Updates for A Level History A
07 October 2025
For our A Level History A (H505) qualification, we have made updates for Units Y100 and Y318, as detailed below.
Unit Y100: Topic-based essay
New 'tell us once' submission process
To help reduce our data storage and digital footprint, we are adopting a 'tell us once' approach for the submission of topic-based essay titles for Cambridge OCR approval. For the Unit Y100 topic-based essays, the Title(s) proposal tool supports you in finding and proposing titles using our extensive database.
If you are delivering A Level History for the first time, you must use our tool to submit title proposals before students begin their work, and no later than 31 January in the year of assessment.
This ‘tell us once’ approach means that once you have submitted titles for approval, you won't need to re-submit in future series. Your centre's choices will be used for the lifetime of the specification or until you inform us of a change.
This new approach applies from first teach September 2025.
Updated marking criteria
We have updated the marking criteria for Unit Y100 to give greater clarity to the marking process. The standard of response has not changed, however, we have clarified the number of sources and interpretations that should be fully evaluated. This change is for first assessment summer 2027.
You should continue to use the existing mark criteria for entries in June 2026.
Unit Y318: Russia and its Rulers
We have updated the topic titles for Unit Y318: Russia and its Rulers, to better reflect the history more accurately, see below:
| Current topic title |
New topic title |
| The impact of dictatorial regimes on the economy and society of the Russian Empire and the USSR |
The impact of dictatorial regimes on the economy and society of Russia and the USSR |
| Impact of war and revolution on the development of the Russian Empire and the USSR |
Impact of war and revolution on the development of Russia and the USSR |
| Russia: Empire, nationalities and satellite states |
The impact of Russia and the USSR on nationalities and satellite states |
There is no change to the content of these topics.
These changes apply from first assessment summer 2026.
To reflect all the changes above, we have updated the specification available on the A Level History A qualification page on our website, and Teach Cambridge.
We are also updating the Coursework Guide to Unit Y100, and we will provide a link to this as soon as it’s available.
If you have any queries about this update, please contact the History Subject Team on 01223 553998 or email us at history@ocr.org.uk.
Qualification