A-level History resources for AQA teachers, organised around the assessment structure of the current AQA History 7042 specification. This page is being rebuilt carefully. Existing resources are being reviewed for specification accuracy, provenance and classroom usefulness before any commercial relaunch.
How AQA A-level History is assessed
- Component 1: Breadth Study assesses AO1 historical knowledge and argument, and AO3 evaluation of historical interpretations.
- Component 2: Depth Study assesses AO1 historical knowledge and argument, and AO2 evaluation of primary or contemporary sources. AO3 is not assessed in Component 2.
- Component 3: Historical Investigation assesses AO1, AO2 and AO3 through the non-examined personal study.
For the definitive structure, weightings and question formats, use the current AQA scheme of assessment.
Component 1 teacher guides
The eleven Component 1 option pages below remain available as teacher guides while their interpretation materials undergo a fresh quality and provenance review. They are not being presented here as a complete or commercially endorsed product range.
| Option | Title | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | The Age of the Crusades, c1071–1204 | Teacher guide available; review in progress |
| 1B | Spain in the Age of Discovery, 1469–1598 | Teacher guide available; review in progress |
| 1C | The Tudors: England, 1485–1603 | Teacher guide available; review in progress |
| 1D | Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603–1702 | Teacher guide available; review in progress |
| 1E | Russia in the Age of Absolutism and Enlightenment, 1682–1796 | Teacher guide available; review in progress |
| 1F | Industrialisation and the People: Britain, c1783–1885 | Teacher guide available; review in progress |
| 1G | Challenge and Transformation: Britain, c1851–1964 | Teacher guide available; review in progress |
| 1H | Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964 | Teacher guide available; review in progress |
| 1J | The British Empire, c1857–1967 | Teacher guide available; review in progress |
| 1K | The Making of a Superpower: USA, 1865–1975 | Teacher guide available; review in progress |
| 1L | The Quest for Political Stability: Germany, 1871–1991 | Teacher guide available; review in progress |
Component 2 resources are being rebuilt
The previous Component 2 interpretation products have been withdrawn. Replacement resources will be designed from the start around the assessment AQA actually sets: AO2 evaluation of primary or contemporary sources and AO1 essays. No Component 2 product will return until its specification mapping, source provenance, licensing and quality checks have passed.
Free historical interpretation reference
The Historiography Reference Library remains free to use. It provides starting points for major debates and named historians. Teachers should still check that any material they select matches the exact option, component and assessment task they teach.
About Nick Shepley
Nick Shepley is a former A-level History teacher, an author of A-level History textbooks published under the Pearson/Hodder imprint, and a former Pearson/Edexcel examiner. He has hosted the Explaining History podcast for more than a decade.
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