June 2023 History Subject Update No 2

Edexcel GCSE History Paper 3 Germany update

This update is for centres following the Pearson Edexcel GCSE History Paper 3 Weimar and Nazi Germany exam taken on 15 June 2023.

Student surveys for Edexcel GCSE and A level History

We are keen to hear from Edexcel History students about their experiences of studying our qualifications and sitting exams this summer. We’ve created two surveys and we’d be grateful if you could encourage your students to complete them before the end of term to help give us more insight into our qualifications and assessments. Last summer we used a similar survey with A level Politics students and got some fantastic feedback.

GCSE and A level History specification language amendments

We have recently reviewed our History specifications for sensitivity of language and identified a number of terms which are now considered outdated and problematic (eg 'Plains Indians', 'gypsies', 'slaves').

We are therefore planning to update some of the language in our specifications for first teaching September 2023, first assessment Summer 2025. Textbooks will also be updated at re-print to reflect these changes.

We’ve decided to wait until after this Summer’s exams have taken place before formally announcing the changes to avoid causing confusion to students sitting exams this summer. Specific details about these changes will therefore be provided to teachers in July 2023. Please note that these language changes do not involve any changes to content.

We will also be running a training event to discuss these changes in early September and you will be able to book a place on this event soon via our training page. I will provide more details in my next update.

History training events

The update I provided earlier this month contains details of training events we are running over the Summer and Autumn term for Edexcel History teachers.

Please note that the Edexcel GCSE History New to Edexcel training event scheduled to take place on 5 July may soon be moved to another date in July.

SHP (Virtual) Summer Conference 2023

It’s just over two weeks until the SHP Virtual Summer Conference and you can still book tickets.

This year’s conference takes place on Friday 7 July (17:30-21:00) and Saturday 8 July (9:30-17:30) and features a series of online workshops and sessions.

History Set in Stone: Church, Power and Empire

The Schools and Family Learning Department at St Paul’s Cathedral are running a brand-new session for secondary schools entitled ‘History Set in Stone: Church, Power and Empire’.

In the workshop students will discover how the monuments at St Paul’s Cathedral can inform understanding of the British Empire and its influence and impact on the wider world, exploring the monuments’ themes through response pieces by poets, artists and historians via 50 Monuments in 50 Voices project using contributed art and poetry as resources for interactive activities and discussion.

The workshop will, through discussion and creative response activities, build students' skills in critical and reflective thinking and will provide opportunity for students to share opinions and feelings around the national conversation taking place about public monuments and contested history. For more information, email learning@stpaulscathedral.org.uk or visit their website: