“AIMS

The revised Upper Secondary History syllabus aligns the value of History learning with the aims of the Desired Outcomes of Education by developing in students the qualities of a history learner through:
• engaging students actively in historical enquiry so as to develop them into confident, self-directed, critical and reflective thinkers
• enabling students to acquire knowledge and understanding of selected periods, societies and aspects of history
• acquainting students with an understanding of how the past has been interpreted, represented and accorded significance for different reasons and purposes
• developing an inquisitive mind in students with the ability to ask relevant questions about the past and examine a range of sources critically in their historical context to reach substantiated judgements about the past
• developing in students the ability to organise and communicate their historical knowledge and understanding through a variety of ways using different media
• equipping them with the necessary historical knowledge, understanding, dispositions and skills to understand the present and contribute actively and responsibly as local and global citizens to further study and the pursuit of personal interest in the past.

ASSESSMENT OBJECTIVES
Objective 1: Deploy Knowledge
Candidates should be able to:
• recall, select, organise and use historical knowledge in context.

Objective 2: Construct Explanation and Communicate Historical Knowledge
Candidates should be able to demonstrate:
• their understanding of the past through explanation and analysis of:
– key concepts: causation, consequence, continuity, change and significance within a historical context
– key features and characteristics of the periods studied and the relationship between them
• their ability to evaluate causation and historical significance to arrive at a reasoned conclusion.

Objective 3: Interpret and Evaluate Source Materials
Using source materials, candidates should be able to understand, analyse and evaluate:
• a range of source materials as part of an historical enquiry
• how aspects of the past have been interpreted and represented in different ways through:
– comprehending and extracting relevant information
– drawing inferences from given information
– comparing and contrasting different views
– distinguishing between facts, opinion and judgement
– recognising values and detecting bias
– establishing utility of given information
– drawing conclusions based on a reasoned consideration of evidence and arguments.

ASSESSMENT FORMAT
The examination consists of one paper and the duration of the paper is 1 hour 40 minutes. The assessment
modes comprise source-based case study and structured-essay questions.

Section A: Source-Based Case Study
Candidates are required to answer the compulsory source-based case study. The topics for the source-based case study are prescribed and indicated by the symbol (*) in the syllabus content. Candidates are expected to have a sound knowledge of the prescribed units and an understanding of the ways in which sources may be evaluated.

A maximum of six sources may be set for the source-based case study. No individual source will exceed 150 words. One or more differing accounts of the same topic or issue might be set, showing different views as time progresses or in communicating to different audiences. Sources may be simplified where necessary.

Obscure terms (other than those which should be known to those who have studied the syllabus) will be annotated.

Each source-based case study will have 5 questions. 4 questions will test Objectives 1 and 3, and require candidates to interpret and evaluate source materials. The fifth question will require candidates to use the evidence in the sources and their contextual knowledge to demonstrate the skills of analysis, explanation and judgement for an issue related to the topic assessed in the source-based case study.

The weighting for each question will be indicated in brackets. A ‘Levels of Response Mark Scheme’ (LORMs) will be used to assess candidates’ answers. Answers to the questions will be graded according to the coherence and consistency of the argument. Credit will be given to points offered by candidates that are not on the suggested marking schemes as long as the points are logical and sufficiently substantiated.

Section B: Structured-Essay Questions
Candidates are required to answer 1 out of 2 questions set. The questions will test Objectives 1 and 2 and will consist of 2 sub-parts which will test different skills. Part (a) will require candidates to construct an explanation of events and/or issues while part (b) will require candidates to evaluate and make judgement on events and/or issues.

Each question is worth a total of 20 marks with part (a) worth 8 marks and part (b) worth 12 marks. The questions will be marked using the ‘Levels of Response Mark Scheme’ (LORMs). 

Questions will be set on any issue / topic within the units in the syllabus except for the issue assessed in the source-based case study in Section A in the same year of examination.”