Our IGCSE History online course develops skills that support both further study and career development. You’ll develop a range of practical skills, including communication, problem solving, analysis, research and independent thinking.

A GCSE in History supports a wide range of further study opportunities and professions. While many are not directly related to the topics you learn in history, the skills you develop when you are analysing and interpreting ‘like a historian’ make it a well-respected and sought after subject for both A level providers and employers.

Our History IGCSE course is ideal if you:

• Are keen to study history at A level or beyond.
• Want to learn how to carry out evidence-based research.
• Have an interest in historical events, people and societies and want to analyse them in more depth.
• Enjoy expressing your opinions on how we communicate.
• Would like to build key employability skills including communication, analytical thinking and research.

Future opportunities

• Law, civil service, politics, business, finance, marketing, journalism accountancy, economics, heritage, teaching, academia, insurance, crime investigation, social work, archaeology and social research – this is just a small snapshot of the diverse career avenues a history qualification can lead you to.

Section 1: Germany between the wars

• Germany 1918-1919
• Early problems of the Weimar Republic 1919-1922
• The events of 1923
• The recovery of Germany 1924-1929

Section 2: The rise of the Nazis

• The growth of the Nazi Party to 1929
• The Nazi breakthrough 1929-1933
• Germany 1933-1934
• Nazi methods of control
• Nazi social policies

Section 3: War and downfall

• Nazi economic policies 1933-1939
• Nazi racial policies
• The German Home Front

Section 4: Russia 1905-1917

• Tsarist rule to 1905
• Tsarist rule 1905-1914
• Opposition to Tsarist rule 1914-1917
• The Provisional Government
• The Bolshevik Revolution

Section 5: Russia and the Soviet Union 1917-1924

• Bolshevik consolidation of power
• The Civil War
• War Communism
• New Economic Policy (NEP)

Section 6: Dictatorship in the USSR 1924-1953

• The leadership struggle 1924-1929
• Collectivisation and Five-Year Plans
• Purges and show trials
• The cult of Stalin

Section 7: Soviet life in peace and war 1924-1953

• Living and working in the Soviet Union 1924-1941
• Education and ethnic minorities 1924-1941
• World War II 1941-1945
• Post-war to 1953

Section 8: The changing nature of warfare 1919-1939

• Changing methods of warfare 1914-1918
• The Spanish Civil War
• Aerial warfare in the inter-war years

Section 9: War on land, sea and air 1939-1945

• Changing methods of land warfare 1939-1943
• D-Day and resistance
• Changing methods of air warfare 1939-1945
• Changing methods of sea warfare 1939-1945

Section 10: New forms of conflict 1945-2011

• The nuclear age 1945-1975
• Conventional and guerilla warfare 1945-1975
• Conventional and ‘new’ wars 1976-2000
• The 21st century 2000-2011

Study IGCSE History with us and benefit from:

• Flexible learning
• Support from a personal tutor by email, phone or Skype
• Any time enrolment
• Our exam booking service
• Assignments with tutor feedback
• Ongoing support from Student Support
• Forums to discuss your course with other students

learn@nec

Choose when and where you access your course, using learn@nec our 24/7 learning platform.

This easy-to-use learning platform includes interactive checkpoints, quizzes and activities to help you evaluate your progress.

You’ll have access to support from a personal tutor. All NEC tutors are subject experts, with experience of supporting online learners.

Meet Ben who is just one of our first-class history tutors.

“I am a firm believer that passionate tutors who enjoy the subject can pass on their enthusiasm to their learners. My knowledge and experience as a tutor has been built up over many years within sixth form colleges, universities and within the online environment. My academic background has seen me gain a BA in Modern History and Politics, a Masters in Politics and Irish Studies and a PhD in Politics, all from Liverpool University. I am an examiner for two major exam boards and have had a significant amount of academic work published in various books and study guides.”

Exam board

• Edexcel 4HI1

Format

• Online learning with support from a personal tutor

Hours

• Complete at your own pace
• Approx. 120-150* hours plus time for completing assignments

*The specification suggests that 150 hours is needed. You’ll also need time to complete assignments and prepare yourself for exams and some courses like English literature involve a lot of reading. Everyone is different so it’s impossible to say with certainty how long a course will take you, but you should expect to spend longer than 150 hours. Taken across the length of time we recommend, this equates to approximately 4 hours per week. This will increase if you choose to take it over a shorter time frame or may be less if you are retaking a subject and have covered a lot of of the course content.

Assignments

• 11 assignments (one introductory) – these do not contribute towards your final grade

Resources

• No additional set texts required

Requirements

• There are some recommendations you may wish to refer to for additional reading
• Internet access
• Computer operating system and browser to support learn@nec

Our course fees are clear and transparent to help you plan for any additional costs.

Your course fee includes:

• 24/7 access to learn@nec platform and resources
• Expertly designed online course materials (including ebook versions of textbooks where specified) that you need to complete the course and written to cover the carefully selected awarding body specification
• Support from our Student Services team
• Structured assignments to help you track your progress throughout your course
• Guidance from your tutor for up to 18 months from your date of enrolment
• Constructive feedback on your assignments from your tutor, to help you improve and prepare for exams
• Guaranteed exam place
• NEC’s guide to study skills: How to Succeed as an Independent Learner
• Spelling, punctuation and grammar guide
• Time planner template to help you plan your study timetable
• Information on how to apply for exams

Your course fee does not cover:

• Any fees in relation to exam entries or assessments
• Centre Assessment Grades (CAG) in the event of exam cancellation
• Recommended textbooks for additional reading or set texts
• Equipment for core practicals

If you need more support, you can purchase:

• Online tutorials – if you need help with a specific topic you can arrange a 30 minute or 1 hour tutorial
• Additional past paper marking – to help with your exam preparation
• Revision tutorial –  to plan your revision and explore revision techniques
• Help with your UCAS application service

For further information on additional/optional support you can purchase, please visit our additional services page.

Exams (two):

• 50% of marks  (1 hour 30 minutes)
• 50% of marks (1 hour 30 minutes)

There is no non-exam assessment (NEA) for this course

We know that our younger students often need an extra helping hand with their studies. In our experience learning online works best when either a parent or guardian are involved. This is why NEC has developed our unique Progress Tracker to help you to support your child.

NEC’s Progress Tracker will allow you to easily track your child’s progress across their subjects and gain insight to how well they are doing through access to their assignment grades and tutor feedback.  

Read more about how we work with young students who are studying at home or through a school.

Would you like to talk to our Course Advice Team about the best route for you? Visit our Contact Us page, fill in the form and a member of the team will get back to you!