Any history teachers around? I'm not one of ^those^ parents! honestly......

[curlew]

........but ds has just had a history project on the English Civil War back marked "6A- nearly a 7!" and he is desperate to get a 7 for his next one, on the French Revolution. Obviously he has to ask his teacher, but he won't be able to do that til next week, so in the meantime, any ideas what he needs to do to hit the magic number?

Hard to say without reading essay but using empathy seems to be mentioned a lot in history. Also, seeing both sides of a debate and including unbiased references. Does that help at all ???!!

It does! I come from an era where you weren't allowed opinions until A level, and even then there was only a choice of two- so I am not help to him at all!

Commenting on what some historians think, both sides of arguments etc.

Is there perhaps a list online of what the different levels require? There must be, surely?

I'm sure there is, BOF- I was hoping that somebody had already done the work for me. Asking on Mumsnet seems OK- searching on the internet smacks of that sort of mother..........!

Ds was told to move up a notch he needed to cite a couple of historians and throw in a few quotes. Suitable ones can be found quite easily with a 2-second Google. Also, disagree with mumsneedwine: I think biased references are quite good, so long as there follows some dissection.

Thank you. He's determined to come home and crack on with it today, so any more advice gratefully received! I wonder if he could cunningly link the Civil War stuff he's done with the French Revolution. His big sister gave him an unsolicited lecture on the Age of Enlightenment last night, which damped his enthusiasm a bit......

Historical reenactor here (and I have taught history but (a) not this era, and (b) didn't get into the mechanism of exams.

So my help is limited mainly to tidbits that may spark his imagination and get him looking up the facts&figures to learn more (but it sounds like he might need this after his sister's lecture!):

The French revolution changed the landscape of France. Literally. Prior to it, teeny medieval streets were the norm. After, savvy local and national governments eschewed this type for the wider street that was harder to barricade. They invented the Boulevard as a result of the Revolution.

I know this bit from "the other side" (we do [British] Georgian era): A major reason the British Navy was so much better than the others was that we trained our sailors with live ammunition and they didn't. Why? Because our military machinery didn't involve committees that had to approve budgets. Yes, this is a case where too much democracy wasn't really all that helpful to the country's good. (Worked for us, though. )

I'm sure DS knows that what went on in France directly affected the forming of America: its own constitution was written up in 1791, during the worst of the Horrors. That might be worth exploring.

PS - I'm sure DS already knows it wasn't Marie Antoinette who said "let them eat ", but I mention it just in case. I believe it was her grandmother-in-law about 100 years previous to the revolution.

Facts, figures, evidence, quotes, opinions for and against by historians and why they think what they do. Conclusion giving own views and why

Oh yeah always define key words in the topic/essay title e.g. French Revolution when, where and who involved

Depends what he is not doing. 6a is excellent (what year is he btw because I would expect more from a year 9 than a year 8 for example).

I would be delighted to see one of my pupils doing this well and looking to extend and improve.

I would particularly be looking for them to explain and analyse and show understanding of different interpretations of history rather than just give a descriptive narrative; and to explain why views are different on some historical events and why some people/events are seen as more important/significant than others.

I would be looking for them to use primary (from the time period) historical sources to support their work and being able to say why some sources provide better or more convincing evidence than others e.g. they are more reliable, good provenance (who said it, when etc) what the limitations are, impact of bias etc. It is very important he test the value of the source as evidence not just explain what the source tells him.

I don't think you would be seen as 'one of those parents' - I am always telling students/parents what their DC need to do to hit the next level/sub level. But do remind him what normal expected progress is, and that he mustn't be disappointed if it takes a while to get to the next level. Developing skills can take time, and History is about showing understanding, being able to analyse and explain; not about remembering lists of dates or simply describing a narrative. It is a hard subject in many respects which puts a lot of challenges in front of pupils in terms of reading comprehension, written communication and analytical abilities.

www.education.gov.uk/schools/teachingandlearning/curriculum/secondary/b00199545/history/attainment will give you the attainment targets and help you/him prepare for his next task. Remind him too that whilst it is good to aim to achieve higher grades he can challenge himself in other ways. For example if he is getting these excellent grades by always writing a report or essay, think about how he does in a speech or a presentation. Can he still achieve great grades when asked to present his work in an alternative way. Can he put his work together to make a film, complete with soundtrack and subtitles etc. He can challenge himself in many ways. It is good to try a variety of research and presentation methods as he will identify his own strengths, see what he needs to improve in and also stop himself from becoming to reliant on doing what has 'always worked' before.

Give him a pat on the back. 6a is a terrific achievement.

Thank you everyone! As I said, I can't get my head round "proper" historical thinking before A Level- for me, history was just lots of facts til then. He had a lovely time with the Civil War project- he did all sorts of things like writing a letter from an outraged farmer to his insurance company about the damage a lot of Royalist soldiers had done to his crops... I blame Horrible Histories!
Think you adoptmama for reassuring me- I do worry about being one of "them"! He's in Year 8, by the way. I do want to encourage the enthusiasm while it's still there, before he becomes a surly can't-be-arsed Year 9!

I will condense all your lovely help and offer it to him before he disappears to his room tomorrow afternoon to put all his information together. I will resist the urge to read it before he hands it in- I won't be able to stop myself making suggestions and correcting his unfortunate tendency to get where and were mixed up.