Start by finding the exact paper and option code used by your school. You are not expected to recognise every title or date before you begin.
Edexcel offers many different combinations of breadth, depth and thematic study. Two courses may both mention Germany, Russia or Tudor England while covering different years and requiring different knowledge. Choose only the code that matches your course documents.
Choose your Edexcel option
Edexcel 1B — England, 1509–1603: Authority, Nation and Religion
Meet the Tudor rulers from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I and build a foundation for understanding authority, religion, government and national change.
Start Edexcel 1B: England, 1509–1603
Edexcel 1G — Germany and West Germany, 1918–1989
Begin with the new German republic after the First World War, then follow dictatorship, division and the development of West Germany.
Start Edexcel 1G: Germany and West Germany
Edexcel 38.1 — The Making of Modern Russia, 1855–1991
Follow the long transformation from the Russian Empire to the Soviet Union and its final collapse. The current hub is a starting route and does not yet teach every part of the period in equal depth.
Start Edexcel 38.1: The Making of Modern Russia
Edexcel 35.1 — Britain: Losing and Gaining an Empire, 1763–1914
Connect long changes in trade and naval power to detailed studies of America, Australia, Canada, India and the Nile valley.
Start Edexcel 35.1: Losing and Gaining an Empire
Edexcel 1F — In search of the American Dream: the USA, c1917–96
Trace changes in politics, civil rights, society, culture and living standards from 1917 to 1980, then examine interpretations of Reagan’s impact through 1996.
Start Edexcel 1F: In search of the American Dream
Edexcel 2H.1 — The USA, c1920–55: boom, bust and recovery
Follow the United States through the 1920s boom, Wall Street Crash, Great Depression, New Deal, wartime transformation and the emergence of post-war consumer society.
Start Edexcel 2H.1: Boom, bust and recovery
Edexcel 2H.2 — The USA, 1955–92: conformity and challenge
Follow post-war affluence, civil-rights protest, the Great Society, counterculture and conservative reaction through Watergate, the 1970s crisis and Republican dominance under Reagan and Bush.
Start Edexcel 2H.2: Conformity and challenge
Edexcel 2E.1 — Mao’s China, 1949–76
Follow the establishment of Communist rule, economic transformation, the Cultural Revolution and social change under Mao.
Start Edexcel 2E.1: Mao’s China
Edexcel 38.2 — The making of modern China, 1860–1997
Trace long-run industrial and economic change alongside five depth studies of China’s changing relations with outsiders.
Start Edexcel 38.2: The making of modern China
Edexcel 2C.1 — France in revolution, 1774–99
Follow the crisis of the Bourbon monarchy through revolution, constitutional experiment, republic, Terror and the rise of Napoleon.
Start Edexcel 2C.1: France in revolution
Edexcel 1H — Britain transformed, 1918–97
Start Edexcel 1H: Britain transformed
Edexcel 1C — Britain, 1625–1701: Conflict, Revolution and Settlement
Follow Britain from Charles I and Personal Rule through civil war, regicide, republican government, Restoration and the Glorious Revolution, while connecting politics with religion, society, ideas, trade and empire.
Start Edexcel 1C: Conflict, Revolution and Settlement
Pearson Edexcel 2B.1 — Luther and the German Reformation, c1515–55
Follow Luther’s challenge from the indulgence controversy and Diet of Worms through the development, spread and political survival of Lutheranism in the German states to the Peace of Augsburg.
Start Pearson Edexcel 2B.1: Luther and the German Reformation
Pearson Edexcel option 30 — Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII, 1399–1509
Follow the challenges faced by Lancastrian, Yorkist and Tudor monarchs from Henry IV’s seizure of the throne to Henry VII’s consolidation of royal authority, while tracing long-term changes in noble power and the foundations of monarchy.
Start Pearson Edexcel option 30: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII
Pearson Edexcel option 31 — Rebellion and disorder under the Tudors, 1485–1603
Explore five challenges to Tudor authority from Simnel and Warbeck to Tyrone, while tracing long-term changes in central government and cooperation with the localities.
Start Pearson Edexcel option 31: Rebellion and disorder under the Tudors
Paper 2 option 2B.2: The Dutch Revolt, c1563-1609
Follow the revolt from noble and religious opposition through Alva, Orange and Parma to the survival and practical recognition of the Dutch Republic.
Pearson Edexcel 2A.1 – Anglo-Saxon England and the Anglo-Norman Kingdom, c1053-1106
Follow a strong late Anglo-Saxon kingdom through the succession crisis of 1066, Norman conquest and resistance, changes in government, Church and society, and the restoration of the Anglo-Norman kingdom under Henry I.
Start Pearson Edexcel 2A.1: Anglo-Saxon England and the Anglo-Norman Kingdom
Pearson Edexcel 2A.2 – England and the Angevin Empire in the reign of Henry II, 1154-89
Follow Henry II’s restoration of royal authority, reforms in government and justice, conflict with Thomas Becket, and the family rebellions that challenged the Angevin lands.
Pearson Edexcel 1A – The crusades, c1095-1204
Understand why crusades were launched, how leadership and Muslim power changed, how Outremer survived, and why the Fourth Crusade ended at Constantinople.
Pearson Edexcel 2C.2 – Russia in revolution, 1894-1924
Follow Nicholas II from autocratic survival in 1905 to Romanov collapse, dual power, Bolshevik revolution, Civil War and the New Economic Policy.
Pearson Edexcel 2D.1 – The unification of Italy, c1830-70
Follow failed revolutions, the rise of Piedmont, Cavour’s diplomacy, Garibaldi’s campaign and the difficult consolidation of the Kingdom of Italy by 1870.
Pearson Edexcel 2D.2 – The unification of Germany, c1840-71
Follow liberal and national revolution, the rise of Prussia, rivalry with Austria, Bismarck’s wars and the creation of a Prussian-led German Empire in 1871.
Pearson Edexcel 1D – Britain, c1785-c1870: democracy, protest and reform
Follow parliamentary reform, industrial protest, trade unionism, cooperation and the changing treatment of poverty, then prepare for the interpretations debate over abolition in 1807.
Pearson Edexcel 1E – Russia, 1917-91: from Lenin to Yeltsin
Trace Communist government, economic change, political control and Soviet society from Lenin to the mid-1980s, then evaluate why the USSR collapsed under Gorbachev and Yeltsin.
Pearson Edexcel 2E.2 – The German Democratic Republic, 1949-90
Follow the GDR from communist consolidation and the Berlin Wall through economic reform, welfare, conformity and international recognition, then explain the crisis, peaceful revolution and reunification of 1989-90.
Start Pearson Edexcel 2E.2: The German Democratic Republic, 1949-90
Pearson Edexcel 2F.1 – India, c1914-48: the road to independence
Follow the changing relationship between Britain and India through two world wars, mass nationalism, constitutional negotiation, partition and independence.
Pearson Edexcel 2F.2 – South Africa, 1948-94: from apartheid state to rainbow nation
Follow the construction of apartheid, changing resistance, growing internal and international pressure, negotiation and South Africa’s first democratic election.
Pearson Edexcel 2G.1 – The rise and fall of fascism in Italy, c1911-46
Follow liberal Italy through war and post-war crisis, Mussolini’s rise and dictatorship, foreign-policy radicalisation, military collapse and democratic restoration by 1946.
Pearson Edexcel 2G.2 – Spain, 1930-78: republicanism, Francoism and the re-establishment of democracy
Follow the Second Republic, Civil War, Franco’s dictatorship, economic and social transformation, and Spain’s negotiated return to constitutional democracy.
Pearson Edexcel option 32 – The Golden Age of Spain, 1474-1598
Trace Spain’s changing geographical, military and financial power across Europe, the Mediterranean and the Americas, then study five depth episodes in religious, economic and political authority.
Pearson Edexcel option 33 – The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580-c1750
Compare five major witchcraft prosecutions, then explain how changing law, scepticism, science and standards of evidence reshaped attitudes and reduced convictions.
Start Pearson Edexcel option 33: The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America
Pearson Edexcel option 34.1 – Industrialisation and social change in Britain, 1759-1928
Trace long-term changes in work, trade unionism and childhood, then explore five depth studies connecting invention, enterprise, transport and social change.
Start Pearson Edexcel option 34.1: Industrialisation and social change in Britain
Pearson Edexcel option 34.2 – Poverty, public health and the state in Britain, c1780-1939
Trace changing responsibility for poverty and public health through Poor Law reform, sanitation, welfare investigation, Liberal legislation and inter-war unemployment.
Start Pearson Edexcel option 34.2: Poverty, public health and the state in Britain
Pearson Edexcel option 35.2 – The British experience of warfare, c1790-1918
Trace long-term changes in military organisation, recruitment, finance, weapons and civilian participation, then explore the French Wars, Crimea, the Second Boer War, the Western Front and war in the air.
Start Pearson Edexcel option 35.2: The British experience of warfare
Pearson Edexcel option 36.1 – Protest, agitation and parliamentary reform in Britain, c1780-1928
Trace the widening franchise and changing influence within Parliament, then examine radical reformers, Chartism, repeal campaigning, the WSPU and trades-union militancy.
Start Pearson Edexcel option 36.1: Protest, agitation and parliamentary reform
Pearson Edexcel option 36.2 – Ireland and the Union, c1774-1923
Trace Irish nationalism and British policy from constitutional agitation and rebellion to Home Rule, revolution, partition and civil war, alongside emancipation, Ulster industrialisation, the Famine, land conflict and labour militancy.
Pearson Edexcel option 37.1 – The changing nature of warfare, 1859-1991: perception and reality
Explore how Americans reported, portrayed and responded to war, then examine how firepower, mobility, communications, submarines, air power and nuclear weapons interacted with military leadership.
Start Pearson Edexcel option 37.1: The changing nature of warfare
Pearson Edexcel option 37.2 – Germany, 1871-1990: united, divided and reunited
Trace German social and economic change from the Empire to West Germany, then examine the Second Reich, the birth of democracy, Nazi dictatorship, the Federal Republic and reunification.
Start Pearson Edexcel option 37.2: Germany, united, divided and reunited
Pearson Edexcel option 39.1 – Civil rights and race relations in the USA, 1850-2009
Trace changing migration, segregation and cultural representation from slavery to the twenty-first century, then examine Reconstruction, Jim Crow, the New Deal, the modern freedom struggle and Barack Obama’s election.
Start Pearson Edexcel option 39.1: Civil rights and race relations in the USA
Pearson Edexcel option 39.2 – Mass media and social change in Britain, 1882-2004
Trace long-term changes in women's lives and family leisure, then examine how newspapers, radio and television interacted with politics, war, social change and the Iraq dossier controversy.
Start Pearson Edexcel option 39.2: Mass media and social change in Britain
Cannot see your option?
The site does not yet cover every Edexcel option. Check the paper code with your teacher. Do not use a page simply because its country or ruler sounds familiar.
