A-Level History: Advanced Strategies for Essays, Interpretations and Sources

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Success in A-Level History depends on far more than secure subject knowledge. Students must learn to write convincing analytical essays, evaluate differing historical interpretations with confidence, and interrogate sources with precision. Developing these disciplinary skills requires careful curriculum planning, explicit modelling and a coherent approach to assessment with a focus on developing understanding and not just knowledge. This brand-new course explores how teachers can build these core historical skills progressively across the two-years in a programme of skills development. Delegates will examine strategies for improving essay writing, designing meaningful assessment that develops rather than simply measures performance, and teaching students to evaluate interpretations and sources with increasing sophistication. Throughout the day there will be opportunities to explore exemplar materials, practical classroom approaches and feedback strategies that lead to improved student outcomes across all examination boards.

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BENEFITS OF ATTENDING

• Develop practical strategies for improving analytical essay writing at A-Level
• Design a coherent programme of assessment that builds historical skills in relation to the AOs
• Explore effective approaches to teaching historical interpretations, focusing on evaluation and not comprehension
• Strengthen students' academic confidence and accuracy when analysing and evaluating sources
• Leave with adaptable classroom resources, assessment ideas and teaching strategies ready for immediate use

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WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Teachers of A-Level History (all examination boards)
• Heads of History
• Early Career Teachers teaching A-Level History
• Experienced teachers looking to refine examination skills teaching
• Curriculum leaders responsible for improving outcomes at Key Stage 5

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PROGRAMME

10.00am: Developing Outstanding Essay Writing

• What examiners are really rewarding in high-mark essays
• The challenges of a skills-based mark scheme
• Helping students to progress from knowledge to understanding
• Building analytical writing through modelling and scaffolding
• Using exemplar responses to improve independent writing and knowing how to revise the right material.

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11.00am: Break

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11.15am: Designing a Skills-Based, Progressive and Reflective Assessment Programme

• Mapping disciplinary skills across the two-year curriculum
• Sequencing assessment to build confidence and independence
• Creating meaningful formative assessment opportunities
• Designing feedback that develops historical thinking
• Using retrieval, reflection and self-assessment to improve long-term progress

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12.15pm: Lunch

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1.00pm: Teaching Historical Interpretations

• Helping students understand how to identify opinion in historical interpretation
• Moving beyond simple extraction towards critical evaluation
• Developing students' awareness of the main thesis of historical extracts
• Building confidence with historiography across different topics
• Practical classroom activities that focus on identification of opinion and interrogation of material

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2.20pm: Break

 

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2.30pm: Teaching Source Analysis and Evaluation

• Developing sophisticated provenance analysis beyond formulaic approaches
• Helping students evaluate value / utility and limitations effectively
• Teaching contextual knowledge to support source evaluation
• Improving awareness of exactly how to assess the degree of support offered by a source
• Common examiner criticisms and practical strategies for improvement

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3.50pm: Depart