First, why should you trust me?! Well, since February 2023, I achieved a consistent nine in history, and I feel as though I managed to reflect my passion for the subject when it came to exams; considering I scored 93% twice in sets of formal mocks, and a full 100% in my final exam!!
In terms of modules, I took iGCSE history, and studied: Dictatorship and conflict in the USSR, 1924–53; A world divided: superpower relations, 1943–72 (The Cold War); The USA, 1918–41; Changes in medicine, c1848–c1948. If you happen to study any of these topics, you may find my quizlet folder useful! https://quizlet.com/finrayy/folders/igcse-history?i=4uuywz&x=1xqt
Revision, Content, and Organisation
A great way to revise history is mind maps. I’d recommend making a massive mind map per study/section, and use the specification points to compile what to include.
You could also include your own knowledge (dates, statistics, etc.) in a particular colour. For every mind map I’d make, for example, I’d right down the key ideas and content in black, then add dates and figures in blue, as well as colour coding each mind map in accordance to how I colour coded my notes. I also kept a separate exercise book for each module, and I gave each one a specific colour; all my USA notes were highlighted in green, as were my mind maps for that topic. Below is an example of one of the mind maps I created in year ten – note the subheadings from the spec, and blue/black colour coding.
Notably, you need to be doing active revision, creating mind maps can be a great source of this, and they are really good resources for later on in your revision. If you’re in year ten especially: help out your future self! Depending on how your school teaches, you might not have much time to recap your early topics with your teacher in the lead up to your exams, so try to put in the work asap. You need to actually engage with the content in the mind map, though, so ensure you’re using follow-up revision methods such as flashcards (especially in the run up to my final exams, content-heavy flashcards were probably my main revision method).
Practice (Questions) Makes Perfect
Alongside learning the content (and debunking the myth that all you do in history is learning dates, it’s so much more than that I promise), lots of students struggle with the timing in your exam. This is completely normal, after all, it’s a maximum of two hours – maybe less depending on your exam board – to write a lot. Personally, I liked this rigidity as the question structure won’t change, so you have the ability to perfect this, however it can be really daunting.
One tip I’d recommend is, at least while you’re starting out, using writing frames and trying to maximise your efficiency – it gives you less freedom but will probably help you out in the long run. Your teacher should also likely provide you with some writing frames, and if in doubt, ask them!! As you’re growing more confidence, move on to writing actual practice questions from past exams (these are accessible on many sites such as Save My Exams and Physics and Maths Tutor); this will be especially useful if you follow it up by asking for feedback from your teacher. Looking back through my history google drive folder, I can count 16 questions, alongside 13 full past papers of three questions apiece, totalling 55 practice questions overall across my iGCSE history course. That’s quite a lot.. but it undoubtedly worked and paid off; I strongly believe that I would not have achieved my final marks without such writing practice!!
In case you need to hear this: your grades do not define you, especially early on. For me, history is a prime example of this. On my first year ten report, among a sea of 8s and 9s, my history grade was a 6, predicted a 7. It was my worst subject – however my highest for behaviour, participation and approach to learning but I digress. This continued into November, where I was given a 7, still predicted a 7. It was not until February, nearly half a year into the course, that I was given and predicted a 9. I never dropped since, having achieved 93% twice in formal mocks (April ’23 and January ’24) and 100% in my final exam. This is not to brag, but to show that grades at the end of the day bear little meaning – especially if you are in year ten. Obviously work on your weaker subjects, but do not let it be the be all and end all. Oh, and yes: my history teacher has grown to regret his initial assessment, and I refuse to let him live it down….
Finally, do not be ashamed to ask for help!! easier said than done, I’m well aware, and guilty of this myself. Whether it be looking at resources online – like this one, there are also a myriad of others – or asking your teachers, I assure that there is no crime in seeking out additional support. (Hell, even when I had been getting the top grade for a year, I still emailed my teacher asking for feedback on written work, including those aforementioned 55 practice questions..) If you have any additional history questions that you aren’t satisfied by the above resources, both my email and social media are linked on the homepage to this website. I will always have time to respond to historical questions!!