Events
Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School - Sixth Form Open Evening
February 4, 2027
17:00 - 20:00
History A Level
Queen Elizabeths Grammar School
Abbey Place, FAVERSHAM, ME13 7BQ
GCE A/AS Level or Equivalent
Level 3
Available start dates
Available start dates
Wednesday, 01 September 2027
Queen Elizabeths Grammar School
2 Year(s)
Full time
Daytime/working hours
<p>There will be a charge for trips and visits etc.</p>
Please contact the provider directly to apply for this course.
Application Instructions
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER 2027 ENTRY
Entry Requirements - Please follow the link and download our Options Guide to view the entry requirements for Sixth Form and individual subjects https://www.queenelizabeths.kent.sch.uk/learning/sixth-form/thinking-about-joining-queen-elizabeths-grammar-school-for-sixth-form/
How to Apply:
Applications will open in November 2026.
Internals - Google Form - Speak to Mr Cowlam or Mrs Gossling
Externals - Through Kent Choices
https://www.queenelizabeths.kent.sch.uk/learning/sixth-form/applying-to-the-sixth-form/
DEADLINE: Gaining a place at our Sixth Form is incredibly competitive. To ensure we can follow the correct processes for making offers and gathering information appropriately, the deadline for all applications, internal and external, will be Friday 26th February 2027 at 15.00.
Following this deadline, external applicants that are considered to have met the requirements for a Conditional Offer will receive a notification via Kent Choices. You will also be invited to an Online Application Meeting in March 2027. This meeting will be a compulsory stage of the application process and will provide details of the next steps and what is required to gain a place in our Sixth Form for September 2027. Any applicants that do not attend the meeting will have their Conditional Offer withdrawn.
External applicants that attend the meeting will retain their Conditional Offer and gain access to the next stage of the application process.
Internal Applicants have an automatic conditional offer. Following the deadline, students will attend a 1-2-1 meeting to discuss your options. You will not be able to make any changes to your subject choices until the Option Blocks have been created around the end of Term 5.
What to include in your application:
You must select a minimum AND maximum of 5 subject choices:
Option A - 3 main subject choices* + an enhancement subject choice** + a reserve subject choice***
Option B - 4 main subject choices + a reserve subject choice
*a main subject choice is a full A Level subject e.g Mathematics/Geography/Physics/German etc
** an enhancement subject choice is either EPQ, Maths in Context or Trinity Acting Exams
***a reserve choice can be either a full A Level or another enhancement option
Course Summary
History
A Level
AQA Advanced Level GCE in History
Why study History?
As the American writer, William Faulkner, once commented, “The past is never dead; it’s not even past.” Studying History is not about trying to memorise dry facts about dead people and half-forgotten events of yester-year. It is about exploring the footsteps of our ancestors in order to light a lantern for our present and future. History gives us wisdom. It exposes how horrifically things can unravel when lessons from the past are not heeded. It inspires us to be brave and to persevere - whatever the cost may be. Individuals have and therefore can make ‘a difference’. For a more prosaic answer to the question above you could say that by studying History you are sharpening many intellectual skills (analysis, evaluation, communication, prioritisation, trend-spotting, scrutiny of evidence, research etc.) that the 21st century workplace is crying out for. For a more emotive answer to the question - it’s bloomin’ fascinating and will keep a curious mind captivated from start to end.
The structure of the course; AQA (A-Level) History has three components.
Components 1 and 2 make up 80% of the overall mark and are assessed by written examination. Component 3 makes up the final 20% of the overall mark and is a historical investigation (coursework) where students write a 4,500 word essay covering a period of at least 100 years.
Course Details
What will you explore?
Component 1 Historical Themes in Breadth - The British Empire, c1857-1967
At its territorial peak the British Empire consisted of 120 overseas colonies. From Canada to New Zealand and from the Falkland Islands to Hong Kong the British flag fluttered over so much space that some said ‘the sun never set’ upon it. Opinions about this empire were both varied at the time and remain split to this day. Whilst the empire brought significant gains to Britain it was not always a welcome presence for those who lived inside the colonies. Equally, not all British people celebrated the empire and not all indigenous people resented it. Welcome, therefore, to a truly fascinating topic to get your teeth into! This course will focus on issues such as why the empire grew and collapsed, what drove imperial policy, how economic factors influenced expansion, how British culture was impacted, how indigenous peoples (such as the Banti and Mau Mau) responded to rule from London and the role of key individuals (such as Gandhi and Rhodes) and groups at that time.
Component 2 Historical Depth Study - America: A Nation Divided, c1845-1877
The great African American campaigner (and once slave) Frederick Douglass wrote, in 1878, that, “The Civil War was not a mere display of brute courage and endurance … it was fought in dead earnest for something beyond the battlefield.”
This component searches for what that ‘something’ was by exploring three beguiling questions:
1) What caused the Northern and Southern states of the USA to tear apart and suffer four years of bloody civil war?
2) How did President Lincoln win that conflict and vanquish the Confederates?
3) How successfully was America glued back together again in the years after General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House?
In attempting to address these questions students will be taken back to an era when slavery was not only a norm across the Southern states but also something that many people were prepared to fight and die to preserve - even if they didn’t own slaves themselves!
Component 3 Historical Investigation (Coursework Essay) - Tudor Rebellions, 1485 - 1569
Students also have the opportunity to research and write an extended essay on what was truly causing people in the Early Modern era to risk rising up against their Tudor rulers and their ministers.
Students will pursue independent research throughout Year 12 in order to enable them to spend Terms 5 and 6 formulating their argument and selecting primary sources and historians’s interpretations to support it.
Time for writing this 4,500 word piece will also occur during this window of time and we tend to find that most students enjoy the challenge and feeling of pride and accomplishment that this opportunity provides. Whilst this is an independent pursuit we would emphasise that a great deal of guidance and support will always be at hand from well experienced teachers.
Enrichment
A variety of experiences including individual research, whole class discussion and online lectures. The history teachers here are always looking out for opportunities to call in experts who are willing to speak to students and respond to questions. Recommendations for relevant documentaries, novels, podcasts and movies will also be provided.
How will it be delivered and assessed?
Structure of the course
The AQA GCE (A-Level) History course comprises of three components. Components 1 and 2 make up 80% of the overall course and are assessed by written examination at the end of the course. Component 3 makes up the final 20% of a student’s overall mark and is a historical investigation (coursework) where a student can choose from a range of questions that cover a period of at least 100 years.
Entry requirements
Students must achieve a grade 6 or higher at GCSE in History.
Your next steps...
What happens when you finish?
Students interested in reading History, Law, English, Journalism, International Relations, American Studies, Politics, Archaeology or Education will find that A Level History will provide a very convenient pathway. However, there are students at university studying almost every degree that you can think of that studied History at A Level.
Students who specialise in History at university go into all sorts of careers because of the skills that the subject provides. Whilst many people go into journalism, the legal profession, teaching, research, politics and the civil service many others pursue job opportunities in the army, police, social work, accountancy, advertising, PR, publishing, banking and many other fields.
However, whether you decide to go to university or not … please, be aware that there is a risk that you will have picked up a bug that may last you a lifetime.
Those who fall in love with History rarely want the relationship to ever end. And, thanks to movies, novels, podcasts, academic books and online courses it never has to.
For more courses like this, check our courses page.
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