Recommended Reading
The Key to History at A Level and GCSE
In my work as a tutor of students preparing for their exams in A ‘Level and GCSE History, there is one major problem that crops up over and over again, and it is not the knowledge of the students, nor is it their fault.
From my experience, they often have great enthusiasm for the subject and they work hard, but unfortunately they have not been shown how to think analytically and answer the questions in a way in which they can organise all the information they carry in their heads and then articulate it effectively on paper.
This is not about showing their knowledge of the era relevant to the examiner; it is the very essence of History. If you know how to think analytically, even if you have only studied Nazi Germany, if you have the information at hand and know how to research, then it ought to be quite simple for you to answer a question on Medieval religion in thirteenth century France, for example. You would be able to decipher sources, understanding who wrote them and for what purpose they were written. The ability to think analytically also helps people to overcome problems in their daily life, and to think around political and economic issues, for it is politics,ideas, religion and economics which are the three mainstays of History. Essentially, history is the study of people.
The study of history is intensely valuable and it does not exist in a vacuum - it is relevant not only to the way the past has shaped our present, but it can also, if we let it, shape the way we think.
