Guidance N Writing Aqa History Nea

Type YA level History

Guidance on writing your NEA

Students are not permitted to duplicate the content of what is studied in Components 1 and 2.

They are allowed, however, to base the historical investigation on the same or similar chronology, as long as the requirement to study the chronological range of at least 200 years is met.

The historical investigation should be a single extended response, but must clearly respond to all three Assessment Objectives.

AO1 is worth 50% of total marks and AO2 and AO3, 25% respectively.

The historical investigation should reflect this allocation of marks. Whilst a strict arithmetical

approach is not required and may, in some circumstances, disrupt the flow of the argument, the responses to AO2 and AO3 must be substantial, reflecting the weighting that is carried by them in the mark scheme.

In Components 1 and 2, Assessment Objectives are tested discretely in separate tasks in

Component 3, all three are tested in the single historical investigation. However, the historical

investigation must be written in such a way that the three Assessment Objectives form part of a single extended essay and are not treated separately.

The historical investigation should be completed in 3500-4500 words, excluding bibliography, footnotes and appendices, with a limit of 4500 words. The word count for each NEA must be recorded on the Candidate Record Form (CRF), which is submitted to the moderator.

Submissions that exceed the word limit will incur a five mark penalty, which will be applied by AQA

AO1

AO1 is defined as follows in the subject criteria:

Demonstrate, organise and communicate knowledge and understanding to analyse and

evaluate the key features related to the periods studied, making substantiated judgements

and exploring concepts, as relevant, of cause, consequence, change, continuity, similarity,

difference and significance.

To meet the requirements of this Assessment Objective, students should demonstrate:

• engagement with one or more of the concepts referred to in the Assessment Objective

• effective organisational and communication skills through analysis and evaluation which

consistently and relevantly focuses on the question that is set and integrates into this evaluation,

primary sources and historical interpretations

• analysis and evaluation which reflects the views and conclusions of the student

• substantiated judgements, which appear as the argument develops (assertive and

unsubstantiated or undeveloped judgements will not be placed in higher levels).

AO2

AO2 is defined as follows in the subject criteria:

Analyse and evaluate appropriate source material, primary and/or contemporary to the

period, within the historical context.

The length of primary sources to be used is not prescribed. The skills required to interrogate

primary sources to corroborate or challenge the overall response to the chosen issue may be met through primary sources of differing lengths and ones which include visual sources.

Students are required to analyse and evaluate the value of three primary sources of at least two different types (as exemplified in the specification), referring, as appropriate, to provenance, content and argument and tone and emphasis.

To meet the requirements of this Assessment Objective, students should demonstrate:

• selection of sources which are directly relevant to the issue and question of the Investigation

• awareness of the value which may result from consideration of the provenance of the source, considering, for example, who the author is, when specifically it was produced, to whom and in what form it is addressed, the tone and style of the source and the content it contains.

AO3

AO3 is defined as follows in the subject criteria:

Analyse and evaluate, in relation to the historical context, different ways in which aspects

of the past have been interpreted.

In doing so, students must demonstrate knowledge and understanding, as appropriate to the

investigation, of:

• the limitations placed on historians when they develop interpretations

• the significance of the time and/or context in which a historian writes

• comparison and evaluation of differing historical interpretations.

Whilst the issue to be investigated must be placed within the context of approximately

100 years, the work and interpretations of the two historians which are studied in

depth may:

• be interpretations which refer to the whole 100 years

• be interpretations that relate to a period of years, or a particular aspect, within the

100 years, but cover the same period within the 100 years

• be interpretations that relate to different periods or aspects within the 100 years context.

Students must analyse and evaluate the work of two historians in depth to

demonstrate the skills and knowledge but should also show a general awareness of

the range of debates related to the issue chosen.