What can we learn from the AQA A Level History examiner reports 2018?

Oxford History Team

AQA has released its examiner reports for the AQA A Level History exams which took place in the summer. The reports overall have been really positive, with students generally performing well. We have summarized the key issues that the examiners found students needed to improve, and collated some free content that address these issues to help your students avoid these mistakes in the future.

Key issues

  1. Extracts: students need to read the extracts carefully, with the question topic in mind, and get a sense of the overall arguments in the extracts before beginning to write their answer.
  2. Sources: students need to show not just an understanding of the value of provenance and content but, in order to get higher marks, also need to apply their own knowledge to explain these. Students should focus on the value of the source as evidence. Any limitations (ways in which the source is less valuable) should be closely linked to the origin and emphasis of the source, and should not simply be a list of omissions.
  3. Paying attention to dates: In Paper 1 (breadth), some students did not provide adequate coverage of the full time period in their answers. Students should always pay attention to the dates in the exam question, referencing the start and the end dates, and considering issues of change and continuity. On the other hand, in Paper 2 (depth), some students wander too far outside the dates given in the question, failing to focus on the time period addressed.
  4. Demonstrating analysis and judgement in essays: some students were more concerned about writing historical information than focusing closely on the specific question asked. It is better to avoid writing descriptive narratives, to focus on argument and analysis, and to uphold a view and give well-supported judgement.
  5. Time constraints: in the extract and source questions, some students used their time inappropriately, writing unnecessarily about the topic of the question in general, instead of focusing on extract or source evaluation. Unnecessary introductions and over-lengthy comparative conclusions also took up valuable time. It would be better to use the time to evaluate the sources or extracts individually, and provide a summary judgement on each.

Get ahead for 2019

Use this free revision and exam practice content from The Tudors: England 1485-1603 Revision Guide, part of the Oxford AQA History for A Level Revision Guides series, to revise ‘The last years of Elizabeth’ topic, including a sample student answer and examiner tips.

Prepare your students for exam success with the structured revision approach of Recap, Apply, and Review, step-by-step exam practice strategies, and Examiner Tip guidance for all AQA question types.

Click on the titles below to find out more or order a copy for evaluation: