OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project, J411): complete guide to the papers, options and exam skills

OCR GCSE History B (the Schools History Project, specification J411) is a linear course assessed by three written papers at the end of Year 11. There is no coursework. History B is the larger-entry of OCR's two history specifications: OCR also offers History A (Explaining the Modern World, J410), a more conventional outline-and-depth course, but B is built on the long-running Schools History Project tradition, pairing thematic studies of change over time with depth studies and a distinctive History Around Us site study. This page is the index: below is a map of the three papers, the five kinds of study, the most-taught options, and the exam skills that run across the whole course. Always confirm whether your school follows History A (J410) or History B (J411), because the papers and options differ.

The three papers

History B splits the course into three papers.

• Paper 1: Thematic Study and British Depth Study. 1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks, 40% of the GCSE. A long thematic study of change over time, plus a closely focused British depth study using sources and interpretations.
• Paper 2: History Around Us. 1 hour, 40 marks plus 10 SPaG marks, 20%. A study of a single historic site chosen by your school, examined through the physical remains and sources about the site.
• Paper 3: Period Study and World Depth Study. 1 hour 45 minutes, 80 marks, 40%. A period study tracing a country or theme across decades, plus a world depth study using sources and interpretations.

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

The five kinds of study and the popular options

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

Thematic study (Paper 1): Crime and Punishment c.1250 to present

Crime, law enforcement and punishment across 750 years, from medieval community policing to the modern abolition of the death penalty.

Thematic study (Paper 1): Migrants to Britain c.1250 to present

Migration across 750 years, from medieval Jewish and Flemish migrants to the Windrush generation and modern Britain.

British depth study (Paper 1): The Norman Conquest 1065 to 1087

Anglo-Saxon England, the succession crisis and Hastings, and how William secured control through castles, terror, land and government.

History Around Us (Paper 2): a centre-chosen site

A real historic site studied in depth, read through its physical features, significance and the sources about it.

Period study (Paper 3): The Making of America 1789 to 1900

The Plains Indians, westward expansion, the Indian Wars, slavery and the Civil War, and the end of the Plains Indians' way of life.

World depth study (Paper 3): Living under Nazi Rule 1933 to 1945

The Nazi dictatorship, terror and propaganda, persecution and the Holocaust, opposition, and the home front in the war.

The skills that run across the course

Each option rewards content knowledge, but the marks come from applying it through a fixed set of question types.

1. Knowledge and explanation. Describe features precisely, and explain causes, consequences, change and significance (the thematic and period studies, AO1 and AO2).
2. Source analysis. Judge how useful sources are for an enquiry, using content together with provenance (the depth studies and History Around Us, AO3).
3. Interpretations. Analyse how and why interpretations of the past differ, and evaluate them (the depth and thematic studies, AO4).
4. Extended judgement. Build a balanced, well-supported "How far do you agree" argument with a clear conclusion (every component).

Browse the option overviews for the content and the dot-point pages for each topic.

How to study OCR History B

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 write narrative accounts.
2. Layer in the detail. Dates, names and figures turn a vague description into a top-band answer.
3. Drill each question type. Describe, explain, source, interpretation and essay questions are marked very differently, so practise each against its mark scheme.
4. Master your History Around Us site. Revise your own centre's site in detail, including the correct specialist terminology, which is rewarded by the Paper 2 SPaG marks.
5. Practise timing. With 80 marks in 1 hour 45 on Papers 1 and 3, the 16-mark essays must be planned and written quickly.

The options, dot point by dot point

Each option has overview guides, dot-point answer pages and quizzes. Browse the full set at /gcse-ocr/history/syllabus.

For the official specification

OCR publishes the full specification (J411), past papers and mark schemes at ocr.org.uk. Always revise from the current specification and OCR's own past papers, because question style and the option content are board-specific, and confirm whether your school follows History A (J410) or History B (J411).