April 2025 History subject update
This update contains useful information, news and advice for Edexcel History teachers including new guidance on the GCSE History paper 1 ‘follow-up an enquiry’ question and GCSE History student walkthrough videos for the Summer 2025 exams.
Key Dates
A level History coursework deadline: 15 May
The deadline for submitting A level coursework samples and marks to us is 15 May 2025 for Summer 2025 certification. Please note that your Exams Officer may have their own internal deadlines and you also need to take into account the requirement to inform students of their centre assessed marks.
Training for History teachers
We are running the following paid-for training events for Edexcel History teachers this academic year:
This new self-paced training course is designed to support teachers in delivering our A Level History qualification. The training is structured to help you gain a deeper understanding of the assessment requirements and the application of a levels-based mark scheme. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to apply the skills you’ve acquired by evaluating exemplar coursework.
Access the self-paced training course for A level History coursework marking
Our training team have developed this new self-paced training course to allow you to work through the training in your own time. As this is the first course of this type we’ve developed for History teachers we’d love to get your feedback; in order to do that please use the feedback form at the end of the course.
Last month we ran network events for GCSE History teachers on teaching and assessing sources and interpretations. You can now watch recordings of these events via the Youtube links below:
GCSE History: Teaching and Assessing Sources
( 1: 01:29 )
GCSE History: Teaching and Assessing Interpretations
( 58:03 )
Youtube Video Title
Youtube video contentRelated Videos
GCSE History: Teaching and Assessing Sources
( 1: 01:29 )
GCSE History: Teaching and Assessing Interpretations
( 58:03 )
The materials for these events can be found below:
Resources and support materials
We know that for many teachers the 4-mark ‘follow-up an enquiry’ source question on GCSE History Paper 1 is one which they find challenging to teach and mark. We’ve therefore created some new guidance to explain the rationale for the question and to demonstrate how the mark scheme operates in order to give teachers more understanding and confidence in teaching and assessing students.
With the revision season well under way we'd like to share our student guide with top tips on preparing for exams, where to find further support and what happens once exams end. We also have GCSE History specific revision tips for students:
Ofqual have also provided information for students about arrangements for regulated qualifications. This explains what your students need to know before, during and after exams and assessments.
New GCSE History student walkthrough videos for Summer 2025 exams
We have worked with Harris Federation to create a new set of GCSE History student walkthrough videos to support students with the Summer 2025 exams and beyond.
The first set of videos for Paper 1 and Paper 2 are available now on our History subject page. More videos for Paper 3 will be made available soon.
Historical Association Conference 2025
This year’s HA Conference is taking place in Liverpool on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 May 2025. We will be attending the event and running a workshop to discuss future qualifications and specification reform. Registration for the HA conference is now open and you can find more details via the HA website.
Historical Association webinar - Windows into the past: better use of clips in the history classroom
This session taking place on Thursday 15 May, 4pm–5pm will explore how we can make better use of documentary and historical drama clips in history classrooms, including what curricular role they can play beyond 'press play and take some notes'. It will also introduce history teachers to ERA, a streaming platform free to English state schools and other ERA-licensed schools, which offers substantial benefits compared to other sources of media clips used in history classrooms. Head of History Hugh Richards will use examples from his current curriculum to demonstrate how he has used ERA in the last few years to enhance his curriculum impact.
Subject advisor
Mark Battye
History
