A Level in History

Applications Open - Monday 27 October 2025

Applications Close - Open all year

How to Apply – Please apply through KentChoices and use your KentChoices login which your school should provide

PLEASE NOTE - Popular courses can fill up quickly so apply early to avoid disappointment

If you have any queries regarding the courses, please contact EKC Canterbury College

You can make up to 5 applications to Colleges within the EKC Group, that is:

• EKC Ashford College
• EKC Broadstairs College*
• EKC Canterbury College*
• EKC Dover College
• EKC Folkestone College*
• EKC Sheppey College

*Junior Colleges exist in these locations.

Please only add one course or T Level per application, except for A Levels at EKC Canterbury College, where up to 4 A Level courses can be added per application. At your interview, you and the tutors can discuss the best level and courses in order for you to progress.

This is a course which gives both an insight into the past and develops deductive reasoning, analytical and extended prose composition skills.

History is a subject that can be helpful to any student and can usefully be studied in combination with many subjects. Exam questions come in the form of either essays where a student must argue a case for or against a key historical issue or questions address the historical skills of source analysis and historical interpretation. In the second A Level year, students will complete an extended study in the form of coursework.

The Early Modern course follows the most dynamic and colourful period in history when the world was in a constant state of change and development from the medieval period to the beginnings of the modern world. The early modern era also benefits from some of the most dynamic personalities you will find anywhere in history. If you like good stories filled with extraordinary people, then this is the course for you. You will be learning about the Wars of the Roses and Henry VII (the first Tudor monarch), the German Reformation and the rule of Charles V, Martin Luther who single-handedly changed the world and the ascendancy of France with colourful characters such as Cardinal Richelieu.

Progression onto Year Two

Progression to the second year of this A Level course will be dependent on having made satisfactory progress in the first year of the course, including achieving at least an E grade in a formal late spring assessment, as well as the maintenance of a good level of attendance and commitment throughout the year.

The A Level is based on written examination taken at the end of the second year and is based on both years? work. You will also be choosing from a list of coursework essay titles to research and write up. Topics offered may include the Reformation, aspects of the Tudors or the European witch-craze.

General entry requirements:

To study this A Level, you’ll need a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 5 or above across your top six subjects with at least a grade 5 or above in Maths and English Language or Literature.

Please note: your GPA average can include English and Maths.

Subject-specific entry requirements:

To study History, you’ll need a grade 5 in at least one other written subject (e.g. English Literature, History, Geography, Drama and Theatre, Business, Religious Studies etc).

History is a highly regarded arts qualification. Many of students go on to study it at university. Teaching and postgraduate research are obvious career options also. In addition, many historians go on to train for professions such as the law or accountancy. Companies are often ready to employ people with history qualifications in administrative and managerial roles.