Summer 2022 – advance information – FAQs for AS and A Level History

Mike Goddard, Emily Oakes and Grant Robertson, OCR History Subject Advisors

In the past weeks, we’ve been running online Q&A events to give you a chance to ask subject-specific questions about this year’s advance information (AI). This followed our more general FAQ blogs for teachers and for students. In this blog, we’ve summarised the questions asked at our A Level History Q&A event.

What has been removed by AI? 

The focus of advance information wasn’t to reduce content, but to focus student revision for the forthcoming exams. There is still an expectation that all content is covered and all should be revised. Nothing has been ‘cut’ from the specification but the advance information should be used to help focus student revision on the areas worth the most marks. 

On Unit 3, where a theme isn’t included in the AI, presumably candidates can use elements of it in discussing other ‘given factors’ in the essay section. And if not, why not? 

Yes, absolutely they can. The AI exists to focus revision (and remaining teaching) but the expectation is that the whole course will have been taught, and any relevant content will be credited in students’ responses. In the thematic essays in unit 3, although it will not be necessary to bring in content from themes not included in the AI, in many cases it may still be relevant to do so, and candidates will certainly be credited for any material accurately and relevantly used. 

For Y314, one of the ‘thematic’ elements which has been omitted is economic forces. Is it still valid for students to include this as a theme in an essay, or will the questions be worded in such a way to deliberately avoid covering this topic? i.e. should we instruct students not to revise this topic because ideas like the Zollverein won’t be examined or credited, or could students still use this in their synoptic essays? 

This is an example of the point covered in the previous question. The examination papers were written before we knew we would be issuing AI, and haven’t been changed. The AI shows which bits of the specification the focus of the questions will come from, but all relevant content will be credited.

AI says that knowledge outside of that given is not needed to get full marks - so surely this means that only the AI-covered content needs to be taught/revised? Contradictory to what’s just been said 

While it will be possible to achieve full marks by just using content from the topics listed on the AI, other content, if relevant to the questions set, will still be credited, and must still be taught. There is some overlap between some of the key topics within a given unit. The intention is not to narrow the course. 

On the Britain 1931-1997 paper, presumably the background to Churchill 1939-1951 and to 1964-1997 is required to answer the questions which are still to be asked on the later themes?

This is why AI is focusing revision and remaining teaching rather than cutting out content. It is important to cover the whole course as contextual understanding may well be important in answering the questions on the areas highlighted in the AI notice. 

In unit Y319, Civil Rights in the USA, the guidance seems to suggest that the interpretations question will be on the Gilded Age. Is this a correct assumption? 

Yes, for all unit 3 topics the AI gives the focus for the Interpretations topic by indicating which of the three depth studies will be the subject of Question 1 in the examination. For US Civil Rights it is the Gilded Age, so students should focus their revision for question 1 on that. Covering the other two depth studies will of course equip the students with examples that are likely to be useful in their thematic essays. 

Staying with Unit 3, and US Civil Rights, for the 25 mark questions will there be a question on each of the topics listed e.g. Women, African Americans and Native Americans with the dropping of trade unions? 

The AI for unit 3 lists the areas that will the focus on the examination questions. For the 25 mark thematic essays this is women, African Americans and Native Americans. There will not therefore be an essay question focusing on Trade Unions. 

We have covered everything across all the units although for Y319 I had Native Americans and Trade Unions left to teach when the AI was given out. Can I just teach the Gilded Age element of Trade Unions? 

The advice is to teach the whole course, but you can focus your remaining teaching time and your students’ revision by using the AI. In this case you know that there will not be a thematic essay on the trade unions. 

Will there be trade unions on the interpretation question, or at all for civil rights? 

The interpretations question for Civil Rights will be on the Gilded Age, and we are not able to say more than that. But this does mean that all content specified for the Gilded Age depth study – including any on labour or trade unions – should be covered, as it may be relevant for this question (even though the essay questions will not have trade unions as a focus). The depth studies should be seen as arising naturally from the thematic elements. If you’ve not seen already, the guide to interpretations document provides an insight into the types of issues this element could contain.

On the Russia and its Rulers unit, the Nationalities theme has been removed but will it appear in the Depth Study on Khrushchev? 

This is a similar question to the previous one, but for a different unit 3 option. So, although the Nationalities theme is not included in the AI, all content specified for the Khrushchev in Power depth study, including that which would also be relevant to the ‘nationalities’ thematic topic, should be focused on in preparation for question 1. 

For Y312, the Interpretation question will be on Hopkins and the East Anglian Witch Hunt. Presumably though, southern Germany and Salem will still need to be taught though as geographical examples for the thematic questions to address the synoptic focus of change and continuity? 

Yes, this is an example of where content from depth studies which will not be the focus of the Interpretations question may still be useful in answer the thematic essay questions. 

For paper one, the Early Tudors Period Study section, can both of the 20 marker options be on one of the Henrys or will there definitely be one question on Henry VII and one on Henry VIII? 

For the paper, Y106, the AI shows that the 20 mark essay questions for the Period Study section of the paper will focus on content related to ‘The government of Henry VII and threats to his rule’ and ‘The reign of Henry VIII after 1529’. These two topics of that bit of the specification should therefore be the focus of revision, but we cannot say more than that about what the questions will be. 

In unit 2, Y219, Russia 1894-1941, is it safe to assume that there will be no essay question on Lenin, the Civil War, War Communism, or the NEP as they are not listed in the advanced information? 

Yes, for this topic (as for most unit 2 topics), 3 key topics are listed on the AI as providing the focus for the question. The key topic on the Civil War and Lenin (which includes war communism and the NEP) is not on the AI and so will not be the basis for the focus of any of the questions on the examination 

For Unit 2, presumably there is no guarantee that parts A and B of the two questions will be from the same key topic. For example, for Unit Y213, 1a could be on The Revolution from October 1789 to the Directory 1795 and 1B could be on Napoleon Bonaparte to 1807 

Yes, the Unit 2 papers (and units 1 and 3 as well) we be set up just as in a ‘normal’ year. So parts A and B may come from different key topics. 

For the Enquiry question in Unit 1 and the Interpretations question for Unit 3, is it safe to assume that the question will be based on the area of the syllabus that has been listed and not on the two areas that have been omitted in each case (e.g. 1646-9 for the English Civil War unit and not 1649-58 and 1658-60)? 

Yes, that is correct. 

Is there any adapted guidance for coursework? 

No, please mark coursework (NEA) just as you have done in “normal” years. Please do not try to make any allowances for the different circumstances that it may have been completed under this year. It is important that all centres mark to the same standard, using the same mark scheme, in order to ensure a fair outcome across the national cohort. Any adjustments that it is necessary to make will be made by exam boards at the grading stage.

Grading: are you able to give us an average for a grade C/B/A/A*? even if it's an average to help us calculate? 

As in any given year, grade boundaries are not set until after exam papers have been marked. Until that happens, we cannot know with any certainty what the grade boundaries are likely to be. Overall, the approach for summer 2022 is intended to get back to the pre-pandemic standard but not in one jump. 2022 will therefore be a ‘transition year’ that recognises disruption and provides a safety net for students who might otherwise just miss out on a higher grade. 

As a consequence of this, results overall will be higher than in 2019, but not as high as in 2020, and will reflect a midway point with the ‘aim to return to results that are in line with those in pre-pandemic years’ in 2023.

Stay connected

If you have any questions about this summer’s assessment and would like to talk to us, please get in touch history@ocr.org.uk or tweet us @OCR_History. And if you haven’t already, sign up for our email updates.

About the author

Mike Goddard, history subject advisor

Mike is a history subject advisor and has worked at OCR on the history portfolio since 2007. Previously he has held roles at Cambridge International Examinations and for an educational publisher. Mike has a degree in Economic and Social History from the University of York and a Masters in Modern History from UCL. In his spare time he enjoys crosswords and snooker.