A-level History resources designed for WJEC teachers — built from a decade of expert modern history content, written by a former Pearson/Edexcel examiner, and verified for accuracy before anything goes live. These resources are for the WJEC specification taught in Wales.
What makes these resources different
Examiner-verified accuracy
Every historian named is real. Every argument is faithfully represented. Every citation is checked. Nothing is published without Nick Shepley’s personal sign-off. Generic AI tools hallucinate historians and misattribute arguments. These packs don’t.
Built for WJEC mark schemes
Resources target the historical interpretations element of the WJEC specification directly — the analysis tasks are written around what WJEC mark schemes reward: contextual evaluation, provenance analysis, and substantiated judgement, not description.
A real library, not a generator
Over a thousand episodes of expert modern history content — covering exactly the periods WJEC examines. These resources draw on a decade of research and teaching, not an algorithm.
Available now
Two Interpretation Packs are ready. The first debate in each is free and open to all. Full packs — covering all major historiographical debates, with comparison tasks and provenance prompts — are available to subscribers.
WJEC Unit 3, Option 10
Changing Leadership and Society in Russia, c.1881–1989
Historical Interpretations Pack
- 4 major historiographical debates
- 9 named historians (Conquest, Getty, Khlevniuk, Fitzpatrick, Figes, Service, Lewin, Deutscher, Sebag Montefiore)
- Paired comparison tasks with mark scheme guidance
- Provenance prompts for every debate
First debate free · Full pack for subscribers
Historiography reference pages for this topic:
- The Russian Revolution — Revisionist, libertarian, and post-Soviet schools
- The Stalinist Terror — Intentionalism, structuralism, and archive-based revisionismRevisionism Full Description:Revisionism was framed as the greatest threat to the revolution—the idea that the Communist Party could rot from within and restore capitalism, similar to what the Chinese leadership believed had happened in the Soviet Union. Accusations of revisionism were often vague and applied to any policy that prioritized economic stability, material incentives, or expertise over ideological fervor. Critical Perspective:The concept served as a convenient tool for political purging. It allowed the leadership to frame a factional power struggle as an existential battle for the soul of socialism. By labeling pragmatic leaders as “capitalist roaders,” the state could legitimize the dismantling of the government apparatus and the persecution of veteran revolutionaries.
WJEC Unit 2 & 4, Option 8
Germany: Democracy to Dictatorship, c.1918–1945
Historical Interpretations Pack
- 5 major historiographical debates
- 12 named historians (Peukert, Evans, James, Trevor-Roper, Broszat, Mommsen, Kershaw, Browning, Goldhagen, Gellately, Mason, Tooze)
- Paired comparison tasks with mark scheme guidance
- Provenance prompts for every debate
First debate free · Full pack for subscribers
Historiography reference pages for this topic:
- Nazi Germany — Intentionalism, structuralism, and the Hitler question
- The Holocaust — Functionalism, intentionalism, and the Goldhagen debate
- The Fall of Weimar — Economic collapse, elite conspiracy, and mass support
- The Causes of the Second World War — Taylor, Hitler’s programme, and structural approaches
Historiography Reference Library
Explaining History’s 20th Century Interpretations section provides free, detailed reference pages on every major historiographical debate relevant to WJEC specifications. Each page covers the central question, main schools of thought, how the debate developed, and where it stands now — with named historians, key texts, and links to relevant interpretation packs.
- The Russian Revolution
- The Stalinist Terror
- Nazi Germany
- The Holocaust
- The Fall of Weimar
- The Causes of the First World War
- The Causes of the Second World War
- The Origins of the Cold War
- Decolonisation
- British Imperial Decline
- Fascism
WJEC option guides
Option guides are now live for the most widely taught WJEC options — Germany, Russia, France, and the USA. Further options are in preparation.
Unit 1 — AS Period Study
| Option | Title | Resources |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Government, Rebellion and Society in Wales and England, c.1485–1603 | In development |
| 2 | Government, Revolution and Society in Wales and England, c.1603–1715 | In development |
| 3 | Politics, Protest and Reform in Wales and England, c.1780–1880 | In development |
| 4 | Politics, People and Progress in Wales and England, c.1880–1980 | In development |
| 5 | Political and Religious Change in Europe, c.1500–1598 | In development |
| 6 | Europe in the Age of Absolutism and Revolution, c.1682–1815 | In development |
| 7 | Revolution and New Ideas in Europe, c.1780–1881 | In development |
| 8 | Europe in an Age of Conflict and Co-operation, c.1890–1991 | In development |
Units 2 & 4 — Depth Study
Unit 2 (AS) covers Part 1 of the depth study; Unit 4 (A2) covers Part 2. Each option page gives both subtitles. Dedicated Unit 4 pages are also available for the A2 component.
| Option | Title | Unit 2 & 4 | Unit 4 only |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Mid Tudor Crisis in Wales and England, c.1529–1570 | In development | In development |
| 2 | Royalty, Rebellion and Republic, c.1625–1660 | In development | In development |
| 3 | Reform and Protest in Wales and England, c.1783–1848 | In development | In development |
| 4 | Politics and Society in Wales and England, c.1900–1939 | In development | In development |
| 5 | Religious Reformation in Europe, c.1500–1567 | In development | In development |
| 6 | France in Revolution, c.1774–1815 | Option guide ✓ | Option guide ✓ |
| 7 | The Crisis of the American Republic, c.1840–1877 | Option guide ✓ | Option guide ✓ |
| 8 | Germany: Democracy to Dictatorship, c.1918–1945 | ✓ Pack available | In development |
Unit 3 — A2 Breadth Study
| Option | Title | Resources |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wales: Resistance, Conquest and Rebellion, c.1240–1415 | In development |
| 2 | Poverty, Protest and Rebellion in Wales and England, c.1485–1603 | In development |
| 3 | Reformation and Discovery: Europe, c.1492–1610 | In development |
| 4 | Royalty, Revolution and Restoration in Wales and England, c.1603–1715 | In development |
| 5 | France: Ancien Régime to Napoleon, c.1715–1815 | Option guide ✓ |
| 6 | Parliamentary Reform and Protest in Wales and England, c.1780–1885 | In development |
| 7 | Social Change and Reform in Wales and England, c.1890–1990 | In development |
| 8 | The American Century, c.1890–1990 | Option guide ✓ |
| 9 | Changing Leadership and Society in Germany, c.1871–1989 | Option guide ✓ |
| 10 | Changing Leadership and Society in Russia, c.1881–1989 | ✓ Pack available |
Unit 5 — Non-Examination Assessment (NEA)
Unit 5 is a 3,000–4,000 word essay on a historical problem or issue involving a consideration of historical interpretations. It is worth 20% of the full A level qualification and must not duplicate the depth study chosen for Units 2 and 4.
Unit 5 NEA guidance page — in development.
About these resources
These resources are written by Nick Shepley — former A-level History teacher, author of A-level History textbooks for Pearson/Hodder, and former Pearson/Edexcel examiner. Every interpretation pack is personally reviewed and signed off before publication. The guarantee is simple: you will not find a hallucinated historian or a misrepresented argument in these pages.
The interpretation material is built on the conviction that accurately assembled, topic-mapped historiography is the most useful thing a teacher can have — and the thing generic AI tools do worst. These packs exist because that gap is real and worth filling properly.
Free and subscriber access
Free
- First debate in every interpretation pack — including the full comparison task and provenance prompts
- The historiographical approaches summary table
- All option guide pages
- All Historiography Reference Library pages
Subscribers
- Full interpretation pack — all debates, all historians, all tasks
- Knowledge organisers (coming)
- Graded exemplar answers (coming)
- Practice questions and source packs (coming)
