England Β· WJEC EduqasSyllabus
History syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the England Historysyllabus, with a focused answer for each one. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions, and links to related dot points. Written by Claude Opus 4.8, Anthropic's latest AI.
Changes in Crime and Punishment, c.500 to present
Module overview β- How did crime and punishment change in the early modern period, c.1500 to 1700?The new crimes of the early modern period (vagabondage, witchcraft, smuggling and heresy), the continuing reliance on amateur law enforcement, the harsher and more public punishments, and the influence of religion and economic change.14 min answer β
- Why was the industrial period the great turning point in crime and punishment?The crimes and punishments of the industrial age, the Bloody Code and transportation and why they were abolished, the founding of the Metropolitan Police in 1829, and the rise of the prison and the work of reformers such as Howard and Fry.14 min answer β
- How have crime and punishment changed from 1900 to the present day?The new crimes of the modern era (cybercrime, motoring and terrorism), the transformation of policing by science and technology, the abolition of the death penalty in 1965, and the shift towards rehabilitation and alternatives to prison.13 min answer β
- What were crime, law enforcement and punishment like from the Anglo-Saxons to 1500?Crime, law enforcement and punishment in the Anglo-Saxon, Norman and later medieval periods, including the role of religion and the King, community policing through the tithing and the hue and cry, trial by ordeal and jury, and the use of fines, mutilation and execution.14 min answer β
- What were the big patterns of change and continuity, and what factors drove them?The long-term patterns of change and continuity in law enforcement and punishment across the whole period, the factors that drove change (attitudes and religion, government, individuals, science and technology, and social and economic change), and how to compare across time.13 min answer β
- What is the historic environment in the thematic study, and how do you answer it?What the historic environment is and how it fits the thematic study, how a specific site illustrates crime and punishment, how to use physical features and specialist terminology, and how to answer the source and site questions on the paper.12 min answer β
Exam skills for Eduqas GCSE History
Module overview β- How do you answer the describe, explain and comparison questions that test knowledge?How to answer the 'describe two features' question, the 'explain why' question and the thematic-study comparison question, matching the length and structure to the marks and the assessment objective.12 min answer β
- How do you answer the interpretation questions, including the 16-mark essay?What an interpretation is and how it differs from a source, how to explain why interpretations of the past differ, and how to evaluate how far you agree with an interpretation in the 16-mark depth-study essay that carries SPaG.13 min answer β
- How do you answer the source questions, including 'how useful is the source'?How to answer the source comprehension question and the 'how useful is the source' question, using content and provenance (nature, origin and purpose) and your own knowledge to reach a judgement, without simply calling a source biased.12 min answer β
- How do you plan and write the extended essays that carry the SPaG marks?How to plan and write the extended 'how far do you agree' essays in the depth study and the thematic study, how to build a balanced, supported argument with a clear judgement, and how to secure the SPaG and specialist-terminology marks.13 min answer β
- How is Eduqas GCSE History assessed, and what do the assessment objectives reward?The structure of the two components and their papers, the mark tariffs and timings, the four assessment objectives (AO1 to AO4), and where the SPaG marks fall, so you can plan your revision and exam time.12 min answer β
Germany in Transition, 1919 to 1939
Module overview β- How did Hitler turn the office of Chancellor into a total dictatorship by 1934?The steps by which Hitler consolidated power between 1933 and 1934, the Reichstag Fire and the Enabling Act, the creation of a one-party state, the Night of the Long Knives, and Hitler becoming Fuhrer on the death of Hindenburg.14 min answer β
- How did the Nazis try to reshape German society, and who did they persecute?The Nazi vision of the 'national community' (Volksgemeinschaft), the policies towards women, young people and workers, the persecution of Jews and other minorities up to 1939, and the experience of those who did and did not fit the Nazi ideal.14 min answer β
- How did the Nazis control Germany through terror and propaganda?The Nazi police state (the SS, Gestapo, courts and concentration camps), the use of propaganda and censorship under Goebbels, the Nazi control of culture and the churches, and the methods used to enforce conformity and crush opposition.14 min answer β
- Why did the Nazis rise from a fringe party to power between 1929 and 1933?The impact of the Wall Street Crash and the Depression on Germany, the appeal of the Nazi Party and its propaganda, the failure of the Weimar governments, and the political intrigues that made Hitler Chancellor in January 1933.14 min answer β
- How far did Germany recover under Stresemann between 1923 and 1929?Gustav Stresemann's role in the recovery, the ending of hyperinflation with the Rentenmark, the Dawes and Young Plans and American loans, the return to the international stage (Locarno and the League of Nations), the cultural flowering of the 1920s, and the limits of the recovery.13 min answer β
- Why did the Weimar Republic face so many problems between 1919 and 1923?The creation of the Weimar Republic in 1919, the impact of the Treaty of Versailles, the early threats from left and right (the Spartacist Revolt, the Kapp Putsch and the Munich Putsch), and the crisis of 1923 with the Ruhr occupation and hyperinflation.14 min answer β
The Development of the USA, 1929 to 2000
Module overview β- How did American politics and society develop from Watergate to the end of the century?The Watergate scandal and the crisis of trust in government, the conservative revival under Reagan in the 1980s, the continuing struggles for equality, and the position of the USA as the world's sole superpower by 2000.13 min answer β
- How did American society change during the 1960s and 1970s?The social changes of the 1960s including the youth counter-culture and protest, the women's movement and the fight for equality, the impact of the Vietnam War on protest at home, and the broader changes in American attitudes and values.13 min answer β
- How did African Americans win civil rights between 1945 and 1968?Segregation and discrimination in post-war America, the key campaigns and events of the civil rights movement (Brown v Board, Montgomery, Little Rock, the marches), the role of Martin Luther King and more militant voices, and the gains made by 1968.14 min answer β
- How did the Wall Street Crash cause the Depression, and how did the New Deal respond?The causes and impact of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the experience of the Great Depression and the failures of Hoover, the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt and the alphabet agencies, and the debate over how successful the New Deal was.14 min answer β
- How did the Second World War and the post-war boom transform American life?The impact of the Second World War on the American home front and economy, the experience of women and minorities during the war, the post-war economic boom and consumer society of the 1950s, and the inequalities that persisted beneath the affluence.13 min answer β
- How did the Cold War shape the USA at home and abroad?The origins of the Cold War and the policy of containment, the impact of the Red Scare and McCarthyism at home, key confrontations such as Korea, Cuba and Vietnam, and the path from the arms race to the end of the Cold War.14 min answer β
The Elizabethan Age, 1558 to 1603
Module overview β- How did Elizabeth I establish and run her court and government after 1558?Elizabeth's character and aims as queen, the structure of her court and government (the Privy Council, ministers such as William Cecil and Robert Dudley, Parliament and the role of patronage), and the problems she faced as a new and female monarch in 1558.14 min answer β
- Why is the Elizabethan period called a 'golden age', and what was life really like?Everyday life in Elizabethan England including the gap between rich and poor, the problem of poverty and the Poor Laws, the flourishing of the theatre, and the voyages of exploration that made the age a 'golden age'.14 min answer β
- Why was Mary Queen of Scots such a danger to Elizabeth, and why was she executed in 1587?Why Mary Queen of Scots threatened Elizabeth, her flight to England in 1568, the major Catholic plots (Ridolfi, Throckmorton and Babington), the role of Walsingham's spy network, and the reasons for and consequences of Mary's execution in 1587.14 min answer β
- How serious were the Catholic and Puritan challenges to Elizabeth's Church?The growth of the Catholic threat after the excommunication of 1570, the recusants, missionary priests and the Jesuits, the government's response, and the nature of the Puritan challenge to the religious settlement.14 min answer β
- How did Elizabeth I try to settle the religious divisions she inherited in 1559?The religious situation Elizabeth inherited in 1558, the terms of the 1559 Religious Settlement (the Act of Supremacy and the Act of Uniformity), the via media or 'middle way', and how far the settlement satisfied Catholics and Puritans.14 min answer β
- Why did Philip II launch the Spanish Armada in 1588, and why did it fail?The causes of the war with Spain and the reasons Philip II launched the Armada in 1588, the events of the campaign in the Channel, the reasons for the English victory and the Spanish defeat, and the consequences and significance of the Armada.14 min answer β