analyses and evaluates the differing interpretations of historians on the debated issue.
The top level shows how a single coursework essay weaves all three skills together around the chosen question.
Related dot points
- AO1 essay skills: planning an analytical essay by decoding the command, selecting and ranking factors, organising thematically, and structuring towards a substantiated judgement.
An OCR A-Level History technique guide to planning the analytical AO1 essay. Explains how to decode the command word, select and rank the relevant factors, organise the essay thematically, and structure it towards a substantiated judgement, with a worked example transferable to every essay in the course.
- AO1 essay skills: building a thesis-led argument, sustaining analysis across paragraphs, supporting claims with precise evidence, and reaching a substantiated judgement rather than a summary.
An OCR A-Level History technique guide to building an argument and reaching a judgement in the AO1 essay. Explains how to state a thesis, sustain analysis across paragraphs, support claims with precise evidence, and reach a substantiated judgement rather than a summary, with a worked example transferable to every essay.
- Unit Y100 (NEA): integrating the evaluation of primary sources (AO2) and the analysis of historians' interpretations (AO3) into a coursework argument, alongside AO1, around a debated question.
An OCR A-Level History technique guide to using primary sources and historiography in the Y100 coursework. Explains how to evaluate primary sources for AO2 and analyse historians' interpretations for AO3, integrating both with the AO1 argument around a debated question, with the planning skills the NEA rewards.
- Exam technique: managing time across the Unit 1, Unit 2 and Unit 3 papers in line with the mark tariffs, and revising an option-based course around the named key topics and the three skills.
An OCR A-Level History technique guide to exam timing and revision. Explains how to manage time across the Unit 1, Unit 2 and Unit 3 papers in line with the mark tariffs, and how to revise an option-based course around the named key topics and the AO1, AO2 and AO3 skills, with practical timing examples.
- The assessment objectives: AO1 (analysis and judgement), AO2 (primary-source evaluation) and AO3 (interpretation evaluation), how they are weighted, where each is tested, and how to target the right skill.
An OCR A-Level History skills guide to the three assessment objectives. Explains AO1 (analysis and judgement), AO2 (primary-source evaluation) and AO3 (interpretation evaluation), how they are weighted across the units, where each is tested, and how to identify and target the right skill in each question.
Sources & how we know this
- OCR A Level History A (H505) specification — OCR (2015)