At a glance
- Boards and codes
- AQA 8145, Edexcel 1HI0, OCR J410 and J411
- AQA papers
- 2 x 2 hours, 84 marks each, 50% each
- Edexcel papers
- 3 papers: 30%, 40%, 30%
- Tiers and coursework
- No tiers, no coursework
- SPaG
- AQA: 4 marks on each paper
GCSE History papers by board
| Board | Paper | Content | Length | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQA 8145 | Paper 1: Understanding the modern world | Period study and wider world depth study | 2h (84 marks) | 50% |
| AQA 8145 | Paper 2: Shaping the nation | Thematic study, British depth study with historic environment | 2h (84 marks) | 50% |
| Edexcel 1HI0 | Paper 1 | Thematic study and historic environment | 1h 15m | 30% |
| Edexcel 1HI0 | Paper 2 | Period study and British depth study | 1h 45m | 40% |
| Edexcel 1HI0 | Paper 3 | Modern depth study | 1h 20m | 30% |
| OCR J410 (History A) | 3 papers | Period and non-British depth; thematic; British depth with historic environment | 1h 45m, 1h, 1h 15m | 50%, 25%, 25% |
| OCR J411 (History B) | 3 papers | Thematic and British depth; History Around Us; period and world depth | 1h 45m, 1h, 1h 45m | 40%, 20%, 40% |
From the boards' specification pages, checked 6 October 2026. AQA marks include 4 for spelling, punctuation and grammar on each paper.
Which topics will my child study?
Schools pick the options. On AQA, Paper 1 period studies are America 1840 to 1895, Germany 1890 to 1945, Russia 1894 to 1945, or America 1920 to 1973, and the wider world depth studies are conflict and tension in 1894 to 1918, the inter-war years, East and West 1945 to 1972, Asia 1950 to 1975, or the Gulf and Afghanistan 1990 to 2009. Paper 2 pairs a thematic study (Health and the people, Power and the people, or Migration, empires and the people) with a British depth study (Norman, Edward I, Elizabethan or Restoration England).
On Edexcel the most common combination is a thematic study such as Medicine in Britain or Crime and Punishment, the American West or the Cold War, Elizabethan England, and Weimar and Nazi Germany. Ask the school for the option codes before booking so the tutor arrives prepared for your child's topics.
Where marks are lost
- Describing a source instead of judging how useful it is, using its provenance and your own knowledge.
- Treating an interpretation question like a source question. Interpretations ask why historians differ and how convincing they are.
- Writing everything you know rather than answering the question asked, especially in 'How far do you agree' essays.
- Thin specific detail: dates, names and figures turn a level 2 answer into a level 4 one.
- Missing the second factor in thematic essays, where the top levels require a judgement across factors and centuries.
- Timing: four questions per section on AQA, with 16-mark essays last, often left unfinished.
GCSE or IGCSE History?
Most British schools in the Gulf teach International GCSE History, usually Cambridge 0470 or Edexcel International GCSE, which focus more on twentieth-century international relations and less on British history. A student moving between the two keeps their essay skills but meets new content and question styles, so the first few lessons should map exactly what has and has not been covered.
How one-to-one History lessons run
Each lesson usually combines a short knowledge check on one topic, then a past-paper question of one type: source utility, interpretation, explain, account or essay. Your child plans aloud, writes against the clock, and the tutor marks it with the board's level descriptors on the shared whiteboard, showing exactly what would lift it a level. Between lessons, students build a timeline and a set of key facts per topic.
Starting in Year 10 lets a student finish each topic with exam practice rather than cramming four in Year 11. If your child is already in Year 11, a tutor will prioritise the highest-mark question types first.
Common questions
Is there coursework in GCSE History?
No. AQA, Edexcel and OCR assess GCSE History by written exams only, taken at the end of the course.
Are there Foundation and Higher papers?
No. GCSE History is untiered, so everyone sits the same papers for grades 9 to 1.
How much does spelling and grammar count?
On AQA, 4 of the 84 marks on each paper are for spelling, punctuation, grammar and specialist terms. Other boards also award SPaG marks on set questions.
Can a tutor help if my child takes IGCSE History instead?
Yes. Tell us the board and the options when you book and we match a tutor who teaches that course.
What do GCSE History lessons cost?
$15 a lesson, the same rate for every subject. Each lesson is one to one and 60 minutes, bought as a weekly plan of 1 to 5 lessons billed monthly. The first lesson is a free trial.
Sources
Dates and figures on this page come from these official and published sources. Always confirm deadlines on the official page before acting on them.