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WJEC Eduqas GCSE History (C100): complete guide to the components, options and exam skills

A complete guide to WJEC Eduqas GCSE History (specification C100). Explains the two-component structure, how the studies in depth and studies in breadth fit together, the most-taught options, the exact question types and mark tariffs, and the source, interpretation and essay skills the exams reward.

Browse guides →Syllabus dot points (29)

WJEC Eduqas GCSE History (specification C100) is a linear course assessed by two written components at the end of Year 11. There is no coursework. This page is the index: below is a map of the two components, the four kinds of study, the most-taught options, the question types and the exam skills that run across the whole course. Eduqas is the England-facing brand of WJEC, so its papers and option content are board-specific; always revise from the current C100 specification and Eduqas's own past papers.

The two components

History is split into two components, each worth half the GCSE, and each sat as a pair of papers in a single session.

  • Component 1: Studies in Depth. 50 percent, sat in one session. A British study in depth (1 hour) and a non-British study in depth (1 hour). Each paper examines a short period in close detail through sources, knowledge and interpretations.
  • Component 2: Studies in Breadth. 50 percent, sat in one session. A period study (45 minutes, 25 marks) tracing a country or theme across at least 50 years, and a thematic study (1 hour 15 minutes, 40 marks plus 6 SPaG) tracing a theme across more than a thousand years, including a historic environment.

Across the qualification the four assessment objectives are weighted roughly AO1 35 percent, AO2 35 percent, AO3 15 percent (sources) and AO4 15 percent (interpretations).

Students take one option from each group. The most widely taught options, covered in depth on this site, are below.

British study in depth (Component 1): The Elizabethan Age 1558 to 1603
Elizabeth's court and government, the religious settlement and the Catholic and Puritan challenges, the Catholic plots and Mary Queen of Scots, the Spanish Armada, and the daily life, theatre and exploration of the age.
Non-British study in depth (Component 1): Germany in Transition 1919 to 1939
The Weimar Republic from the trauma of 1919, hyperinflation and the Stresemann recovery, the rise of the Nazis, Hitler's consolidation of power, and the Nazi police state, propaganda and persecution.
Period study (Component 2): The Development of the USA 1929 to 2000
The Depression and the New Deal, the home front and post-war boom, the civil rights movement, the social changes of the 1960s, and the USA's Cold War politics to the end of the century.

Thematic study (Component 2): Changes in Crime and Punishment in Britain c.500 to the present day. The changing nature of crime, the development of law enforcement and policing, methods of punishment from the Anglo-Saxons to today, and the historic environment linked to crime and punishment.

The question types that carry the marks

Each option rewards content knowledge, but the marks come from a fixed set of question types, marked very differently.

  1. Describe two features. A 4-mark knowledge opener (AO1): two distinct features, each developed with one supporting detail.
  2. Source skills. Short comprehension ("what does Source A show") and the longer "how useful is the source", judged through content and provenance (AO3).
  3. Explain why. Developed analysis of two or three reasons with precise support (AO1 and AO2).
  4. Interpretations. Explain why interpretations of the past differ, and evaluate how far you agree with one (AO4).
  5. Extended essay. A balanced "how far do you agree" argument with a supported judgement, on which SPaG is marked (the 16-mark depth essay and the 12-mark thematic essay).

How to study Eduqas History

History rewards precise knowledge and disciplined exam technique in equal measure.

  1. Learn each study as a story. A secure chronology lets you explain change over time and frame causes and consequences.
  2. Layer in the detail. Dates, names and figures turn a vague description into a top-band answer.
  3. Drill each question type. Describe, source, explain, interpretation and essay questions are marked very differently, so practise each against its mark scheme.
  4. Master the historic environment. Revise the Component 2 site in detail, including the correct specialist terminology, which supports the thematic-paper marks.
  5. Practise timing. Component 1 packs two 50-mark papers into two hours, so the 16-mark interpretations essays must be planned and written quickly.

The options, dot point by dot point

Each option has an overview guide, dot-point answer pages and a quiz. Browse the full set at /gcse-eduqas/history/syllabus.

For the official specification

Eduqas publishes the full specification (C100), past papers and mark schemes at eduqas.co.uk. Always revise from the current specification and Eduqas's own past papers, because the question style and option content are board-specific.

History guides

In-depth written guides with paired practice quizzes.

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History practice quizzes

Multiple-choice drills with worked answer explanations. Your scores stay on this device.

The GCSE-EDUQAS system, explained

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Common questions about History

How is WJEC Eduqas GCSE History (C100) structured?
Eduqas History is a linear course assessed by two written components at the end of Year 11, with no coursework. Component 1 (Studies in Depth) is worth 50 percent and is sat in one session of two papers: a British study in depth and a non-British study in depth, each 1 hour. Component 2 (Studies in Breadth) is also worth 50 percent and is sat in one session of two papers: a period study (45 minutes) and a thematic study (1 hour 15 minutes) that includes a historic environment. Students take one option from each group.
What are the assessment objectives in Eduqas GCSE History?
Four assessment objectives are tested across the course. AO1 rewards knowledge and understanding of the periods studied. AO2 rewards explanation and analysis of second-order concepts such as cause, consequence, change, continuity and significance. AO3 rewards analysing and evaluating sources, judging their usefulness through content and provenance. AO4 rewards analysing and evaluating interpretations of the past and explaining why they differ. The depth and thematic studies carry the source and interpretation work.
Which Eduqas GCSE History options are the most popular?
Eduqas does not publish entry data, but the most heavily resourced and widely taught options are The Elizabethan Age 1558 to 1603 (British depth), Germany in Transition 1919 to 1939 (non-British depth), The Development of the USA 1929 to 2000 (period study) and Changes in Crime and Punishment in Britain c.500 to the present day (thematic study). This site covers these popular options in depth, alongside the exam skills that run across every paper.
What question types appear in Eduqas GCSE History?
Each study in depth uses a 4-mark 'describe two features', a 4-mark source comprehension, an 8-mark 'how useful is the source', an 8-mark 'explain why' and a 16-mark interpretations essay that carries SPaG. The period study uses a describe, two explain questions, a source question and a short essay across 25 marks. The thematic study uses a comparison, a describe, source and historic-environment questions, explain questions and a final 12-mark essay that carries 6 SPaG marks.
Is there any coursework in Eduqas GCSE History?
No. Eduqas GCSE History has no non-examined assessment and no coursework. The whole qualification is assessed by the two written components sat at the end of the course. The historic environment is examined inside the Component 2 thematic study paper, not as a separate piece of fieldwork, so you revise it like any other topic.
How should I revise Eduqas GCSE History?
Learn each study as a clear narrative so you can explain cause, consequence, change and significance, then layer in the precise dates, names and figures that lift a description into a top-band answer. Drill each question type against its mark scheme, because the describe, source, explain, interpretation and essay questions are marked very differently. Practise the timing, because the 16-mark and 12-mark essays must be planned and written quickly, and remember SPaG is marked on those final essays.