Should I take
GCSE
History?
There are four things I need to think
about first…
1
2
3
4
Will I enjoy it?
Will it help me get a job?
Will it help me to become
a better person?
Will it give me access to A
- levels?
Well,
do
employers value
History?
YES!
The skills that are
taught within the
subject are very useful
in work, study and life.
With a History GCSE you will be
able to:
Use information to help you solve a problem
or issue at home or at work.
Weigh up the evidence carefully before
making decisions. You don’t take everything
at face-value – you listen to both sides of the
story.
Make good decisions based on the evidence.
Understand how and why humans behave as
they do by looking at how they behaved in
the past – a must have skill if your job
involves working with other people!
Learn how to express yourself clearly and
make yourself heard. This is a good skill to
have for job interviews and in any career!
YOU ARE
TAUGHT TO
THINK AND
THEN
MAKE UP
YOUR OWN
MIND !!!
The Beauty of History is…
 That it’s your opinion that counts!
Not
convinced?
In this rapidly changing world
employers want people who are:
Able to think for themselves.
Open-minded.
Disciplined.
Good at problem solving.
Able to pick out the important things.
They want…
people who
have
studied
Histor
Enough about History!
 How have other people
made a history
qualification work for
them?
Right, you asked.
Here we go!
Dermot Murnaghan:
Journalist and Presenter.
Melvyn Bragg: Journalist,
Presenter and Author.
Jonathan Ross: Journalist
and Presenter
David Sainsbury: Chairman
of Sainsbury’s
Go on…try
something new
today…
Take History
GCSE!
Diane Abbott: MP and First
Black Female Cabinet
Minister.
Louis Theroux: Television
Jounalist.
Chris Martin: Lead Singer of
Coldplay
What do you
mean you want
to call the song
“The Scientist?!”
I’m a Historian!
Sacha Baron Cohen:
Comedian
Is it coz I is
a
Historian?
Al Murray: Comedian
Gordon Brown: Prime Minister and
MP
Hmm, now
how did Henry
VIII solve that
credit
crunch??
Alex Salmond: Leader of the
Scottish National Party.
Others Who Have Studied
History…
Shakira – Pop Star
Lauryn Hill - Pop Star
Anita Roddick – Founder of the Body Shop
This man didn’t study History….
 But wishes he
had!
“I wish I had
studied
History”
Of course, history wasn’t the
only thing that ensured the
success of these people, but
certainly the life skills
gained from the subject
would have played a big part!
History is not all about museums you
know!....
 What can I do with a history qualification?
Had you thought about….
What is the point
of studying the
past?
How can that develop me as a person?
Surely it’s the present that matters!
The past
is our spotlight
on the present!
You’ll enjoy looking at the past! It’s
fun! People in the past were every
bit as clever, stupid, great, evil,
interesting and varied in
personality as people today.
“
The broad mass of
the nation will more
easily fall victim to a
large lie than a
small one.
”
Adolf Hitler, 1925
Students of history will be less likely to
believe large lies – or small ones!
You won’t fall asleep in history, that’s for sure!
You might think that all you’ll be
doing in history is trying to
remember lots of dates and facts…
Not True!
So what
do
students
actually
do in
history
lessons?
History is taught in many ways…
.
But History is a vast subject
What will I
study?
Are you beginning to think
this subject
is for
you?
Are you
Curious? Do you
like finding the
reasons why
something might
have happened?
Are you
prepared to
become an
investigator and
research topics
for yourself?
Does it
excite you to think
that you could
solve problems
that have puzzled
people in the
past?
Do you
like to form your
own opinions,
even if they might
be different from
those of your
friends - or
teachers?
Are you
prepared to stand
your ground and
argue your case if
you have enough
evidence to back up
your argument?
Well,
GCSE
History
is…..
H ard but rewarding work.
I nteresting!
tudy of real people in a living past!
S
opical!
T
O f real value in employment!
elevant!
R
makes us ask why, why, why!
Y
Remember…
History is a useful – a vital – subject but…
to do your best you must enjoy your study.
Don’t take history because you feel
you ought to…
but because you want to!
Studying the past
may just
brighten
your
future!