GCSE History Topics by Exam Board: Full List

GCSE History can look very different at every school. This is because each exam board offers schools a choice about which content they want to teach. For example, Edexcel offers 17 GCSE topics for schools to select from.

As a GCSE History student, it can be difficult to understand what topics you are studying and how this fits into your final GCSE assessment. This article will give a detailed breakdown of all the GCSE history topics covered in each exam board, and which paper each option is assessed in, and what revision resources SaveMyExams provide to help you ace your GCSE History exam!

AQA GCSE History Topics

AQA GCSE History is split into four studies. These are:

• The period study covers a timeframe of around 50 years, where you have to understand the developments and issues occurring at the time.

• The thematic study is a long period of history where you get to explore change and continuity.

• The wider-world depth study is a short period of world history where you get to explore key historical situations or changes in society.

• The British depth study is similar to the wider-depth study, but only focuses on British history. Within the British depth study, you will also examine a historic environment. This will focus on a particular historical site. You will need to explain how this site fits into the events and developments within the British depth study.

1. The period study

You will study one period study from the list below:

• America, 1840–1895: Expansion and consolidation.

• Germany, 1890–1945: Democracy and dictatorship.

• Russia, 1894–1945: Tsardom and communism.

• America, 1920–1973: Opportunity and inequality.

2. The thematic study 

You will study one thematic study from the list below:

• Britain: Health and the people: c1000 to the present day.

• Britain: Power and the people: c1170 to the present day.

• Britain: Migration, empires and the people: c790 to the present day.

3. The wider world depth study

You will study one wider world depth study from the list below. This study is always based on the theme of conflict and tension:

• Conflict and tension: The First World War, 1894–1918.

• Conflict and tension: The inter-war years, 1918–1939.

• Conflict and tension between East and West, 1945–1972.

• Conflict and tension in Asia, 1950–1975.

• Conflict and tension in the Gulf and Afghanistan, 1990–2009.

4. The British depth study

You will study one British depth study from the list below:

• Norman England, c1066–c1100.

• Medieval England: the reign of Edward I, 1272–1307.

• Elizabethan England, c1568–1603.

• Restoration England, 1660–1685.

The historic environment assessed in the exam changes every year. Below are the historical environments for each option for 2025 and 2026:

What is covered in AQA GCSE History Paper 1?

AQA GCSE History Paper 1 is split into two sections:

• Section A - Six questions (40 marks).

  • This section will only ask questions about the period study.

• Section B - Four questions (40 marks).

  • This section will only ask questions about the wider world depth study.

  • Question 4 has 4 additional marks for SPaG.

What is covered in AQA GCSE History Paper 2?

AQA GCSE History Paper 2 is split into two sections:

• Section A - Four questions (40 marks).

  • This section will only ask questions about the thematic study.

  • Question 4 has 4 additional marks for SPaG.

• Section B - Four questions (40 marks).

  • This section will only ask questions about the British depth study.

  • Question 4 will always be based on the historic environment.
    

Revision Resources for AQA GCSE History

At SaveMyExams, we’ve got course-specific revision notes on AQA GCSE History on a range of topics. 

Edexcel GCSE History Topics

Edexcel GCSE History is split into four studies. These are:

• The thematic study. This is a long period of history where you get to explore change and continuity.

  • Within the thematic study, you will also examine a historic environment. This will focus on a particular historical site. You will need to explain how this site fits into the events and developments within the thematic study.

• The period study covers a timeframe of around 50 years, where you have to understand the developments and issues occurring at the time.

• The British depth study focuses on a short span of British history and requires students to understand the social, economic, political, religious and/or military factors within the period.

• The modern depth study is similar to the British depth study but only focuses on history within the 21st century. It is based in a country other than Britain.

1. The thematic study 

You will study one thematic study from the list below:

• Crime and punishment in Britain, c1000–present.

• Medicine in Britain, c1250–present.

• Warfare and British society, c1250–present.

• Migrants in Britain, c800–present.

The historic environment assessed in the exam is the same every year. Below are the historical environments for each option:

2. The period study

You will study one period study from the list below:

• Spain and the ‘New World’, c1490–c1555.

• British America, 1713–83: empire and revolution.

• The American West, c1835–c1895.

• Superpower relations and the Cold War, 1941–91.

• Conflict in the Middle East, 1945–95.

3. The British depth study

You will study one British depth study from the list below:

• Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88.

• The reigns of King Richard I and King John, 1189–1216.

• Henry VIII and his ministers, 1509–40.

• Early Elizabethan England, 1558–88.

4. The modern depth study

You will study one modern depth study from the list below:

• Russia and the Soviet Union, 1917–41.

• Weimar and Nazi Germany, 1918–39.

• Mao’s China, 1945–76.

• The USA, 1954–75: conflict at home and abroad.

What is covered in Edexcel GCSE History Paper 1?

Edexcel GCSE History Paper 1 is split into two sections:

• Section A - Three questions (16 marks).

  • This section will only ask questions about the historic environment.

• Section B - Three questions (36 marks).

  • This section will only ask questions about the thematic study.

  • You have a choice whether to answer Question 5 or Question 6.

    • Answering either Question 5 or 6 has 4 additional marks for SPaG.

What is covered in Edexcel GCSE History Paper 2?

Edexcel GCSE History Paper 2 is separated into two booklets:

• Booklet P - Three questions (32 marks).

  • This section will only ask questions about the period study.

• Booklet B - Three questions (32 marks).

  • This section will only ask questions about the British depth study.

  • You have a choice whether to answer Question 3 or Question 4.

What is covered in Edexcel GCSE History Paper 3?

Edexcel GCSE History Paper 3 will only ask questions about the modern depth study.

• There are 6 questions in this paper.

• There are 52 marks available.

  • Question 3(d) has 4 additional marks for SPaG.

Revision Resources for Edexcel GCSE History

Explore our revision notes for Edexcel GCSE History on a range of topics. 

OCR GCSE History B (Schools History Project) Topics

OCR GCSE History B is split into five studies. These are:

• The thematic study is a long period of history where you get to explore change and continuity

• The British depth study is a short period of British history where you get to explore when the country faced the possibility or the actuality of invasion. This allows you to analyse the political and other important factors at this time

• History Around Us is a site study which allows schools to select a historical place to study. 

  • The chosen site could be:

    • From any period of prehistory or history

    • On any scale

    • An iconic site or a lesser-known site

    • Located at any distance from the school, including abroad

  • Students should be able to understand:

    • The positives and negatives of the physical site in showing its past

    • How the site fits into its historical context

• The period study covers a timeframe of around 50 years where you have to understand the developments and issues occurring at the time.

• The world depth study is a short period of world history where you get to explore key historical situations or changes in society.

1. The thematic study 

You will study one thematic study from the list below:

• The People’s Health, c.1250 to present.

• Crime and Punishment, c.1250 to present.

• Migrants to Britain, c.1250 to present.

2. The British depth study

You will study one British depth study from the list below:

• The Norman Conquest, 1065–1087.

• The Elizabethans, 1580–1603.

• Britain in Peace and War, 1900–1918.

3. History Around Us

• Schools decide what historic site students will study for this section. 

4. The period study

You will study one period study from the list below:

• Viking Expansion, c.750–c.1050.

• The Mughal Empire, 1526–1707.

• The Making of America, 1789–1900.

5. The world depth study

You will study one world depth study from the list below:

• The First Crusade, c.1070–1100.

• Aztecs and the Spanish Conquest, 1519–1535.

• Living under Nazi Rule, 1933–1945.

What is covered in OCR GCSE History B Paper 1?

OCR GCSE History B Paper 1 is split into two sections:

• Section A - Four questions (40 marks).

  • This section will only ask questions about the thematic study.

  • You have a choice whether to answer Question 4 or Question 5.

• Section B - Five questions (40 marks).

  • This section will only ask questions about the British depth study.

  • You have a choice whether to answer Question 8 or Question 9.

What is covered in OCR GCSE History B Paper 2?

OCR GCSE History B Paper 2 is based entirely on the site study that your school has chosen.

• This section is worth 40 marks.

• You have to answer two questions out of a choice of three.

• There are 10 marks available for SPaG.

What is covered in OCR GCSE History B Paper 3?

OCR GCSE History B Paper 3 is split into two sections:

• Section A - Four questions (40 marks).

  • This section will only ask questions about the period study.

  • You have a choice whether to answer Question 4 or Question 5.

• Section B - Four questions (40 marks).

  • This section will only ask questions about the world depth study.

  • You have a choice whether to answer Question 8 or Question 9.

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GCSE History Revision Resources

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