OCR A-Level History A Active Recall Guide (H505)

OCR · A-Level

OCR A-Level History A Active Recall Guide

A question-and-answer revision guide for OCR A-Level History A, built to be worked in three passes rather than read.

OCR
A-Level
Specification H505
58 topics

See what is inside or try the sample questions.

OCR A-Level History A Active Recall Guide cover

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The 3-step active recall method

Re-reading notes is a futile process when your aim is to remember the information and successfully apply it in exam settings. Active recall is the method you use to ensure the information sticks for a long period of time. But even active recall can be futile unless you have a structured way of implementing it. This is where the 3-step active recall method comes in, a structured method that is signature to the Levo Learning guides.

Step 1
Answer up to 10 questions cold, closed book, even if you are unsure on the topic.
Step 2
Answer the same questions again, but open book. Write the correct answer down even if it seems pointless.
Step 3
Repeat as step 1 and answer the questions closed book again.

Worked across the OCR A-Level History A specification, one subtopic at a time.

The subject, and what is assessed

OCR A-Level History A (specification H505) is assessed by three written units and a coursework essay. Unit group 1 is a British period study and enquiry, lasting 1 hour 30 minutes and worth 25%. Unit group 2 is a non-British period study, lasting 1 hour and worth 15%. Unit group 3 is a thematic study with historical interpretations, lasting 2 hours 30 minutes and worth 40%. Unit group 4 is a topic-based essay worth 20%. Each unit group carries a long list of options and a student sits one from each.

Paper	Covers	Length	Marks	Weighting
Unit group 1	British period study and enquiry	1 hour 30 minutes	50 marks	25%
Unit group 2	Non-British period study	1 hour	30 marks	15%
Unit group 3	Thematic study and historical interpretations	2 hours 30 minutes	80 marks	40%
Unit group 4	Topic-based essay		40 marks	20%

Memorisation, then application

Marks are given for applying content to the question that has been set, which cannot happen while the content is still being looked up. Step 1 shows what is actually held. Step 2 puts the correct wording in front of you while the gap is still fresh. Step 3 repeats the cold test, and the difference between the first and third attempt is the part that has moved.

Every question in the guide is paired with its answer in the same document, so step 2 is done from the guide itself rather than from a separate set of notes.

What is inside the guide

Questions are grouped by topic and then by subtopic, following the OCR specification. Open a topic to see its subtopics.

Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871-10165 subtopics

Edward the Elder 899-924: conquest of the Danelaw and Scandinavian settlement18
Athelstan 924-939: York, Brunanburh, government and legal codes19
Edmund 939-946, Eadred 946-955 and Edgar 957-975: Viking return, Edgar’s reforms and monastic revival20
Aethelred 978-1016: Viking renewal, legislation and cultural developments20
Enquiry: Alfred the Great 871-899: Viking wars, governance and the Alfredian Renaissance30

Y102: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035-11075 subtopics

Anglo-Saxon England 1035-1066: Cnut’s successors, Edward the Confessor and the succession crisis20
William of Normandy’s invasion and the Battle of Hastings 106620
William I and the consolidation of power: rebellions, the Harrying of the North and castles20
William I and the government and administration of England: including Domesday Book20
Enquiry: Norman England 1087-1107: William II ‘Rufus’, the Church and the succession of Henry I33

Y103: England 1199-12725 subtopics

The minority and early years of the reign of Henry III 1216-123220
Henry’s rule 1232-1258: personal rule, kingship and growing unpopularity20
Political Crisis 1258-1263: the Provisions of Oxford and reform20
Simon de Montfort, civil war and reconstruction 1263-127220
Enquiry: King John 1199-1216: Normandy, the baronial rebellion and Magna Carta, and the Church34

Y104: England 1377-14555 subtopics

The reign of Henry IV: usurpation, rebellions and Lollardy20
The domestic rule of Henry V: order, Lollardy and the Southampton Plot19
War with France 1399-1453: Agincourt, Troyes and the loss of the French lands20
The minority of Henry VI and the origins of the Wars of the Roses20
Enquiry: Richard II 1377-1399: minority, personal rule, the Peasants’ Revolt and overthrow20

Y105: England 1445-1509: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII5 subtopics

Edward IV’s first rule and the crisis of 1470-147120
Edward IV and Richard III 1471-1485: second reign, usurpation and defeat at Bosworth20
Henry VII’s rule in England 1485-1509: pretenders, nobility, finance and administration20
Henry VII’s foreign policy 1485-1509: treaties, marriages and trade19
Enquiry: Wars of the Roses 1445-1461: outbreak, Richard of York’s protectorates and Yorkist defeat20

Y106: England 1485-1558: The Early Tudors5 subtopics

The government of Henry VII and threats to his rule20
Henry VII’s foreign policy: treaties, marriages and trade19
Henry VIII and Wolsey: government, foreign affairs, the Church and the divorce20
The reign of Henry VIII after 1529: Reformation, Cromwell and the 1540s20
Enquiry: Mid Tudor Crises 1547-1558: stability of the monarchy, religious change, rebellion and unrest20

Y107: England 1547-1603: The Later Tudors5 subtopics

Elizabeth and religion: the Settlement, the Puritan challenge and the Catholic threat20
The nature of the Elizabethan Monarchy, Government and Parliament20
Elizabeth’s management of financial, economic and social affairs20
Elizabethan later years 1588-1603: war, social distress and rebellion20
Enquiry: Mid Tudor Crises 1547-1558: stability of the monarchy, religious change, rebellion and unrest20

Y108: The Early Stuarts and the Origins of the Civil War 1603-16605 subtopics

James I and Parliament: Divine Right, finance and foreign policy20
James I and religion: Puritanism, Arminianism and Catholicism20
Charles I 1625-1640: Parliament, Personal Rule and its breakdown20
Charles I and the victory of Parliament 1640-1646: crisis and the First Civil War20
Enquiry: The Execution of Charles I and the Interregnum 1646-1660: failed settlement, Commonwealth and Protectorate, Restoration20

Y109: The Making of Georgian Britain 1678-c.17605 subtopics

The Revolutionary Settlement and politics 1689-1714: William and Mary, Anne and the Union with Scotland20
Aspects of Politics 1714-1780: Jacobitism, Walpole and the growth of radicalism20
Social and economic developments c.1700-1780: Methodism, population, trade, finance and urban unrest20
Foreign policy 1689-1763: from the Nine Years War to the Seven Years War20
Enquiry: The Glorious Revolution 1678-1689: last years of Charles II, the reign of James II and the Revolution of 1688-168920

Y110: From Pitt to Peel 1783-18535 subtopics

Pitt the Younger: finance, trade, the French Revolution and anti-radical repression20
Lord Liverpool and the Tories 1812-1830: repression, liberal Toryism and Catholic Emancipation20
Foreign Policy 1783-1830: the French wars, Castlereagh and Canning20
Parliamentary reform and the Great Reform Act 183220
Enquiry: Peel and the Age of Reform 1832-1853: Conservative party and the Corn Laws, social reform, and pressure groups including Chartism27

Y111: Liberals, Conservatives and the Rise of Labour 1846-19185 subtopics

Whigs to Liberals: the emergence of the Liberal party after Corn Law repeal20
Gladstonian Liberalism: ideas, domestic reforms and the defeat of 187420
Disraelian Conservatism: the 1867 Reform Act, Tory democracy and the 1874-1880 ministry20
Late Victorian politics: Gladstone and Salisbury until 1902: Home Rule, party organisation and the Boer War20
Enquiry: England and a New Century c.1900-1918: political issues, social reform and new liberalism, and Britain at war27

Y112: Britain 1900-19515 subtopics

British politics 1918-1929: Liberal decline, the first Labour government and Conservative dominance20
British domestic politics 1929-1939: the National Government, the Abdication Crisis and political extremism20
Economic issues 1918-1939: the staple industries, the General Strike, Depression and recovery20
Domestic politics 1940-1951: the Home Front, the 1945 election and the Attlee governments20
Enquiry: England and a New Century c.1900-1918: political issues, social reform and new liberalism, and Britain at war25

Y113: Britain 1930-19975 subtopics

Conservative domination 1951-1964: affluence, social change, economic policy and scandal20
Labour and Conservative governments 1964-1979: Wilson, Heath, Callaghan and the unions20
Thatcher and the end of consensus 1979-1997: monetarism, privatisation, the unions and the Major years20
Britain’s position in the world 1951-1997: superpowers, Europe, nuclear policy, crises and decolonisation20
Enquiry: Churchill 1930-1951: the wilderness years, wartime premiership and international diplomacy20

Y201: The Rise of Islam c.550-7504 subtopics

The Middle East c.550-620: pre-Islamic Arabia, Mecca and the declining Byzantine and Sassanian Empires20
The establishment of Islam c.620-632: Revelation, the hijra, the Medinan period and the Constitution of Medina18
The beginning of the Empire and the rule of the ‘Rightly Guided Caliphs’: succession disputes, the Ridda Wars and the caliphates of Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali20
The establishment and expansion of the Umayyad Empire: Mu’awiya to ‘Abd al-Malik, the Fitnas, conquest and decline20

Y202: Charlemagne 768-8144 subtopics

War and conquest: campaigns against the Saxons, Lombards, Avars, Slavs and Muslim Spain, methods of warfare and reasons for success20
Administration and internal affairs: capitularies, counts and missi dominici, the Church, economic policy and legal reform20
The Carolingian Renaissance: patronage, monasteries, Carolingian minuscule, scholars, schools, architecture and the courts19
Later kingship and imperial rule: Pope Leo III, the imperial coronation of 800, Byzantium, the Divisio and the succession of Louis20

Y203: The Crusades and the Crusader States 1095-11924 subtopics

The First Crusade: Urban II’s appeal at Clermont, crusader motives, the People’s Crusade and the capture of Edessa, Antioch and Jerusalem20
The Crusader States in the 12th Century: establishment and survival of Outremer, its rulers, succession problems, castles, military orders and finance20
The Second Crusade: the rise of Zengi and jihad, the fall of Edessa, Bernard of Clairvaux’s call, the siege of Damascus and reasons for failure20
The Third Crusade: Saladin, Hattin and the loss of Jerusalem, Barbarossa, Richard I and Philip Augustus, Acre and Jaffa, and consequences20

Y204: Genghis Khan and the Explosion from the Steppes c.1167-14054 subtopics

Genghis Khan and the Creation of the Mongol Empire c.1167-1264: steppe nomads, Mongol expansion, military tactics and organisation, and civil war by 126420
The Reign of Khubilai Khan 1264-1294: control of China, government, legal, economic and religious policies, culture and the extent of Mongol rule20
The Khanates 1294-1405: Ghazan, Uzbeg and the Yuan, the role of Islam, disunity and decline, and the rise of Tamerlane20
Impact of the Mongol invasions and interaction between East and West to 1405: culture, science and medicine, plague, the Silk Road, Pax Mongolica and travellers20

Y205: Exploration, Encounters and Empire 1445-15704 subtopics

Exploration: reasons for the age of exploration, Renaissance learning, trade, religion, technology, patronage and individual explorers20
Encounters and conquest: the Treaty of Tordesillas, Portuguese and Spanish encounters, and the conquests of Mexico, Panama, Peru and Brazil20
Settlement and consequences: Portuguese forts and trading posts, Spanish settlement, colonial administration and consequences for indigenous peoples20
Impact of overseas empire on Europe: political, religious, social, economic and financial consequences, the balance of power, bullion and the slave trades20

Y206: Spain 1469-15564 subtopics

Isabella and Ferdinand: government: securing the throne, administration, control of nobility and towns, finance, and the union of Castile and Aragon20
Isabella and Ferdinand: religion: relations with Rome, La convivencia, the Reconquista and Granada, Moriscos and Conversos, Cisneros and the Inquisition20
Charles I: government and religion: the succession, reliance on foreigners, the Comunero and Germania revolts, finance, religious developments and abdication20
Overseas policies and the economy: exploration and conquest of the Indies, Mexico and Peru, the New World’s economic impact, domestic economy and foreign policy20

Y207: The German Reformation and the Rule of Charles V 1500-15594 subtopics

The German Reformation 1517-1529: Charles V’s inheritance and election, the Church c.1500, Luther’s ideas and excommunication, the Diet of Worms and the Peasants’ War20
The spread of Lutheranism 1530-1555, the Schmalkaldic War and Peace of Augsburg: the Augsburg Confession, Mühlberg, the Augsburg Interim and shifting alliances20
Charles V’s relations with the Ottoman Empire: Ottoman expansion in the Balkans and Mediterranean, Barbarossa, the Siege of Vienna and the 1532 campaign19
Charles V’s wars with France: the Habsburg-Valois wars 1521-1559, relative strengths, successes and failures, and the Treaty of Cateau-Cambrésis20

Y208: Philip II 1556-15984 subtopics

Political authority: ‘absolutism’, the conciliar system, methods of government, advisers and factions, justice, revolts of the Moriscos and Aragon, and finance20
Religion: Philip’s personal religion and reforms, relations with the Papacy, the Spanish Church and Inquisition, Trent, Jesuits, heretics, Moriscos and Conversos20
Foreign policy: priorities and aims, the Mediterranean, the Ottomans, Lepanto, relations with England, France and Portugal, and the annexation of 158020
The Netherlands: origins of the revolt, Philip’s policies, commanders from Granvelle to Parma, William of Orange, foreign involvement and reasons for Spanish failure20

Y209: African Kingdoms c.1400-c.1800: Four Case Studies4 subtopics

The Songhay Empire c.1450-1591: rise under the Sonni and Askia dynasties, Timbuktu and learning, Islam, the economy, expansion and decline to the Moroccan invasion20
The Kingdom of Kongo c.1400-c.1709: Portuguese contact, the Kilukeni kanda, conversion to Christianity, trade and slavery, the Portuguese Wars, civil war and Antonianism20
The Kingdom of Benin c.1500-c.1750: rise under the Oba, imperial structure, ritual and the military, art and material culture, the Olokun Cult, trade and decline from c.170020
The Kingdoms and Empires of Oyo and Dahomey 1608-c.1800: military and political rise, the Alafin, Ogboni and Oyo-Mesi, commerce and slavery, and reasons for decline20

Y210: Russia 1645-17414 subtopics

Russia 1645-1698: the rule of Alexis, serfdom and church schism, Feodor and the regency of Sophia, and the early life and accession of Peter20
The reforms of Peter the Great 1698-1725: the Table of Ranks, administrative, church, military and fiscal reform, industry, agriculture, education and St Petersburg20
Foreign Relations 1645-1725: Poland and the Cossacks, China and Nerchinsk, the Great Northern War, Poltava, the Treaty of Nystadt and the Persian campaign20
Opposition and reaction 1645-1741: Stenka Razin, the Streltsi, the Old Believers, Tsarevitch Alexis, and the reigns from Catherine I to Ivan VI (the ‘German period’)20

Y211: The Rise and Decline of the Mughal Empire in India 1526-17394 subtopics

The foundation of the Mughal Empire and its rulers 1526-1556: Babur and Panipat, instability under Humayun, the Afghan interlude and the Suri Dynasty20
Akbar the Great 1556-1605: personality and rule, the Rajputs, religious policy, economic and military achievements, administration and culture19
Jahangir and Shah Jahan 1605-1658: court ceremonial and Persian influence, Mughal architecture, the Deccan, the British, and the war of succession20
Rule and decline 1658-1739: Aurangzeb’s rule and religious policies, the Marathas and the Deccan, the Sikhs, decline after 1707 and Nadir Shah’s sack of Delhi20

Y212: The American Revolution 1740-17964 subtopics

The development of British hegemony in America: the colonies in 1740, relations with settlers and Native Americans, territorial expansion and the wars with France20
Causes of the American Revolution: British policy from the Proclamation Act to the Intolerable Acts, colonial reaction, political thought and emerging leaders20
The American Revolution 1774-1783: the Continental Congresses, the Declaration of Independence, the war and British defeat, and the Peace of Paris19
The early Republic 1783-1796: the Articles of Confederation, Shays’ rebellion, the 1787 Constitution, ratification, the first government and the Bill of Rights20

Y213: The French Revolution and the Rule of Napoleon 1774-18154 subtopics

The causes of the French Revolution from 1774 and the events of 1789: the Ancien Régime, Louis XVI, financial and social crisis, the Enlightenment, the Estates General and the Great Fear20
The Revolution from October 1789 to the Directory 1795: constitutional monarchy, church reform, the Jacobins, Varennes, the Terror, Robespierre and the Thermidorian regime20
Napoleon Bonaparte to 1807: his rise and military success to 1799, the coup of Brumaire, reforms as Consul, the Empire, Austerlitz and Trafalgar20
The decline and fall of Napoleon 1807-1815: the Continental System, the Peninsular and Russian campaigns, rule in France after 1807, abdication and the Hundred Days19

Y214: France 1814-18704 subtopics

The reigns of Louis XVIII and Charles X 1814-1830: the restorations, the Charter, Ultras, ministerial policy, religious and economic problems, and the July Revolution20
The reign of Louis Philippe and the 1848 Revolution: the July Monarchy, foreign policy, Guizot, opposition movements and the establishment of the Second Republic20
Domestic policy under Louis Napoleon (Napoleon III): election and coup of 1851, economic and social policy, Haussmann, army reform and the ‘liberal empire’20
Foreign and imperial policy 1848-1870: the Crimean War, Italy and Cavour, Mexico, colonisation, relations with Britain and Prussia, and the Franco-Prussian War20

Y215: Italy and Unification 1789-18964 subtopics

Italy 1789-1847: the impact of the French Revolution and Napoleon, the Vienna Settlement, the Carbonari, the revolutions of 1820-1821 and 1831, and Young Italy20
The Revolutions of 1848-1849 and their aftermath: risings in Lombardy, Piedmont, Naples, Venice and Rome, Pius IX, Garibaldi and Mazzini, and Cavour’s Piedmont20
The Risorgimento and the establishment of a new Kingdom of Italy 1850-1861: Cavour’s diplomacy, the war of 1859, Garibaldi and the Thousand, and the new kingdom20
Italy 1861-1896: Piedmontisation, the Brigands’ War, completing unification, the Mezzogiorno, relations with the Church, Trasformismo and colonial expansion20

Y216: The USA in the 19th Century: Westward Expansion and Civil War 1803-c.18904 subtopics

Westward expansion; causes and impacts: the opening of the West, transport and technology, settlers and ‘manifest destiny’, Federal Government action and the effects of expansion20
Native Americans: the diversity of Native American society, Tecumseh, Indian Removal, the Indian Wars, the Dawes Act and the destruction of Native societies20
The growth of sectional tension 1850-1861: North-South differences, slavery and expansion, the 1850 Compromise, Kansas-Nebraska, Dred Scott, the 1860 election and secession20
The Civil War: Lincoln and Union leadership, Davis and the Confederacy, reasons for Union victory, commanders, resources, major campaigns and the naval blockade20

Y217: Japan 1853-19374 subtopics

The impact of foreign intrusion on Tokugawa Japan 1853-1868: late Tokugawa society, Perry and the unequal treaties, resistance, civil war and the Meiji Restoration20
Westernisation and nationalism in Meiji Japan 1868-1912: the end of the Samurai, government, tax and army reform, industrial and naval growth, the 1889 Constitution and education20
Foreign relations and overseas expansion 1868-1920: Korea, the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese Wars, the British alliance, the First World War, the 21 Demands and Versailles20
The growth of nationalism in Japan 1920-1937: post-war radicalism and repression, emperor worship, the Depression, militarism, the Manchuria incident and war with China20

Y218: International Relations 1890-19414 subtopics

The causes and nature of the First World War: nationalism, imperialism and militarism, alliances and the naval race, the Moroccan, Balkan and July crises, and the fighting fronts24
The Paris Peace Conference, the League of Nations, and international diplomacy 1919-1935: the peace treaties, the League and its activities, disarmament, Locarno and Kellogg-Briand20
Dictators and Appeasers in Europe 1929-1941: the Depression’s impact, Italian foreign policy, appeasement, the Spanish Civil War, the Nazi-Soviet Pact and the outbreak of war20
The Far East 1918-1941: Versailles and Japan, Japanese nationalism and aims, the Depression, the Manchurian Crisis, war with China and the outbreak of war with the USA20

Y219: Russia 1894-19414 subtopics

The rule of Tsar Nicholas II: Russia’s problems in 1894, opposition movements, Witte and Pobedonostsev, the Russo-Japanese War, the 1905 Revolution, the Dumas and Stolypin20
The 1917 Revolutions: the impact of the First World War, Rasputin, the events of March 1917, the Provisional Government and Petrograd Soviet, the April Theses and October/November 191720
The Civil War and Lenin: the Constituent Assembly and decrees, the Civil War and foreign intervention, war communism, the Red Terror, Kronstadt, the NEP and Lenin as leader20
The rule of Stalin: the succession struggle, consolidation of power, the cult of personality and police state, collectivisation, the Five Year Plans and their effects20

Y220: Italy 1896-19434 subtopics

Italy 1896-1915: political, social and economic problems, Trasformismo, industrial growth and unrest, Giolitti, colonial conflicts, and the demand for war by 191520
Italy 1915-1925: neutrality and entry into war, Caporetto and Vittorio Veneto, post-war instability, the rise of Mussolini and Fascism, the March on Rome and the Matteotti murder20
Fascist Italy 1925-1943: the Corporate State, propaganda and the Duce, the Church, economic and social policy, youth and women, Jewish policy and the domestic impact of war20
Foreign Policy of Mussolini 1922-1943: Corfu, Locarno, the Stresa Front, Abyssinia, the Spanish Civil War, the Axis and Pact of Steel, entry into war and Mussolini’s fall20

Y221: Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919-19634 subtopics

The establishment and development of the Weimar Republic: 1919-Jan 1933: Versailles and the constitution, challenges and putsches, hyperinflation, Stresemann, the Depression and Hitler’s appointment20
The establishment of the Nazi Dictatorship and its domestic policies Feb 1933-1939: consolidation of power, Gleichschaltung, terror and propaganda, economic policy, and social and racial policy20
The impact of war and defeat on Germany: 1939-1949: the war economy, bombing, the Final Solution, opposition and resistance, occupation, Potsdam, division and the Berlin Blockade20
Divided Germany: The Federal Republic and the DDR 1949-1963: the Basic Law, the economic miracle, Adenauer’s foreign policy and decline, and the GDR’s political, economic and social development20

Y222: The Cold War in Asia 1945-19934 subtopics

Western Policies in Post War Asia 1945-1979: Yalta and Potsdam, the Long Telegram and Model States, the fall of China, NSC-68, US policy on China and Taiwan, Malaya and Soviet influence20
The Korean War 1950-1953 and its impact to 1977: causes and outbreak, US, UN and Chinese involvement, MacArthur’s dismissal, stalemate and settlement, SEATO and non-alignment20
Indochina 1945-1967: French colonial rule, Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh, Dien Bien Phu, Geneva and partition, Diem, the NLF, and US policy from Eisenhower to Johnson20
Wars in Vietnam and Cambodia 1968-1993: the Tet Offensive, Nixon’s policies and the Paris talks, the fall of Saigon, Cambodia from Sihanouk to Pol Pot, and the 1991-1993 settlement20

Y223: The Cold War in Europe 1941-19954 subtopics

The origins of the Cold War to 1945: the situation in 1941, capitalism and communism, tensions in the Grand Alliance, Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam, and the liberation of Europe19
The development of the Cold War 1946-1955: the Iron Curtain speech, Soviet control of Eastern Europe, the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Aid, Berlin, NATO, the Warsaw Pact and atomic weapons20
The Cold War 1956-1984: Hungary 1956, Czechoslovakia 1968 and Poland, German rearmament and the Berlin Wall, the arms and space races, détente, Ostpolitik and the ‘new Cold War’20
The end of the Cold War 1984-1995: Soviet and Eastern European problems, the arms race, Gorbachev, glasnost and perestroika, 1989, the 1991 coup, German reunification and Yugoslavia20

Y224: Apartheid and Reconciliation: South African Politics 1948-19994 subtopics

Establishing Apartheid: South Africa in 1948 and the Nationalist victory, the Apartheid laws to 1954, geographical and petty segregation, Bantu education, and early resistance20
The development of Apartheid and growing resistance: Verwoerd, Vorster and Bantu Self-Government, its impact, Mandela, the ANC, Biko, Sharpeville and Soweto, and international opinion20
The collapse of Apartheid 1978-1989: Botha, Total Onslaught and Total Strategy, the UDF and township unrest, international opposition, the State of Emergency and de Klerk’s reforms20
A New South Africa 1989-1999: the transition and the 1994 elections, violence, the Government of National Unity, the RDP, the new constitution, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and 199920

Y301: The Early Anglo-Saxons c.400-8007 subtopics

The development of Kingship and kingdoms in Britain and Ireland20
Religion and the Christian Church in Britain and Ireland19
Economic and social life in Britain and Ireland20
Cultural change in Britain and Ireland19
Depth study: Athelbald, Offa and the Mercian supremacy20
Depth study: Augustine and the process of Christianisation20
Depth study: Communities and kinship20

Y302: The Viking Age c.790-10667 subtopics

Viking society, administration and livelihood20
Warfare and raids20
Settlements20
Culture and religion20
Depth study: Raids on England in the late eighth and ninth centuries20
Depth study: The Danelaw20
Depth study: The Vikings in Ireland20

Y303: English Government and the Church 1066-12167 subtopics

Main features of central government20
The organisation and administration of local government20
The government of the Church in England20
The role of the archbishops of Canterbury20
Depth study: The reign of Henry I20
Depth study: The Civil War 1139-115420
Depth study: The reign of Richard I in England20

Y304: The Church and Medieval Heresy c.1100-14377 subtopics

The causes and nature of the heretical movements20
Support for heretical movements20
The impact of heretical movements upon the medieval Church20
Maintenance of church authority20
Depth study: John Wycliffe and the Lollards to c.142020
Depth study: The Mendicant Orders20
Depth study: Huss and the Hussites 1400-143620

Y305: The Renaissance c.1400-c.16007 subtopics

Artistic and cultural development20
The role of the individual20
Religion and religious change18
The Impact of War18
Depth study: The Venetian Renaissance20
Depth study: Savonarola19
Depth study: The French Renaissance20

Y306: Rebellion and Disorder under the Tudors 1485-16037 subtopics

The main causes of rebellion and disorder20
The frequency and nature of disturbances20
The impact of the disturbances upon Tudor governments19
The maintenance of political stability20
Depth study: Pilgrimage of Grace20
Depth study: The Western Rebellion20
Depth study: Tyrone's Rebellion20

Y307: Tudor Foreign Policy 1485-16037 subtopics

The aims and methods of Tudor foreign policy17
Scotland and France19
Burgundy, the Netherlands and Spain19
The impact of foreign relations on domestic developments in England17
Depth study: Henry VIII's foreign policy 1509-152020
Depth study: The loss of Calais20
Depth study: The Armada20

Y308: The Catholic Reformation 1492-16107 subtopics

The nature of the Catholic Reformation19
Institutional reforms20
Role of individuals20
Impact of the Catholic Reformation19
Depth study: Council of Trent20
Depth study: Philip II of Spain20
Depth study: St Bartholomew's Day Massacre20

Y309: The Ascendancy of the Ottoman Empire 1453-16067 subtopics

Sultans and the organisation of the State20
Imperial expansion20
Consolidation, provincial administration and society in Ottoman vassal states20
The impact of Ottoman expansion on European rulers20
Depth study: The Fall of Constantinople 145320
Depth study: The Battle of Mohacs 152620
Depth study: The Battle of Lepanto 157120

Y310: The Development of the Nation State: France 1498-16107 subtopics

The Monarchy and central government19
Law, provincial government and society20
Religion and the Church20
The impact of wars on French stability and unification20
Depth study: Francis I and 'Renaissance Monarchy'20
Depth study: The Massacre of St Bartholomew 157220
Depth study: Henry IV20

Y311: The Origins and Growth of the British Empire 1558-17837 subtopics

Drivers of imperial expansion19
The nature of colonial rule20
The impact of Empire on Britain and its emerging colonies20
The British Empire and European Relations20
Depth study: Elizabethan Privateers 1558-160320
Depth study: Britain and its American colonies 1660-171320
Depth study: Clive and the East India Company: India c.1730-177320

Y312: Popular Culture and the Witchcraze of the 16th and 17th Centuries7 subtopics

Popular culture20
The main reasons for the growth and decline in the persecution of witches20
The persecuted20
Responses of the authorities to witchcraft20
Depth study: The Witchcraze in Southern Germany c.1590-163020
Depth study: Hopkins and the witch hunt of 1645-164720
Depth study: The Salem witch trials20

Y313: The Ascendancy of France 1610-17157 subtopics

The development of absolute monarchy and the role of ministers20
Religious developments20
Social developments and opposition20
France as an international power20
Depth study: Richelieu's relations with the French court and nobility20
Depth study: The Fronde 1648-165320
Depth study: Versailles and image-making20

Y314: The Challenge of German Nationalism 1789-19197 subtopics

Social and intellectual forces20
Economic forces17
Political and military forces20
The extent of Unification20
Depth study: 1848/1849 Revolutions19
Depth study: Nationalism and Unification 1867-187120
Depth study: Wilhelmine Germany and the growth of Nationalism 1884-191420

Y315: The Changing Nature of Warfare 1792-19457 subtopics

The impact of factors directly related to the conduct of war20
The impact of technological change20
Planning and preparation18
The relationship between relevant domestic factors and warfare20
Depth study: The French Revolutionary Wars 1792-180220
Depth study: The American Civil War 1861-186520
Depth study: The Western Front and the First World War 1914-191820

Y316: Britain and Ireland 1791-19217 subtopics

Opposition to the Union20
Support for the Union20
The Union and reform20
The Irish economy and the link to Irish Nationalism20
Depth study: Irish Rebellions and British Responses 1791-180320
Depth study: O'Connell and British Governments 1823-184120
Depth study: The Crisis over Home Rule 1908-191420

Y317: China and Its Rulers 1839-19897 subtopics

The government and rulers of China 1839-198920
The economy of China 1839-198920
Society in China 1839-198920
China and the wider world19
Depth study: The First Opium War and its impact20
Depth study: The Boxer Uprising20
Depth study: The Cultural Revolution20

Y318: Russia and Its Rulers 1855-19647 subtopics

The nature of government19
The impact of dictatorial regimes on the economy and society of Russia and the USSR20
Impact of war and revolution on the development of Russia and the USSR20
The impact of Russia and the USSR on nationalities and satellite states18
Depth study: Alexander II's domestic reforms20
Depth study: The Provisional Government19
Depth study: Khrushchev in power 1956-196420

Y319: Civil Rights in the USA 1865-19927 subtopics

African Americans20
Trade Union and Labour Rights20
Native American Indians20
Women20
Depth study: Civil rights in the 'Gilded Age' c.1875-c.189520
Depth study: The New Deal and civil rights20
Depth study: Malcolm X and Black Power20

Y320: From Colonialism to Independence: The British Empire 1857-19657 subtopics

The governance and administration of the Empire20
Opposition to British Rule20
The impact of imperial power on the periphery and Britain20
The British Empire and its impact on international relations20
Depth study: British India - The War of 1857 and its consequences to 187620
Depth study: Palestine 1914-194820
Depth study: Nationalism in Kenya 1945-196520

Y321: The Middle East 1908-2011: Ottomans to Arab Spring7 subtopics

The Role of the Great Powers in the Middle East20
Zionism, Israel and the Palestinian issue20
Statehood and Pan Arabism in the Middle East20
Religion, ethnicity and political Minorities20
Depth study: British Policy and the Middle East 1908-194820
Depth study: Arab-Israeli Conflict 1948-195620
Depth study: Nasserism 1952-197020

Sample questions

Taken from the OCR A-Level History A guide. Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871-1016

Who challenged Edward the Elder's succession in 899, and on what basis?

Show the answer
His cousin Aethelwold, son of Alfred's elder brother Aethelred I, claimed the throne on the grounds of senior descent, seizing Wimborne before fleeing north.
Y102: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035-1107

What were the immediate consequences of Cnut's death in 1035?

Show the answer
His empire broke apart and England was disputed between his two sons, so the kingdom was divided in practice between Harold Harefoot in the north and Emma holding Wessex for the absent Harthacnut.
Y103: England 1199-1272

How old was Henry III at his accession, and where was he crowned?

Show the answer
He was nine years old and was crowned at Gloucester in October 1216, because London and Westminster were in rebel hands.
Y104: England 1377-1455

On what grounds did Henry Bolingbroke justify taking the throne in 1399?

Show the answer
He combined a claim of descent in the male line from Henry III with the right of conquest and with Richard II's own act of resignation, deliberately avoiding a claim by strict hereditary right.
Y105: England 1445-1509: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII

How did Edward IV treat defeated Lancastrians after 1461?

Show the answer
He attainted more than a hundred of them in his first parliament but reversed many attainders afterwards, preferring to buy loyalty with pardons and restored estates rather than create a permanent party of the dispossessed.
Y106: England 1485-1558: The Early Tudors

Why did the birth of Prince Arthur in 1486 matter so much?

Show the answer
It gave the new dynasty an heir carrying both Lancastrian and Yorkist blood within a year of the marriage, and Henry underlined the point by having him born at Winchester and naming him after the legendary British king.
Y107: England 1547-1603: The Later Tudors

Why did the foreign situation of 1558-59 push Elizabeth towards a cautious religious settlement?

Show the answer
England was still at war with France, Mary Queen of Scots was married to the French dauphin and claimed the English throne, and Philip II of Spain was needed as a counterweight, so an aggressively Protestant church risked uniting the Catholic powers against her.
Y108: The Early Stuarts and the Origins of the Civil War 1603-1660

What did James I mean by the Divine Right of Kings?

Show the answer
That kings were appointed by God, were accountable to God alone, and that to question their authority was both rebellion and blasphemy; he set the theory out in The Trew Law of Free Monarchies before coming to England.

Questions about this guide

How do you use active recall for OCR A-Level History A?

Answer up to 10 questions cold and closed book. Answer the same questions again open book, writing the correct answer down. Then answer them closed book one more time. The difference between the first and third attempt is what has moved into recall.

How is OCR A-Level History A assessed?

OCR A-Level History A is assessed by 4 components: Unit group 1, British period study and enquiry (1 hour 30 minutes, 50 marks, 25%); Unit group 2, Non-British period study (1 hour, 30 marks, 15%); Unit group 3, thematic study and historical interpretations (2 hours 30 minutes, 80 marks, 40%); Unit group 4, topic-based essay (40 marks, 20%).

What topics does the OCR A-Level History A active recall guide cover?

It covers Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871-1016, Y102: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035-1107, Y103: England 1199-1272, Y104: England 1377-1455, Y105: England 1445-1509: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII, Y106: England 1485-1558: The Early Tudors, Y107: England 1547-1603: The Later Tudors, Y108: The Early Stuarts and the Origins of the Civil War 1603-1660, Y109: The Making of Georgian Britain 1678-c.1760, Y110: From Pitt to Peel 1783-1853, Y111: Liberals, Conservatives and the Rise of Labour 1846-1918, Y112: Britain 1900-1951, Y113: Britain 1930-1997 and Y201: The Rise of Islam c.550-750. The full list is set out on this page.

Is the OCR A-Level History A guide a PDF?

Yes. It is a digital PDF sent to the email address on your order after purchase. Check the address is correct at checkout, and check junk or spam if it has not arrived.

Does the guide include the answers?

Yes. Every question has its answer in the same document, grouped by topic, so step 2 of the method is done from the guide.