𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙐.𝙆. 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡𝙨?

Pupils taking history in U.K. schools may notice a marked difference in approach after studying history in Asian schools. Minerva Tuition has experienced teachers able to help pupils make the transition towards GCSE history.

𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 In many nations, initially one of the major objectives of history lessons is to provide pupils with a sense of their country’s origins. Schools look to equip their younger pupils with a context for the country’s contemporary customs, institutions and place in the world.

𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙂𝘾𝙎𝙀 The skills required for GCSE history move on significantly from learning the dates of significant events and the role of famous people. Pupils' first year in UK schools, at 13+ is used as a transition to a very different way of studying history.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 GCSE history encourages pupils to look at the sources of what we perceive history is. As Sir Winston Churchill, once British Prime Minister said, “History is written by the victors.” This begs the question, “How reliable is our knowledge of historical events.

𝘼𝙣 𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚-𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 GCSE history, across different examination boards and syllabi, encourages pupils to assess the value of different sources. For example, a question on The Treaty of Versailles of 1919, which brought a conclusion to the First World War between Germany and the allies might lead to a question contrasting writing on the treaty from a French politician intent on revenge, a German politician dismayed by the severity of the treaty and a British journalist who anticipated that the treaty might produce further conflict.

𝘼𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 The process of analysing the value of contrasting sources in creating a perception of historical events is rewarded by the GCSE mark schemes. Progressing beyond GCSE, these evaluative skills are required for many A Levels and provide an excellent foundation for a wide spectrum of careers. Minerva Tuition provides quality tuition for pupils based in Asia who wish to prepare for history and other subjects before arriving at their chosen UK school.