Historical study task   

Historical study task (2000 words)

Students undertake an individual historical study based on an aspect of the world since c.1750. Students inquire into, explore, and research a historical idea, event, person, or group in depth. They interpret and synthesise evidence to support their argument and draw conclusions.

The focus of the historical study may be chosen by the teacher, or negotiated by a student.

The historical study may be presented in written, oral, or multimodal form.

The historical study must enable students to:

  • design and answer a specific question

  • apply the skills of historical inquiry to examine and evaluate sources

  • develop a reasoned historical argument, based on analysis and interpretation of evidence from sources

  • draw conclusions supported by evidence

  • use subject-specific language

  • appropriately acknowledge the sources used

Task outline: How to research and write your historical study

Step 1: Select a topic of interest to you

You will need to find an area of interest from 1750 onwards.

Your topic needs to be something you can argue, like our first essay. It can't be an overly popularised or broad topic for instance, 'why did the Cold War start?' would be too basic. You need to find a niche.

Brainstorm your topics using a lotus diagram

Conduct research into all your topics of interest. 

Step 2: Make a proposal using the following outline:

Your Historical Study question will be in the form of a proposition and will invite a reasoned historical argument. In your opening line you will declare the extent to which you agree with the proposition. You can either supply a proposition or lead in with a phrase: To what extent … or Evaluate the proposition that …

  • My Historical Study Topic is:

  • Historical Study Question:

  • Brief 350-500 word overview of my topic:

  • List of possible paragraphs

  • List of resources:

Step 3: Begin to formalise your research. 

Collate your research material.

You will need to collect a large range of primary and secondary sources. A sound A grade will have around 20-30 sources, mostly primary.

Keep reference list with all of your hyperlinks or quotes or primary sources within it.  

Keep all sources you find that are useful - you never know when it will come in handy.

During this stage, you may need to alter your question or proposition. This is completely normal and a good thing to do. Sometimes research does guide our decision making as historians.

Step 4: Create an essay plan - see below

Create a detailed plan of your paragraphs, your arguments including the counter argument and research you will use for each paragraph.

Step 5: Write and submit the draft.

See the task checklist for a final check before submitting your draft

Step 6: Finalise the drafting comments

Step 7: Write the final!

Essay planning

Paragraphs are beautiful - a four step fail safe plan 

To do: Writing a TEEL paragraph

  1. Topic: Begin EACH  new paragraph with a clear and precise topic sentence that refers directly to the content of the paragraph. The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about, or its main idea

  2. Explain: Explain what you mean in greater detail.

  3. Evidence: Provide evidence to support your idea or claim. To do this, refer to your research. This may include: case studies, statistics, documentary evidence, academic books or journal articles. Remember that all evidence will require appropriate citation.

  4. Link: Summarise the main idea of the paragraph, and make clear how this paragraph supports your overall argument. The linking sentence links one paragraph to the next and provides another device for helping you ensure your text is cohesive. 

Essay Guide: Referencing Guidelines

When do you need an endnote/ footnote?

  • Quotes

  • Paraphrasing

  • Facts and figures

  • Images 

How to footnote

  1. The first time you footnote a book, article or document you need to list it in full as follows:

  2. Jones, E., A collection of inappropriate remarks made in the History classroom, Penguin, 2024, p.34

  3. If you quote from Inappropriate Remarks as your next quote you don’t write out the whole author/title again you simply use the abbreviation ibid., p#

  4. If you quote from the same source, same page it is simply ibid.

  5. If your next quote is from a different source, you need to write out full reference: author surname, initials, title in italics, publisher, year of publication, page number.

  6. If your next quote is again from Inappropriate Remarks, you simply put the author’s name and initials and the abbreviation op.cit., p#

Footnote samples

  1. Jones, E., A collection of inappropriate remarks made in the History classroom, Penguin, 2024, p.34

  2. ibid.

  3. ibid., p.38

  4. McKenzie, C.M., Please don't make me go back in there. A classroom memoir, Featherhead, 2019, p.11

  5. Jones, E., op.cit., p.59

Example reference list

Bibliography:

Aub.edu.lb.libguides.com. (2020). LibGuides: Lebanese Civil War: 1975-1991: Home. [online] Available at: https://aub.edu.lb.libguides.com/LebaneseCivilWar.

Badran, T., 2008. The Lebanese Civil War. MERIA: Middle East Review of International Affairs, 12(2), pp.MERIA: Middle East Review of International Affairs, June 2008, Vol.12(2).

Crawford, M. & Army Command General Staff Coll Fort Leavenworth KS School Of Advanced Military Studies, 2010. Civil War and Intervention: Lessons Remembered From the Lebanese Civil War and the U.S. Response.

According to the SACE Board, the more successful historical studies commonly:

  • focussed on a historical topic that had a clearly defined contextual focus and specific scope, including time frame and place

  • focussed on a question that invited reasoned historical argument. This approach was critical to allow students the opportunity to achieve at the higher-grade bands of Application and Exploration

  • demonstrated the use of a variety of primary and secondary sources, including speeches, diaries, artwork, propaganda and eyewitness accounts. These sources were used to demonstrate a critical understanding of evidence

  • were film analysis and literature analysis style questions. Higher achieving students used these texts as historical sources and engaged in a reasoned historical argument of reliability and limitations. Most successful essays carefully chose other primary and secondary sources to compare and contrast these

  • used correct conventions of history essay writing, with clearly defined and relevant arguments

  • included and evaluated different perspectives from e.g., active or passive participants, commentators or historians

  • ended with a comprehensive conclusion which provided a direct answer to the question, summarised the main arguments and often incorporated implications of the answer

  • used a consistent form of referencing and a bibliography and adhered to the word count

  • demonstrated a high level of academic research being undertaken. This was evident by students who showed a sophisticated use and engagement of historiography

  • demonstrated careful consideration of the types of sources used — including use of academic journals and scholarly works

  • demonstrated critical thinking skills when discussing and evaluating relevant sources

  • demonstrated critical thinking skills when discussing and evaluating both internal and external issues and challenges, or long term and short-term interactions and relationships.

  • evaluated the differing views and perspectives of historians and/or contemporaries

  • focused on a historical topic that had a clearly defined and specific scope, including time frame and place 

  • focused on a question that invited reasoned historical argument; this approach allowed students the opportunity to achieve at the higher grade bands

  • demonstrated the use of a variety of primary and secondary sources, including speeches, diaries, film, literature, artwork, propaganda and eyewitness accounts.

  • demonstrated a critical understanding of evidence

  • drew conclusions and provided evidence to justify them

  • compared and contrasted the reliability and limitations of sources

  • adopted the structural conventions of history essay writing

  • established clearly defined and relevant arguments and offered a clear counter argument

  • engaged with and integrated a variety of primary and secondary sources as supporting evidence

  • demonstrated a high level of academic research being undertaken evidenced by a sophisticated understanding of and engagement with historiography

  • demonstrated careful consideration of the types of sources used including use of academic journals and scholarly works.