A-Level History Revision

Revising for history A-level takes time and effort, as you need to know facts and then be able to turn these into persuasive arguments in your essays. Having facts, without the analysis won't get you a high-grade, neither will having the arguments, without crucial evidence to back your discussions up.

For this reason, you need to spend time going through your syllabus, working with past papers, writing practice essays and talking through your arguments with a teacher, history tutor or your peers to ensure you are ready for the exam.

Thankfully there are many techniques that will help you to revise the subject matter and ensure the information fall into place.

Write a timeline of events

History is a timeline, so creating one is key for revision. Put together a chronology of important events, and places, with the causes and consequences of the events. This is a great way to revise what you have learnt about a particular topic and refresh your arguments. For instance, create a timeline of the events behind the origins of World War Two focus on events but also how it affected different people, countries and classes.

Watch YouTube videos

This can be extremely helpful in helping you to recall specific events or understand how policies affected people. Look for credible sources and re-enactments to help you determine what happened and why. For instance, if you are studying World War Two events like the evacuation of Dunkirk, or Churchill becoming Prime Minister.

Create short biographies of key figures

There's no getting away from the fact that with history you need do need to know the details. That's people, times, dates, policies etc. Writing short summaries, and biographies on cards can help you to remember this crucial information. Pinning these cards on a board and showing how they relate to each other can then also help with your analysis.

Use cards to write short summaries of your arguments

Examiners are also looking for what you think, and want to know your arguments and interpretation of key events. It's this information that needs to be on revision cards so you can accurately bring all your knowledge together. Read them daily to refresh your mind.

Write essay plans

This is a technique most students forget about but one that can help you with history revision. Spend time making a series of essay plans on the key areas you have discussed in class or with your tutor. Each plan should have four key points you can make with facts and analysis.This is a great way to revise not only key information but also how you will show the examiner you know and understand your subject.

Work with a history tutor

Working with a history tutor will help you with all of the above points and with your arguments and revision technique. This can help if you feel the syllabus hasn't yet, fallen into place or if you feel your revision scope is too wide.

For more help with revision look at our blog posts on How to deal with exam stress and the Habits of Successful Students.

https://www.firsttutors.com/uk/subject/history/a-level/