OCR A-Level History A exam papers and weighting (H505)
Guide overview All 58 units Sample questions Papers and weighting Look inside Questions and answers
What each OCR A-Level History A paper assesses
OCR A-Level History A (specification H505) is built entirely from options. A student takes one British period study and enquiry from thirteen, one non-British period study from twenty-four and one thematic study with historical interpretations from twenty-one, alongside a topic-based essay researched independently. All fifty-eight taught units are banked here, so pick the three you are sitting on the topic selection page and everything else drops away.
| Paper | Covers | Length | Marks | Weighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Y101 to Y113 British period study and enquiry |
One unit of thirteen, made up of a period study and an enquiry topic that precedes or continues it Section A is the enquiry: one compulsory question analysing and evaluating four primary sources to test a hypothesis (30 marks) Section B is the period study: one essay chosen from two, reaching a substantiated judgement (20 marks) |
1 hour 30 minutes | 50 marks | 25% |
|
Y201 to Y224 Non-British period study |
One unit of twenty-four, each built on four key topics One two-part question chosen from two A comparison of two factors and their relative importance (10 marks), then an essay on a different part of the period (20 marks) |
1 hour | 30 marks | 15% |
|
Y301 to Y321 Thematic study and historical interpretations |
One unit of twenty-one, covering themes across at least a hundred years with three named depth studies Section A: an essay judging which of two historians' extracts about one of the three depth studies is more convincing (30 marks) Section B: two thematic essays from a choice of three, each covering the whole period (50 marks) |
2 hours 30 minutes | 80 marks | 40% |
|
Y100 Topic based essay |
An independently researched essay of 3,000 to 4,000 words Explains and analyses different perspectives on a historical issue, using a range of sources and interpretations Titles must be checked by OCR; marked by the centre and moderated |
Non-exam assessment | 40 marks | 20% |
Every unit, and where it is examined
| Unit | Component | Examined on | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871-1016 | British period study and enquiry, one of thirteen | Y101 to Y113 | 114 |
| Y102: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035-1107 | British period study and enquiry, one of thirteen | Y101 to Y113 | 113 |
| Y103: England 1199-1272 | British period study and enquiry, one of thirteen | Y101 to Y113 | 114 |
| Y104: England 1377-1455 | British period study and enquiry, one of thirteen | Y101 to Y113 | 105 |
| Y105: England 1445-1509: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VII | British period study and enquiry, one of thirteen | Y101 to Y113 | 104 |
| Y106: England 1485-1558: the Early Tudors | British period study and enquiry, one of thirteen | Y101 to Y113 | 99 |
| Y107: England 1547-1603: the Later Tudors | British period study and enquiry, one of thirteen | Y101 to Y113 | 100 |
| Y108: the Early Stuarts and the Origins of the Civil War 1603-1660 | British period study and enquiry, one of thirteen | Y101 to Y113 | 115 |
| Y109: the Making of Georgian Britain 1678-C.1760 | British period study and enquiry, one of thirteen | Y101 to Y113 | 100 |
| Y110: from Pitt to Peel 1783-1853 | British period study and enquiry, one of thirteen | Y101 to Y113 | 107 |
| Y111: Liberals, Conservatives and the Rise of Labour 1846-1918 | British period study and enquiry, one of thirteen | Y101 to Y113 | 115 |
| Y112: Britain 1900-1951 | British period study and enquiry, one of thirteen | Y101 to Y113 | 112 |
| Y113: Britain 1930-1997 | British period study and enquiry, one of thirteen | Y101 to Y113 | 100 |
| Y201: the Rise of Islam C.550-750 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 78 |
| Y202: Charlemagne 768-814 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 79 |
| Y203: the Crusades and the Crusader States 1095-1192 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y204: Genghis Khan and the Explosion from the Steppes C.1167-1405 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y205: Exploration, Encounters and Empire 1445-1570 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y206: Spain 1469-1556 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y207: the German Reformation and the Rule of Charles V 1500-1559 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 79 |
| Y208: Philip II 1556-1598 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y209: African Kingdoms C.1400-c.1800: Four Case Studies | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y210: Russia 1645-1741 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y211: the Rise and Decline of the Mughal Empire in India 1526-1739 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 79 |
| Y212: the American Revolution 1740-1796 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 79 |
| Y213: the French Revolution and the Rule of Napoleon 1774-1815 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 79 |
| Y214: France 1814-1870 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y215: Italy and Unification 1789-1896 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y216: the USA in the 19Th Century: Westward Expansion and Civil War 1803-C.1890 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y217: Japan 1853-1937 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y218: International Relations 1890-1941 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 84 |
| Y219: Russia 1894-1941 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y220: Italy 1896-1943 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y221: Democracy and Dictatorships in Germany 1919-1963 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 88 |
| Y222: the Cold War in Asia 1945-1993 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y223: the Cold War in Europe 1941-1995 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 79 |
| Y224: Apartheid and Reconciliation: South African Politics 1948-1999 | Non-British period study, one of twenty-four | Y201 to Y224 | 80 |
| Y301: the Early Anglo-Saxons C.400-800 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 138 |
| Y302: the Viking Age C.790-1066 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 140 |
| Y303: English Government and the Church 1066-1216 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 140 |
| Y304: the Church and Medieval Heresy C.1100-1437 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 140 |
| Y305: the Renaissance C.1400-c.1600 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 135 |
| Y306: Rebellion and Disorder Under the Tudors 1485-1603 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 139 |
| Y307: Tudor Foreign Policy 1485-1603 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 132 |
| Y308: the Catholic Reformation 1492-1610 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 138 |
| Y309: the Ascendancy of the Ottoman Empire 1453-1606 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 140 |
| Y310: the Development of the Nation State: France 1498-1610 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 139 |
| Y311: the Origins and Growth of the British Empire 1558-1783 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 139 |
| Y312: Popular Culture and the Witchcraze of the 16Th and 17Th Centuries | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 140 |
| Y313: the Ascendancy of France 1610-1715 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 140 |
| Y314: the Challenge of German Nationalism 1789-1919 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 136 |
| Y315: the Changing Nature of Warfare 1792-1945 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 138 |
| Y316: Britain and Ireland 1791-1921 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 149 |
| Y317: China and Its Rulers 1839-1989 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 139 |
| Y318: Russia and Its Rulers 1855-1964 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 136 |
| Y319: Civil Rights in the USA 1865-1992 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 140 |
| Y320: from Colonialism to Independence: the British Empire 1857-1965 | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 140 |
| Y321: the Middle East 1908-2011: Ottomans to Arab Spring | Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one | Y301 to Y321 | 140 |
Assessment details from the OCR Level 3 Advanced GCE in History A, specification H505, version 3.2. OCR specification.
OCR A-Level History A Active Recall Guide
6,240 questions across every paper on the specification.