How to Get a 9 in History GCSE: Top Tips and Strategies
Approaching GCSE History Revision
GCSE History is a challenging but rewarding subject, combining critical thinking, analytical skills, and a strong grasp of historical knowledge. Whether you’re exploring the power struggles of the Cold War, the societal shifts of Industrial Britain, or the dramatic rise and fall of empires, the course demands an in-depth knowledge of content and strong essay writing skills.
Achieving a Grade 9 in History GCSE requires more than just memorising dates and facts—it’s about understanding the significance of events, crafting well-structured arguments and being able to effectively apply your knowledge under exam conditions. In this guide, we’ll break down what it takes to excel in GCSE History, from mastering the assessment objectives to honing your essay-writing skills with GCSE History past papers.
Top Tips to Boost your GCSE History Grade!
1. Breakdown your GCSE History syllabus
Before you even start trying to commit everything you’ve studied so far to memory, it’s important to spend some time breaking down the GSCE History syllabus to understand what you’ve learned and how it will come up in the exam. If you research your exam board and find the syllabus, this information will likely already be broken down for you.
For example, OCR History GCSE breaks down “The USA 1919–1948: The People and the State” paper into three parts with further subtopics for each:
The ‘Roaring Twenties’
e.g. the US government and women in the 1920s, including women’s rights movements and the Sheppard-Towner Act; causes, aims, implementation and failure of prohibition […]
The 1930s and the New Deal
Economic and social effects of the Great Depression and government response; Presidential election campaigns of 1932; […]
The impact of the Second World War on US society
The mobilisation of the US people for the war effort, including propaganda campaigns, war production and its effects, the end of Depression […]
You can use this breakdown to structure your GSCE History revision notes. This ensures all the information you revise is relevant to questions on the exam and means you don’t miss anything important out either! Just remember to always situate the events you revise in context, thinking about causes and consequences and the interrelation of all the listed events.
2. Plan Your Revision Effectively
Once you’ve broken down the syllabus of each paper of your exam board into subtopics and events, it’s important to schedule your GCSE History revision in an intelligent way. Start by being honest with yourself. Which topic do you find hardest? (If you’re unsure, you could try colour coding each topic with a traffic light system to indicate how confident you would be answering a question on them if the exam were tomorrow!)
Start at the hardest point. You won’t want to but it’s important to avoid falling into revising what you already know because it’s easy and more confidence-affirming. If you start with the hardest topics now, you have even more time to work on them and improve before your final exam. Soon they’ll become the easiest topics too!
Make sure you space out topics so you return to them to check how much you remember after you’ve revised them. The forgetting curve can be brutal and spaced repetition is the best way to prevent it. You can use online flashcards like Anki which factor in spaced repetition to ensure you practise all content from your GCSE history exam frequently enough to stop you from forgetting it.
If you’re looking to get a 9 in History GCSE, then an effective revision schedule that encourages consistency is important. At the end of the day, to do well in your GCSE History exam, there’s a lot of facts and dates that you just need to memorise. So make sure you have enough time after you’ve made your notes to memorise them.
3. Master Source Analysis for History GCSE
For some History GCSE exam boards such as OCR and Edexcel, analysing sources is a key component. In order to achieve top marks and get a 9 in History GCSE, it’s really key that you’re confident in your source analysis. Strong responses to source analysis questions make intelligent inferences about the content, context and provenance of the source. You should also be able to link the source to your own knowledge to provide a thorough evaluation of its historical significance and effects.
Having a great and broad understanding of the context of the period you’re studying will help you out here and allow you to better identify the source’s significance. This is where reading or listening around the syllabus may help boost your score and get a 9 in History GCSE. You could try In Our Time’s great history podcasts or ask a teacher for reading recommendations. A GCSE History tutor can also support you to develop a broader knowledge of the period, offering tailored further reading for your exam board and interests. Find out more.
GCSE History sources can be visual or written so you need to be prepared for both. Use GCSE History past papers for some example sources to practice with. If you’d like further opportunities to practice source analysis questions, a tutor can prepare relevant sources for your History GCSE exam board, giving you the option to enhance your analysis skills and receive in-depth feedback. Find out more about our history GCSE tuition here.
Looking for GCSE History Support?
Working with a History GCSE tutor is a great opportunity to hone exam technique with personalised feedback, and to solidify your knowledge of the syllabus.
U2 Tuition has a great team of History GCSE tutors with degrees in History from Oxford, Cambridge or other top Russell Groups. All our tutors are highly knowledgeable about different GCSE History exam boards, including AQA, OCR and Edexcel.
Tutors can provide feedback on History GCSE past papers as well as create supplementary exam resources to give you more opportunities to practise. With tips to improve essay technique and helpful revision strategies, a history tutor is a brilliant way to help you get a 9 in History GCSE.
Book a free consultation to discuss how we can support.
4. Perfect Your Essay Writing with History GCSE past papers
It’s unavoidable that in order to get a 9 in History GCSE you need to be able to write a strong essay.
The best way to understand how to score top marks is to look at mark schemes and examiner’s reports for your GCSE history exam board as this will offer you a tailored breakdown. However, some general points that make a great GCSE history essay are:
Structure: use the PEEL (Point, Evidence, Explain, Link) method to create well-rounded paragraphs and essays.
Relevant examples: History is a subject that needs evidence so it’s important to include examples and specific dates and figures in your answer but only if these are directly relevant to the question. It’s also important not to just throw in examples without explaining their significance. All your examples should be discussed and analysed in examples.
Practice: You won’t write a great essay overnight, and getting used to the timed conditions of the GCSE History exam also needs practice. Use GCSE History past papers from your exam board to refine your technique. Ideally, get feedback on these from a teacher or a private tutor who can offer tailored guidance and support to improve your GCSE History essay technique.
You can find:
OCR History GCSE past papers here
AQA History GCSE past papers here
Edexcel History GCSE past papers here
Your GCSE History mocks will also be a great opportunity to receive feedback on your performance and get a sense of how effective your revision has been so far. You’ll also, hopefully, get more extensive written comments on your work to help you understand which areas of your essay writing need more development and improvement. If you’d like further support and feedback on your work, we also offer one-on-one GCSE History tuition where tutors can offer in-depth reviews of written work and essay technique. Find out more here.
5. Meet the AOs of your History GCSE exam board
In order to get a 9 in History GCSE, you need to make sure you’re meeting the requirements or assessment objectives of your exam board. Different History GCSE exam boards will have different question formats and different requirements for what you have to do to score full marks on those questions.
For example, these are the AQA History GCSE assessment objectives.
AO1: demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the key features and characteristics of the period studied.
AO2: explain and analyse historical events and periods studied using second-order historical concepts.
AO3: analyse, evaluate and use sources (contemporary to the period) to make substantiated judgements, in the context of historical events studied.
AO4: analyse, evaluate and make substantiated judgements about interpretations (including how and why interpretations may differ) in the context of historical events studied.
Read through the mark scheme and examiner’s reports from your GCSE History exam board so you are fully confident on what each question is asking you to do and the skills required to receive top marks. For example, OCR History GCSE asks students to respond to an interpretation with a question like “Do you think this is a fair comment on…” The question doesn’t specify but it’s clear from the mark scheme that top answers will offer two other interpretations as part of their response.
Being confident on the requirements of a top level answer for all the different question formats of your exam is an easy way to make sure you don’t miss marks and impress your examiner with an answer that ticks all their boxes.
6. Use Active Revision Techniques to Memorise GCSE History Content
As we mentioned when talking about setting up and structuring your revision, memorisation is a really important part of preparing for your GCSE History exam.
Active recall is a great strategy to help keep information in your memory. Flashcards are an effective revision method that can get you to recall dates, names and key facts. Testing yourself on this regularly in short bursts is the best way to ensure the information goes in! You could also work with friends/classmates to test each other on flashcards or talk through answers to GCSE history past papers together.
Applying historical information in the context of an essay question also ensures you are getting used to thinking of facts and dates in the context of an answer or argument. A really common mistake for GCSE History is to just memorise events and facts but not be able to explain their significance or effects. For example, Yes, you know the Munich Putsch was in November 1923, but can you explain its significance in Hitler’s rise to power? The GCSE History exam wants you to use facts as part of an argument and to understand how events fit into a broader context of historical development.
U2 Tuition Quick Tip: A great way to practise this is by using GCSE History Past Papers to test your active recall. Try planning an answer to a question closed book then open your notes and use them to fill in the gaps and develop your ideas.
What Makes a Top GCSE History Response
While requirements for a top level response vary slightly between exam boards, top level answers for GCSE History generally:
Demonstrate complex understandings of change
This means recognising that the extent of an impact may be different for different groups e.g. in an AQA model response, the student observes: “the lives of youths were greatly impacted by Nazi policies, but this occurred in different way according to the race of the children”. Being able to handle the nuance of historical events and effects indicates you have an advanced understanding of the period.
Apply knowledge (to make intelligent inferences)
This is particularly true for exam boards with questions that require source analysis but also true as a general approach to historical facts and events. Great GCSE History students will be able to apply their knowledge of the whole historical period to draw out interesting and intelligent insight from events or sources.
Are well-developed
Often GCSE History exam questions won’t specify how many reasons are necessary to answer the question, but top candidates will normally be able to provide more than one factor for general questions like “Explain why there was tension in Europe in the 1930s”. They should also be confident using relevant examples intelligently and explaining the effect rather then just describing what happens.
Use examples intelligently
Strong GCSE History candidates should be confident using examples to support their argument.
Have a clear argument and structure
Using the PEE structure is a good way to show your examiner your developed reasoning and keep your argument clear, ensuring examples are tied into a broader argument. Strong GCSE History essays will paint a balanced picture of historical events but also be able to make sustained judgements and ultimately form your own opinion and response.
How Can a GCSE History Tutor Support Me?
Achieving a top grade in History GCSE requires both a strong understanding of the content and the skills to apply it effectively in exams. A GCSE History tutor can provide tailored support. A GCSE History tutor can help you master the content of your exam board by identifying gaps in your knowledge and reinforcing your understanding of key historical periods. They can support you in building a comprehensive knowledge base, ensuring you feel confident in recalling relevant facts, dates, and evidence. Additionally, tutors can introduce active recall strategies, like personalised flashcards or quizzes, to help you memorise and retain information effectively.
One of the most effective ways to prepare for exams is by practising with GCSE History past papers. A tutor can guide you through these papers, helping you understand the requirements of different question formats and tailoring feedback to improve your answers. By focusing on structure, argumentation, and the intelligent use of examples, a tutor ensures your responses align with examiner expectations and maximise your marks.
Improving exam technique is another area where a tutor can make a big difference. They can teach you how to manage your time effectively during exams and approach questions with confidence. Whether it’s learning how to tackle source-based analysis questions or practising essay planning under timed conditions, a tutor can provide expert guidance to refine your skills and develop a strong, methodical approach.
At U2 Tuition, our experienced GCSE History tutors are dedicated to helping students achieve their goals. With tailored lessons and expert insights, we can help support you to get a 9 in History GCSE. Find out more about our GCSE History tutoring services here.