CIE History (0470)
IGCSE Guidance for History 0470
Details of the assessment:
Under History, the Cambridge exam board has assigned each student to sit a Structured
Question (Paper 1) and Document Questions (Paper 2), and/or Alternative to coursework (Paper 4) exams at the end of the 2-year IGCSE course. Alternatively, in Paper 4, school curricula may choose to pick Component 3, which means candidates will have to complete coursework.
Your school will either pick the coursework OR the alternative to coursework, NOT BOTH.
Structure/weighting of each exam component
Paper 1 Structured Questions:
- 2 hours long
- Out of 60 marks
- Will take up 40% of your final grade
- Candidates will answer 2 questions from Section A (core content option A: The nineteenth century: the development of modern nation states, 1848–1914 OR core content option B: The twentieth century: international relations from 1919), and 1 question from Section B, which will be a chosen depth study that you have studied during the 2 years. All 3 questions will be answered in the format of a three-part essay, sections a), b), and c).
Paper 2 Document Questions:
- 1 hour and 45 minutes long
- Out of 40 marks
- Will take up 30% of your final grade
- Candidates will answer 1 question with multiple parts to it on a prescribed topic from Section A, which will be chosen by the Cambridge Exam board. There will be a series of sources that need to be analyzed in order to answer the question appropriately.
Component 3 Coursework:
- Out of 40 marks
- Will take up 30% of your final grade
- Internally and externally assessed
- Candidates will write one essay on a depth study from the syllabus or a depth study devised by the center, which means it can be on any topic within the study.
Or Paper 4 Alternative to Coursework:
- 1 hour long
- Out of 40 marks
- Will take up 30% of your final grade
- Candidates will answer 1 question on a depth study, which it will be split and answered in two parts, part a) and b).
Cambridge IGCSE History is an incredible opportunity for students to learn about world history during the 19th and 20th centuries. It stimulates candidates to become inquirers and cultivates skills, knowledge, and understanding to ace the exam.
Students learning this course will view the content from various perspectives, including social, economic, cultural, and political.
As a History IGCSE Cambridge learner, you are expected to have these qualities:
- Confident: Exploring key historical ideas, such as the source and effect, change and continuity, and similarity and difference.
- Responsible: Recognizes the importance of historical sources and learning effective methods to interpret and use them.
- Reflective: Obtaining deeper awareness of global issues and the connections between different nations and societies.
- Innovative: Constructs well-structured, logical, and persuasive arguments.
- Engaged: Fosters genuine curiosity and enthusiasm for understanding how the past has shaped the present.
After the MOC exams, understand your weak and strong areas, and create a plan moving forward to do the best of your ability in your final exams.
Written by Amelie Larsen Matsumoto