What Your Teachers Did Not Tell You About H2 History 9252

What you teachers did not tell you about H2 History.
Hello A-Level students! Ever wished H2 History was more manageable? It

turns out, History does not have to be as stressful and content-heavy as it
is. Today, I am releasing critical tips to help you to hit the highest marks
with as little effort as possible. Being a tutor and having achieved
distinction under the 2017 first batch of the new syllabus, I am sharing
strategies that I hope will point each of you in the right direction,
regardless of where you currently stand. I know A-Levels can be tough,
but I sincerely think that if you can find the smartest ways to study, you
will find things much easier.
Strategy #1: It can be easy to underestimate the importance of

the essay section but it is absolutely necessary to focus the bulk
of the preparation on the essay section.
The essays constitute a massive 60% of the A-Level marks. But this
section is really significant because of the amount of preparation that can
be done. The A Level questions are limited in scope with the focus for
each topic made explicitly clear in the syllabus document. What this
means is that you can prepare the arguments, supporting evidences and
thoughtful conclusions well before the A-Levels. At the A-Levels, it will not
be about writing new arguments on the spot, but writing prepared
arguments.
This is an advantage that you must not take for granted; to put things into
perspective, if you secure 55% of the marks, only about one-third of the
case study marks would be required to secure distinction. In contrast to
essays, case studies, while important, are primarily focused on your on-
the-spot ability to interpret sources– so study smart.
Strategy #2: Prioritise quality over quantity in each essay that

you write.
There is a perception that the more examples you memorize and write,
the higher the marks. This is not the case. A short essay could get the
high marks, while a long essay could get low marks. As a matter of fact,
writing as much as you can could do more harm than good. In the
process, you may, for instance, end up leaving one counter argument
alone without having time to address it with a substantiated rebuttal,
undermining the requirement of a consistent stand and putting you off
track of attaining band L-7. Be highly selective about what you write.
Strategy #3: Outsource your H2 History notes if you there is a

need.
Every school uses different notes and has a different interpretation of the
syllabus document. Using their own history notes, certain “lower-ranked”
schools consistently achieve high rates of distinction, even having over
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80% of students’ distinction in recent years. On the other hand, certain

“top” schools consistently fare poorly. For a subject that requires such so
much self-studying, this consistent disparity is surprising to say the least.
The difference in notes certainly could have a role to play in it. If you fall
into category of schools that consistently fare poorly over the past few
years, I strongly advise you to expose yourself to different perspectives,
examples and interpretations by outsourcing your notes – you want start
off on the same playing field.
Strategy #4: Only create notes once you are very familiar with
the content.
“Cheat sheets” and “visualisation” material such as skeletons and cards

can be helpful, but they will only be helpful if you know exactly where you
can use each example to substantiate your argument. Before you make
your own study notes, find out from your teachers, tutors and the syllabus
document exactly what you need to know, what are all the questions you
need to prepare for, and what elements you need to incorporate. Then,
when you know exactly how the examples fit in the context of your
arguments, create the notes and learn the examples and the arguments
together.
Strategy #5: Save time by writing essay outlines rather writing

the entire essays out.
When you approach an essay at an exam, the most fundamental things

you must have are arguments and examples. Reaching this end goal can
be done by writing essays and outlines. The difference between these two
methods, however, is that an outline can be done in 15 minutes, but an
essay would take you about an hour to write. Clearly, writing outlines is
more time productive. Writing essays will improve your English skills, but
content is the priority for H2 History – you must therefore be careful not to
drain valuable time writing essays at the expense of developing more
arguments.
Strategy #6: Use model essays if you are unable to reach the L-7
grade standard.
There is one way to reach a level of analysis and a depth of conclusion on

a level far above that of most students and getting the highest marks – it
is by taking reference from a model essay. If your essay is on a much
higher level than other essays, you will hardly be faulted for it even if
lacks originality because of how band marking works. If you look closely at
the syllabus document, it is made clear that if an essay contains elements
of a higher band, such as a sustained stand and accurate examples, it will
be placed within this band. According to the marking scheme, it will not be
possible to place it in a lower band because it simply does not possess the
elements to be treated as such.
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If you are interested in the complete guides for each topic, you can check
out https://www.h2historyguides.com/ which has quality documents that
you can use.
I hope each of you can learn from these 6 strategies and not repeat the
mistakes that many of your seniors have made. Remember, your time is
limited. Use it wisely. I wish you all of you the best for your A-Levels. Stay
positive, work hard, make it happen.

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What you teachers did not tell you about H2 History.

Hello A-Level students! Ever wished H2 History was more manageable? It

Strategy #1: It can be easy to underestimate the importance of

Strategy #2: Prioritise quality over quantity in each essay that

Strategy #3: Outsource your H2 History notes if you there is a

80% of students’ distinction in recent years. On the other hand, certain

“Cheat sheets” and “visualisation” material such as skeletons and cards

Strategy #5: Save time by writing essay outlines rather writing

When you approach an essay at an exam, the most fundamental things

There is one way to reach a level of analysis and a depth of conclusion on

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