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A Level History Coursework AQA – A Guide

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This guide shows you how to plan, research and write A Level History Coursework for AQA using ideas, resources, examples and structure. This coursework is weighted in the following format. Assessment Objective One (AO1) 10% (20 marks), Assessment Objective Two (AO2) 5% (10 marks) and Assessment Objective Three (AO3) 5% (10 marks). For AQA coursework this gives a total of 20% (40 marks) divided as shown above across all three of the A Level History Assessment Objectives.

A Level History Coursework AQA – Ideas, Examples and Resources

Choosing an Issue and Question – You are required to identify an issue or topic that you wish to study and develop a question from this. This gives a broad scope for potential questions. There are however two specific requirements of the question.

• The question must not duplicate any of the content that you are studying for examination assessment in components 1 and 2.
• The question must place the issue or topic in the context of approximately 100 years of history.

Question Ideas, Example and Selection

There are two potential ways to ensure that you cover the 100 year requirement for this coursework. You could identify an issue and related question which traces development over approximately 100 years. Alternatively, you could focus on a narrower issue but place it in the context of a 100 year period. Lets look at a couple of examples below to make this clear.

• Q1. Q. ‘Despite a period of unprecedented economic and social change, British women remained marginalised and downtrodden’. During the period 1760-1867, assess the validity of this view. – This is the perfect example of a broad issue and question from which you could analyse development over the time period.
• Q2. In the context of the period 1905 to 2003, to what extent was the Cuban missile crisis the biggest turning point in the relationship between Russia and the USA? – This question highlights a more specific issue (the Cuban missile crisis) and places it in context of the relationship between the two countries over the c100 year period.

There are some key points to consider when selecting a question for your coursework.

• Question formulation – Students are advised to use the type of question formulations seen in AQA examinations and shown in the examples above.
• Historiographical debate – There needs to be a scholarly debate around the question or issue. This means differing views on the question from different historians. This makes it easier to select appropriate works to analyse and compare.
• Primary sources – Is there a range of primary sources and primary material available to support the coursework? These primary resources need to be accessible to the student.

Coursework Resources

• Library – school, local, college, university – you should be able to borrow appropriate works.
• Teacher – your teacher should be able to provide you with copies of appropriate resources to use.
• JSTOR – www.jstor.org – contains a large collection of journal articles from historical publications covering numerous topics. These will often engage in the historical debate by replying to opposing views.
• Purchase Books – many second-hand books are available to purchase at very cheap prices through Amazon or similar sites.

A Level History Coursework AQA – Structure and Planning

First section – introduction to the question (c. 350 words).

Introduction to the overall topic. You need to put the question into context by providing relevant information regarding what was happening at the time. You then need to define any key terms in the question. For the British women example question above you would need to define ‘remained marginalised and downtrodden’ .

This we could do by defining;

• remained as showing continuity rather than change
• marginalised as a group treated as insignificant and peripheral. 
• downtrodden as a group oppressed or treated badly by those in power.

You would then need to set-out valid criteria by which the question can be judged in order to provide an accurate answer. These criteria will go on to become your factors as you can see in the plan below.

For the British women example question, we could potentially use the following criteria to judge whether they remained marginalised and downtrodden. Did women’s lives change for the better, during the period, in the following different areas?

• Socially and Culturally
• Legally and Politically
• Education and Work

Second Section – Historians Viewpoints (c. 800 words – 400 each)

In this section we look at the viewpoints of two different academic historians. In order to achieve the highest marks, Level 5 (9-10 Marks) we need to do the following:

• Show a very good understanding of the differing historical interpretations raised in the question.
• Convincingly evaluate the interpretations with reference to time, context and/or limitations placed on the historians.

Using the example Cold War question shown above, you could analyse the views of a US historian writing after the Cold War has ended, with a Soviet historian writing during the period. This would enable you to contrast the content of both works and evaluate the interpretations given. This would also show how the time period affected the works, how limitations affected the works, how purpose affected the works, amongst many other issues that help to explain the authors differing viewpoints.

Third Section – Factor 1 and Source 1 (c. 650 words Factor 1 and 350 words Source 1)

In this section you cover the first factor that you have identified from your criteria in the introduction, as well as one of your primary sources that matches with this theme. So for the British women example question this section would concentrate on the Socially and Culturally factor that we are using as criteria to answer the question. Crucially you have to cover the time period and show your understanding of change and continuity as illustrated by the mark scheme detailed below.

• Level 5 (17-20) marks – Very good understanding of change and continuity within the context of approximately 100 years.

You then add to this section your evaluation of your first primary source that matches with this theme. So for the British women example question you would have a primary source that related to the Socially and Culturally factor being covered here.

Fourth Section – Factor 2 and Source 2 (c. 650 words Factor 2 and 350 words Source 2 )

In this section you cover the second factor that you have identified from your criteria in the introduction, as well as one of your primary sources that matches with this theme. So for the British women example question this section would concentrate on the Legally and Politically factor that we are using as criteria to answer the question. Crucially you have to cover the time period and show your understanding of change and continuity as illustrated by the mark scheme detailed below.

You then add to this section your evaluation of your first primary source that matches with this theme. So for the British women example question you would have a primary source that related to the Legally and Politically factor being covered here.

Fifth Section – Factor 3 and Source 3 (c. 650 words Factor 3 and 350 words Source 3 )

In this section you cover the second factor that you have identified from your criteria in the introduction, as well as one of your primary sources that matches with this theme. So for the British women example question this section would concentrate on the Education and Work factor that we are using as criteria to answer the question. Crucially you have to cover the time period and show your understanding of change and continuity as illustrated by the mark scheme detailed below.

You then add to this section your evaluation of your first primary source that matches with this theme. So for the British women example question you would have a primary source that related to the Education and Work factor being covered here.

Sixth Section – Overall Conclusion (c. 350 words)

In the final section you need to produce an overall conclusion that fully answers the coursework question. So for the British women question you would be answering ‘did they remain marginalised and downtrodden during this period?’. This will take into account everything you have considered throughout the piece of work including your criteria, the viewpoints of the academic historians, the primary sources and the factors that you have covered from your criteria. In reaching a final judgement and conclusion, you need to take into account the entire period considering continuity and change across it, as you should have done throughout the rest of the coursework.

A Level History Coursework AQA – Primary Source Analysis

Looking at the primary source mark scheme table from the AQA website can help you to understand the requirements. Firstly, you must ensure that three sources are used and that there are a minimum of two different types (can be two different types of written source). To achieve the highest marks you must then ensure that a range of relevant and well supported comments are made on the value of the sources. Finally, you must provide a balanced and convincing judgement on the merits of each source in relation to our question.

Assessing Your Primary Sources

• Provenance – The five W’s of Who, Why, What, When, Where; can help you to identify the provenance of a primary source and assess its value or limitations.
• Tone and Emphasis – How does the tone and emphasis impact the value of the source. Is it impartial, critical, formal, aggressive, empathetic, mocking, candid etc?
• Content – What is the actual content of the source saying? How true is this in terms of your contextual knowledge? Is there value in the inaccuracies of the content?
• Value/Limitations and Judgement – The above three points ( Provenance, Tone and Emphasis and Content ) can be used to assess how much we can learn from the source, by weighing up value and limitations, as well as giving judgement on the merit of the source.

How To Improve Further at A Level History

Pass A Level History – is our sister site, which shows you step by step, how to most effectively answer any A Level History extract, source or essay question. Please click the following link to visit the site and get access to your free preview lesson. www.passalevelhistory.co.uk

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Previous  – A Level History Coursework Edexcel Guide –  passhistoryexams.co.uk/a-level-history-coursework-edexcel/

Next  – A Level History Extract Questions – How To Answer –  passhistoryexams.co.uk/a-level-history-extract-questions/

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History A-Level Coursework Exemplar Essay (Full Marks and Grade A* Achieved)

Subject: History

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Unit of work

Last updated

19 April 2024

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History A-Level Coursework Exemplar Essay (Full Marks and Grade A* Achieved).

Title: Muslim disunity was the most important reason for the success of the First Crusade. How far do you agree?

This resource contains a full mark A* coursework essay that was awarded this grade in 2022. Included is an introduction, establishment of criteria, theme analysis, primary sources, historical interpretations and interim/final judgements. Furthermore, footnotes and an extensive bibliography (Harvard) are also included in this 13-page resource. Also included is a workbook to help you plan your own coursework as well as some advice sheets from the examiners.

Please use this resource (PDF version) to aid your study and how to plan your essay, rather than copying the content. Despite this, the information could well be very useful if you are studying the Crusades and Crusader States at A-Level (OCR and AQA exam boards).

If you do have any questions regarding this resource, or the course in general, please do not hesitate to email [email protected]

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Exemplar Coursework

A level history a, sixth form (a levels), high school - united kingdom, recommended for you, students also viewed.

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Preview text, pe a r so n, ed e x ce l, a level hist ory, coursew ork exem pla r, co n t e n t s.

• GCE H i st o r y
• Ca n d i d a t e Ti t l e
• M a r k i n g

Ex a m i n e r Co m m e n t a r y

Ca n d i d a t e re sp o n se, re so u r ce re co r d.

In the introduction there is a clear focus on establishing that the ‘Puritan mind-set’ was a major factor in understanding why the Salem witch trials took place. The candidate also indicates that there are other interpretations to consider; deviation from other strict religious guidelines, means of supressing and controlling women, psychosis generated by the Indian Wars, village factionalism and witchcraft being an actual reality. A judgement is also proposed, at this stage, suggesting that religion was the key.

There is then a clear explanation of the three chosen interpretations. The positions of all three historians - Hansen, Kences and Breslaw - are explained, but the explanation is unbalanced and the reasons why these historians hold these positions is not fully established. The arguments that Hansen and Breslaw put forward are explained and the candidate offers judgements on them, but the candidate’s criteria for judgement are not established.

It is the discussion around Kences’ position that sees the candidate begin to suggest why this historian arrives at his given interpretation. The work shows some understanding of the basis of the authors’ arguments. There is also further contextual knowledge added and the suggestion of some links with other interpretations that further strengthens this part of the essay.

The other possible interpretations, that are alluded to in the introduction, are then explained and analysed in relation to the three chosen interpretations, and further contextual knowledge is also added as support. The essay is strong in its use of further reading to evaluate the views in the chosen works.

At the end of the essay there is a judgement that is supported, although evaluation is only partly substantiated.

The overall mark In this case, the work does not fit neatly into one level. The overall mark is reached by making a best-fit judgement and taking account of the strength of the work in the individual strands. In reaching the interim judgements on individual bullet points, the low Level 4s on bullet points 3 and 4 were arrived at after consideration of a mid-level judgement; the low Level 5 on bullet point 5 was arrived at after consideration of a mid- level point. Overall, this indicates an award of just into Level 5, rather than top of Level 4. In this instance, the overall low Level 5mark does not indicate Level 5 work that is not concise; it indicates that the work is judged to be on the Level 4/5 borderline and deserving of an award marginally higher than Level 4.

The resource record The resource record is well focused and shows some range in the reading that was undertaken. However, it does not show clearly that there was reading undertaken and then rejected in the process of researching the question.

A l e v e l H i st o r y – Co u r s e w o r k e x e m p l a r

Historians have disagreed about the principal cause of the outbreak of the witchcraft hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. What is your view about the issue? With reference to three chosen works: ● analyse the ways in which interpretations of the question, problem or issue differ ● explain the differences you have identified ● evaluate the arguments, indicating which you found most persuasive and explaining your judgements.

Introduction The Salem witch trials saw the deaths of nineteen women, two men and two dogs, all from witchcraft accusations, with the Puritan mind-set at the root of its cause. The very nature of the mindset, dominated by a fear of Satan, generated a hostile environment where villager turned on villager in a desperate attempt to create and sustain a “City of Heaven” 1 , free from the clutches of evil. Many have suggested that the hysteria escalated as a result of people’s deviation from the strict religious guidelines, perhaps influenced by a Carib-Indian slave woman, whilst others believe that the trials were a means of suppressing internal conflict and preventing women from fighting the misogynistic social structure. Still others have suggested that an atmosphere of psychosis brought about by the traumas of Indian wars made accusers of a number of dispossessed villagers. Scholars have also pointed to village factionalism between resentful, marginalised farming families and more prosperous urbanites. One recent historian has rejected all of these theories and has returned to the simple belief that the witchcraft was real. However, ultimately, it was the religious-based distress in Salem, and the ability accusers had to manipulate the blind faith of devout Puritans, that allowed the situation to become so extreme. Three of these positions are represented by the chosen articles for this causal study: Tituba as the principal cause of the witch craze is represented by Elaine Breslaw; the centrality of Indian psychosis is presented by James Kences and the presence of real witchcraft is described by Chadwick Hansen as the direct cause. I will

I believe that Hansen rejects non-supernatural causes too easily. Salem was one of dozens of witchcraft outbreaks in New England. In all other cases people may have believed they were bewitched, but in no other case did this lead to multiple accusations on the scale of Salem. This indicates that there must have been other motives at large, which indicates why historians have differed so much over the causes. The next extract provides a more plausible explanation.

James Kences We see a very different theory explained by James Kences; it is that the lives of the people of colonial Massachusetts were dominated by their relationships with the Indians. Essex County, where Salem is situated, had to supply militia and money to defend communities further north, where the heaviest fighting occurred, and were in constant danger of massacres themselves. Kences suggests that Essex County had already displayed signs of “invasion neurosis”, the extreme tension of anticipating an attack which does not materialise. 3 It seems that witchcraft appears to have been generally regarded as a preliminary weakening of a community’s moral strength or resistance. Therefore if the inhabitants were surrounded by witchcraft they might eventually fall victim to the Indians and French. This can be inferred from Cotton Mather’s revelation “one who was executed at Salem for witchcraft who confessed that at their chief witch meetings, there had been present some French Canadians and Indian sagamores to concert the methods ruining New England” 4. Kences also suggests something different; that children who were orphaned by Indian wars and denied genuine closeness to their parents through emotional or physical distance were sometimes brought closer together as an artificial family; however such an intimate unit can only work when conditions are not too demanding. These false families and the fear of being attacked may have forced the children who accused Salem residents of witchcraft to have behaved the way they did. Kences continues to explain that normally following disaster or a frightful experience children attempt to comprehend what has happened through play-acting or by constantly talking about an episode; this is a means of ventilating those aspects of the event that most troubled them. In 1692 in Salem village the girls described sensations of biting, strangulation, convulsions and hallucinations. The combination of the parental distance with the tensions of factional conflict and fear of massacre Kences suggests could have created the Salem witch epidemic. It appears that the girls’ hysterical behaviour was triggered by the

anniversaries of some critical events and this was the common element in both the Scituate and Salem village episodes. For example on 18th march 1692 on the second anniversary of Salmon Falls, Ann Putnam claimed to have been afflicted by Martha Corey when she stated that Corey had “tortured me so as I cannot express, ready to tear me all to pieces”. 5

In addition to this evidence Kences highlights the “afflicted” could have accused men who had been prominently involved in the prosecution of the Indian because of the simple conviction that persons who had been in close contact with the Indians and survived were in fact witches, and those who had died were true Christians. The assumption is consistent with the puritan belief that Indians and witches were synonymous, and may have been responsible for the process of affliction itself. By 1692 the village girls’ fear of the Indian had advanced to such an irrational state that they couldn’t directly think about the Indians, instead they used the witch as his symbolic substitute and a witch they believed was any person who distressed either the girls or their parents. It appears that the influence of Salem’s Puritan pastor, The Reverend Samuel Parris and their ingrained fear of the Indian made it easy for the girls to see the “eastward” as an allegorical hell and to accuse them of witchery. Kences gives an insight as to why Tituba was accused, because to Abigail Williams, a principal accuser, Tituba as an Indian could be linked at a symbolic level to the fiendish Indians of the “eastward”. This clearly provides a link to the views of Elaine Breslaw (see below).

To conclude Kences argues that the Indian war and the complex fears which it may have generated would help to make the girls’ behaviour comprehensible as an appropriate response under very real emotional stress. Many of those involved in the crisis, it turns out, had known each other previously on the frontier. And of the afflicted girls, several had seen their families and homes destroyed in the war with the Indians. Two of the key accusers were living as servants in Salem as a direct result of their families losing prosperous homesteads in Maine. Other evidence that shows Native Americans had short term significance on the impact of the witch trials is the fact that many of the accused were, in some way or another, linked with Indians. The disillusionment created by extreme tensions built in anticipation of attack which did not materialise drove the ‘afflicted’ to accuse people they linked with the Indians. For example, Mary Walcott accused Captain John Alden of witchcraft because he had sold ‘powder and shot to the Indians... and [lay] with Indian squaws and had Indian

evidence that the girls at her instigiation took part in occult or rituals or danced in the woods or drank blood or stuck pins in dolls. These allegations and the sensationalist nature of the trials have overwhelmed the importance of Tituba’s background and her status as a symbol of Puritan fears. If we ask why the Puritans believed her confession, that credibility was reinforced ironically by the continued association of Native Americans with witchcraft and a refusal to integrate Indians into puritan society. It was Tituba’s mental images that fuelled the puritan fantasies and of a devilish conspiracy and tragically launched the most gruesome but fascinating witch scare of early American history. Consequently I see great merit in the importance of Tituba, but only because of her status as a Carib-Indian. Breslaw’s thesis must be placed alongside that of Kences. Together, their ideas reveal the central importance of Indian psychosis as a principal cause of the witchcraft outbreak. But other historians have differed from the Indian psychosis approach. They have provided many more plausible approaches, based on circumstantial evidence:-

Other Historians’ Views The most popular theory about the causes of Salem witchcraft is not represented in the articles chosen for this exercise, but is skilfully executed by Paul Boyer and Steven Nissenbaum, who have traced the origins of the witchcraft accusations directly to local struggles and personal antagonisms within the Salem village. They differ from the theories propounded in the extracts because In a painstaking reconstruction of the tiny community, Boyer and Nissenbaum have laid bare a conspiracy theory involving long-standing disputes that raged among the townspeople over land claims, village boundaries, commercial development, and the establishment of a local ministry. It seems that the two disputing families Porters and Putnams overshadowed people’s view of reality and the witch trials were born. By the 1680s rival groups were established and according to these scholars the witchcraft accusations of 1692 “moved in channels which were determined by years of factional strife” in the village. 9 By pinpointing the residence of many of the villagers they have learned that the accused witches and their defenders tended to come from the southeast section of the village, whereas the accusers were based in the northwest. This geographical pattern relates closely to the distribution of rival groups that had been locked in long standing conflicts and feuds. Boyer and Nissenbaum have made a clear and reasonable case that the Salem witchcraft episode reflects the dynamics of village tensions and factionalism. From their theory we learn that the villagers, the pro Parris faction, represented by the

Putnams, did not like the idea of change and resented the townspeople and their village supporters, represented by the Porter family, for advancing. Unable to relieve their frustrations politically the members of the pro-Parris faction unconsciously fell back on a different strategy; they treated those who threatened them not as a political opposition but as an aggregate of morally defective individuals. By treating their “enemies” as deviants or witches, the pro-Parris villagers of 1690’s chose to proceed as if nothing fundamental had changed in New England society another attempt perhaps to convince themselves that nothing really had.

Much recent writing about the causes of the witch craze have rejected conspiracy theories and have focused on the Puritan mind-set. Several elements of Puritanism made the eight girls’ accusations easily accepted. Being a religion based on penitence and superstition, Puritanism involved a distinct fear of witchcraft and the Devil. With the Bible stating, “Thou shall not suffer a witch to live” serving as evidence, witchcraft, to Puritans, was perceived as heresy. References continued frequently to appear in literature, ranging from “Malleus Maleficarum”, written in 1486 by Dominican monks, to King James I’s 1604 book on Demonology. Other publications explained the basic principles of Puritan life, with Jacobus Arminius, a 16th Century Theology professor and studier of Soteriology, writing the “Doctrines of Grace”, reinforcing the importance of living in a state of God’s grace 10. Richard Sibbes, a Puritan minister of the era, reiterated this idea of dedication, claiming, “we should.. to God and sleep to God and work to God”. Furthermore, Samuel Parris, minister in Salem since 1689, and obsessed with religious dedication, like Sibbes, declared “there are certain sins that make us Devils, see that we be not such.. tempter to sin.. opposer of godliness.. persons as Witches.” 11

Hearing declarations of this sort from such prominent and authoritative pastors meant that the message held great weight in the public mind. The relentless reminder of moral discipline and the threat of evil, supported by archaic references, meant that any divergence from traditional Puritanism became a sign of the Devil. Mere speculation of discrepancy was, therefore, sufficient in mobilising the trials. Puritan ministers repeatedly preached about the dangers of witchcraft. Cotton Mather, a minister in New England at the time and a zealous believer in the wrath of God, utilised the great influence of his position by speaking about breaking the “Covenant with Hell” that witchcraft brought. 12 Samuel Parris, similarly spoke

and present witchery, had to take extreme measures to root out the Devil as he stalked the streets of Salem. In other words, the Puritan mind-set made almost inevitable the outbreak of the crisis of 1692 whether we take Hansen, Kences or Breslaw rather than Boyer and Nissenbaum as the starting point.

Another key theory centres on the “afflicted” girls’ own search for power. Nevertheless, the root reason suggesting it to be a cause of hysteria lies in the Puritan belief system. Puritan teachings placed women at the bottom rung in society. Mather said that “handmaidens of the Lord should.. themselves from handmaids of the Devil”. 19 Given these typically chauvinistic opinions, it is possible that the girls wished to seize control for themselves, acting out for attention. This idea is reinforced by Frances Hill’s recognition of the “deliberate separation of teen-aged children from the parents”. 20 This “necessary distance” 2 meant that the girls would not receive the same degree of discipline they would have done at home. As a consequence, they may have been further inclined to cause trouble, through not feeling the threat of reproof so heavily.

One other alternative theory exists that does not really touch on the theories of three extracts and is actually mentioned by Boyer and Nissenbaum. The argument suggests that the trials allowed people to seize greater power. Parris, whilst being perceived as a weak minister, intended to expand his wealth, contrary to Puritan teaching. Perhaps initiated by his Boston upbringing and trading experience, he frequently referenced money in sermons. One example shows him comparing the tending of one’s eternal health to how “the shop-keeper, the merchant, the trader” watch their ledgers. Moreover, Parris claimed parsonage land to boost his salary. This hypocrisy was exposed by John Tarbell, Samuel Nurse and Joseph Putnam, who complained of his “preaching such scandalous immoralities”. 22 They aimed to force him out of Salem. It is also note-worthy that the first “afflicted” girls were Parris’ daughter, Betty, and niece, Abigail Williams. These facts caused speculation as to whether Parris staged the trials in order to gain greater authority within Salem. Robert Detweiler, offering a balanced perspective as a modern history professor, supports this theory by stating that ministers “encouraged the strange behaviour” so as to “increase their own influence” by ridding “the afflicted [of].. spirits” 23. Parris himself named the church “a promiscuous institution which embraced the ‘rotten-hearted’...[and] the pure” 24 , emphasising his desire to

have everyone attend his services. Similar accusations surround Cotton Mather. Supposedly attempting to influence “infatuated people”, Mather, much like Parris, fuelled the fire by declaring he “suspect[ed] witchcraft” as the cause of his son’s death and that his wife had been “affrighted by a horrible Spector” 25. Additionally, this suggestion was supported by John Hale, another impacting minister, in Beverly, by his noting that the “number of the afflicted and the accused began to increase” 26 once Mather’s statements circulated. It is clear therefore, that the religious opinions of Hale, Mather and Parris were central in generating hysteria. Whether their motive was to gain power, through manipulating their congregations’ trust, or a genuine belief in Satan, their prominence within the community as preachers increased their influence, making them largely contributory to the scandal.

Assessment It remains true that, without the unwavering Puritan rules and belief system, people would have been unsuccessful in acting on their personal distastes in the manner that the ‘domineering ministers’ theory suggests. In summary, despite many factors contributing to the Salem Witch trials hysteria, the Puritan mind-set remains the most fundamental. Even with misogyny, internal conflict and power gain being key contributors, the public fear of the Devil and the obsession with purity, that the mind-set inspired, led to such extreme actions being taken. If the people of Salem hadn’t believed so strongly in the importance of soul- salvation, it is possible that more of the accused would have confessed, preventing the outbreak of a full-blown witch craze in 1692. As the spark to these tragic events, however, the views of historians like Breslaw who point to Tituba’s Carib-Indian heritage and to the centrality of the atmosphere generated by the Indian Wars (such as Kences and Norton) are more likely that the presence of real witchcraft (Hansen) simply because there had been so many witch trials in New England pre-dating the wars that had not been converted into a hysteria which led to imprisonment of more than 200 colonists and the deaths of 21 of them.

21 Parris, op. cit. 4th February, 1694

22 salem.lib.virginia/archives/

23 Detweiler, Robert, Shifting Perspectives on the Salem Witches, Society for History Education (1975) page 23

24 Boyer and Nissenbaum, op. cit. page 173

25 Mather, Cotton, Diary of Cotton Mather, Vol 7- 26 Hale, John A Modest Enquiry Into the Nature of Witchcraft, 1702

The resource record can be found in Appendix 5 on page 153 of the Edexcel A level History Specification.

Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in History Centre name: Candidate name: Resources used. The three works chosen for the assignment must be asterisked.

Page/web reference

Student comments Student date(s) when accessed

Teacher initials & date checked

• Some Unexplored Relationships of Essex County Witchcraft to the Indian Wars of 1675 and 1689 By James Kences from Essex Institute Historical Collections, 120 (1984)

This study examines the relationship between the Salem outbreak and King Philip's and King William's Wars. He suggests that the principal cause of the outbreak of the witch craze in 1692 is a collective psychosis resulting from the Indian Wars.

*Tituba's Confession: The Multicultural Dimensions of the 1692 Salem Witch-Hunt By Elaine G. Breslaw from Ethnohistory, Vol. 44, No. 3 (Summer, 1997)

This article places the role of one key individual as the principal cause of the witchcraft outbreak in Salem, the Carib-Indian slave, Tituba. Breslaw presents Tituba as woman, slave, American Indian, and outsider. In reference to the Salem witch trials, she shows Tituba not only as a victim, as she is usually seen, but also as a willing participant: not only a scapegoat but also a manipulator of Puritan religious fears. I was able to link this with Kences’ article on Indian psychosis in the Salem outbreak.

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AQA History NEA Exemplar: Examples of Excellent Non-Examined Assessments

Resource Guide

Are you a student taking the AQA History Non-Examined Assessment (NEA)? Looking for inspiration and examples of what constitutes an excellent piece of work? You've come to the right place.

This page will provide you with a comprehensive guide to understanding the AQA History NEA and offer valuable insights into crafting an outstanding assessment. We'll cover:

• A detailed breakdown of the NEA requirements
• Examples of excellent NEA submissions
• Key tips and strategies for success
• AQA History NEA example questions for inspiration

Understanding the AQA History NEA

The AQA History NEA is a crucial part of your A-Level History course, accounting for 20% of your overall grade. It allows you to delve deeper into a specific historical topic of your choice, showcasing your research, analysis, and argumentation skills. The NEA is broken down into three main sections:

• Research Question: The foundation of your NEA. This question guides your entire investigation and must be clear, focused, and historically relevant.
• Historical Investigation: The core of your NEA. Here you will conduct independent research and critically analyze your findings, linking your evidence to your chosen question.
• Written Response: The final product of your research. You must present your findings in a clear, coherent, and well-structured argumentative essay.

AQA History NEA Exemplar: Examples of Excellent Work

To better understand the expectations of the AQA History NEA, let's examine some exemplars of excellent NEA submissions. These examples demonstrate the following key qualities:

• Sharp and Focused Research Question: A clear and specific question that guides the entire investigation.
• Rigorous Research: Evidence from a wide range of sources, including primary and secondary materials, is meticulously analyzed and cited.
• Clear and Concise Argument: A well-constructed and structured essay that directly answers the research question.
• Critical Analysis: Findings are not merely presented but analyzed in depth, demonstrating the student’s understanding of the historical context.
• Effective Presentation: The essay is well-organized, with accurate formatting, referencing, and a bibliography.

It is essential to remember that these examples are provided as guidelines and inspiration. Your NEA should reflect your unique research and interpretations, reflecting your own voice and analytical skills.

AQA History NEA Example Questions: Sparking Your Interest

Need help formulating your research question? Here are some examples of AQA History NEA question prompts to get your creative juices flowing:

• To what extent did the Cold War impact the development of the European Union?
• How did the role of women in society change in Britain during the Industrial Revolution?
• Analyze the impact of propaganda on public opinion during World War II.
• Was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand the sole cause of World War I?
• Explore the social and economic consequences of the Black Death in 14th Century Europe.

These are just a few examples to stimulate your thinking. Remember, choose a topic that genuinely interests you, as this will make the research process much more rewarding.

Resource Guide for Success

To further support your NEA journey, here are some valuable resources:

• AQA Website: The official AQA website provides the NEA specification, assessment criteria, and other helpful resources.
• Textbook and Journal Articles: Utilize your textbook, library resources, and reputable online academic journals for comprehensive research.
• Online Databases: Explore databases like JSTOR, Project MUSE, and Google Scholar for scholarly articles and historical documents.
• Historical Archives: Discover primary source materials in online archives such as the National Archives.
• Your Teacher: Your teacher is invaluable for guidance, feedback, and support throughout your NEA process.

Remember, the AQA History NEA is a valuable opportunity to explore your passion for history in depth. By applying these tips, utilizing the resources available, and drawing inspiration from exemplary student work, you can craft an outstanding NEA that showcases your abilities and earns you a well-deserved high grade.