Ace A-Level History with Smart Revision
Revise A-Level History with practice on source evaluation, historiography, and essay writing across your chosen periods.
Content reviewed February 2026 · Aligned to current specifications
About A-Level History
A-Level History requires you to engage with the past in a far more analytical and evaluative way than at GCSE. You will study specific periods in depth — which vary by exam board and school choice — covering topics such as Tudor England, the Russian Revolution, the American Civil Rights Movement, or Nazi Germany. The emphasis is on understanding causation, consequence, change, continuity, and significance, and on forming evidence-based arguments.
History is a highly respected A-Level for university admissions, valued by almost every humanities and social science degree. It is essential for history degrees and strongly favoured for law, politics, international relations, and PPE courses. The essay-writing and critical analysis skills you develop are transferable to virtually any career.
The main challenges are managing large volumes of factual knowledge, developing the ability to evaluate historical sources critically, and writing structured, analytical essays under time pressure. Success depends on understanding the arguments and debates between historians, not just knowing what happened.
Topics Covered
How UpGrades Helps
Exam-Style Questions
Practice with History questions that mirror the format and difficulty of real A-Level exams.
Detailed Explanations
Understand not just the answer, but the reasoning and methodology behind every History solution.
Progress Tracking
See exactly how you're progressing across all 8 History topics with detailed analytics.
Study Tips for History
- ✓ Always analyse source provenance before evaluating content — who created the source, when, for what purpose, and what perspective does it represent. This is fundamental to every source-based question at A-Level.
- ✓ Organise your notes thematically rather than chronologically where possible. For example, group your knowledge of a period under themes like political change, economic factors, social developments, and the role of individuals — this makes it easier to construct analytical essays.
- ✓ Learn the historiographical debate for each topic. Knowing that historian A argues one cause was most significant while historian B disagrees, and being able to evaluate both positions, is what distinguishes A and A* answers.
- ✓ Create concise factual flashcards with dates, statistics, and specific examples. You need precise evidence to support your arguments — vague references to things getting worse will not score well.
Exam Tips for A-Level History
- ✓ In essay questions, establish your argument in the opening paragraph. State your line of reasoning clearly — for example, while factor X was important, factor Y was the most significant cause because... This gives your essay direction and shows the examiner you are arguing, not narrating.
- ✓ When evaluating sources, go beyond surface-level comments about bias. All sources have a perspective — the key is explaining how that perspective affects the source s value for a specific enquiry, and cross-referencing with your own knowledge.
- ✓ Manage your time strictly. History papers often have multiple essay questions, and spending too long on one means rushing another. Allocate time based on mark weighting and stick to it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is A-Level History? +
What grade do I need in A-Level History for university? +
Is there coursework in A-Level History? +
What careers does A-Level History lead to? +
Useful Resources
History at other levels: GCSE History · iGCSE History · International A-Level History
Start revising History
Join the waitlist and be among the first to access UpGrades when we launch
Join the Waitlist