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A-Level History Tutoring & Prep Course

One-to-one A-Level History tutoring, with full past-paper practice and a personalised study plan built around your target grade.

Since 2008, TestPrep Europe has taught A-Level History through one-to-one tutoring and small-group courses on its own online learning platform. The programme combines the A-Level syllabus with subject teaching, problem solving and past-paper practice.

One-to-one and small groups · Live online · Edexcel, AQA, OCR and Cambridge specifications

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About the subject

A-Level History: what it covers and who it suits

A-Level History tutoring at TestPrep Europe covers AQA, OCR, Edexcel, WJEC / Eduqas and Cambridge International (9489). The exam details on this page follow AQA 7042; structure varies by board and syllabus code. We teach breadth and depth studies, source evaluation, historians' interpretations and the non-exam assessment (NEA / coursework / personal study), with explicit attention to argumentative writing.

  • AQA, OCR, Edexcel, WJEC / Eduqas and Cambridge International specifications mapped explicitly
  • Source evaluation (provenance, content, context and value) practised against each board's mark schemes
  • Historians' interpretations taught where each spec assesses them (for AQA: the Component 1 extracts question and the NEA)
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A-Level History builds critical thinking, argumentation and evidence-based writing skills. It is valuable preparation for law, politics, journalism, diplomacy and academic careers, and the habit of questioning sources and weighing competing interpretations carries straight into university study.

A-Level History combines critical analysis of the past with high-level academic writing. In AQA 7042, the breadth study asks students to track change and continuity across a period of around 100 years and to evaluate historians' interpretations; the depth study demands close reading of primary sources from a shorter, defined era. The Historical Investigation (NEA) is an independent 3,500–4,500-word study of a question the student chooses. Our programme combines structured essay-writing instruction, source-evaluation training and one-to-one guidance through the NEA, within AQA's rules on independent work.

One-to-one A-Level History tutoring

Our one-to-one A-Level tutoring is built around your current grade, your target grade and the exam board you are sitting. Each lesson works on your weak topics, drills AQA, OCR, Edexcel, CIE past-paper questions and walks through mark schemes, so you know exactly how marks are awarded.

A private group for A-Level History

There is no open group timetable for this subject. Bring 3 or more students together and we open a private group course for you. The price per student depends on how many subjects you take, with 30 hours of live lessons in each: 1 subject (30 hours) €1,026, 2 subjects (60 hours) €1,919, 3 subjects (90 hours) €2,677 and 4 subjects (120 hours) €3,480. Each student buys their own place online, and we let you know as soon as your group is ready.

Exam

A-Level History exam format

Exam boards: AQA, OCR, Edexcel, CIE

  • Component 1: Breadth study (AQA 7042)

    40%

    2 hours 30 minutes, 80 marks. A period of around 100 years (e.g. 1C The Tudors: England, 1485–1603). Section A: one compulsory question on historical interpretations (30 marks); Section B: two essays from three (2 × 25 marks).

  • Component 2: Depth study (AQA 7042)

    40%

    2 hours 30 minutes, 80 marks. A period of major historical change studied in depth. Section A: one compulsory question on primary sources (30 marks); Section B: two essays from three (2 × 25 marks).

  • Component 3: Historical investigation (AQA 7042)

    20%

    Non-exam assessment: a personal study of 3,500–4,500 words, 40 marks, on a question the student sets within a context of about 100 years, not duplicating the Component 1 and 2 options. One of Components 1 and 2 must be a British option and the other non-British, and the three components together must cover at least 200 years.

One-to-One Tutoring

A-Level History Private Tutoring

Fully customised one-to-one A-Level tutoring with experienced Cambridge / Edexcel specialists. A* preparation across every A-Level subject.

  • A fully personalised A-Level lesson plan
  • Maths, Further Maths, Sciences, Economics and every other subject
  • Past-paper and mock-exam-driven coaching
  • Flexible schedule and pacing

How it works

  1. 1

    Tell us your goal

    We start from your school syllabus, your exam date and the result you are aiming for.

  2. 2

    Your own plan

    We map out the lessons you need, unit by unit.

  3. 3

    Live one-to-one lessons

    Meet your tutor online at times that suit your week.

  4. 4

    Regular progress checks

    Homework and a short check after each lesson show how you are getting on.

Start one-to-one A-Level History

Per lesson in a package, from

€85

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Ideal for students aiming at A*, Oxbridge or Russell Group universities, or anyone who needs help in specific subjects.

Book one-to-one lessons

No package needed — you can book a single lesson.

Even our newest A-Level tutor has been teaching A-Level prep since 2016.

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Lessons cancelled less than 3 hours before the start count as taken. Full terms

Included in lessons

Practice built into your A-Level History lessons

Every topic you cover in A-Level History is reinforced with question sets your tutor puts together for you. This programme has no separately sold question bank or practice test.

Mock exams included in the programme
  • Targeted questions on every topic
  • Practice sets built around your weak areas
  • Exam-style practice with past papers and mark schemes
  • Worked solutions and feedback on every question

Syllabus

A-Level History topics

Topic names are those of the AQA 7042 specification; other exam boards order and name them a little differently.

1

Component 1: Breadth study

  • The study of significant historical developments over a period of around 100 years and associated interpretations.
2

Component 2: Depth study

  • The study in depth of a period of major historical change or development and associated primary evidence.
3

Component 3: Historical investigation (non-exam assessment)

  • A personal study based on a topic of student's choice. This should take the form of a question in the context of approximately 100 years. It must not duplicate the content of options chosen for Components 1 and 2.

Approach

How we teach A-Level History

Study plan

  1. 1

    Phase 1 — Breadth study

    Year 12: a period of around 100 years

    • Chronological overview and key turning points
    • Interpretations practice with historians' extracts
  2. 2

    Phase 2 — Depth study

    Year 12: a shorter period in depth

    • Detailed evidence and analysis
    • Primary-source value drills
  3. 3

    Phase 3 — Historical Investigation (NEA)

    Year 13: independent study

    • Question, title approval and research
    • Three primary sources and two historians' interpretations
    • Drafting within 3,500–4,500 words
  4. 4

    Phase 4 — Revision + mocks

    Year 13: both exam papers

    • Past-paper essay drills
    • Full timed mocks (2 hours 30 minutes each)

How lessons work

  • Source skills as habit

    Source evaluation (provenance, style and emphasis, content, set against the context) is practised from the first weeks, not left to the final month.

  • Interpretations as argument

    AQA's Component 1 asks students to test the arguments in three extracts against their knowledge of the period, and the NEA asks them to compare two academic historians. We teach both explicitly, rather than name-dropping.

  • NEA as research

    NEA is structured as a real research project — focused question, evidence base, argument, evaluation. Final work remains the student's own.

Advice

A-Level History: common mistakes and study tips

  • MistakeSource answers focused on bias alone.

    FixJudge each source's value through its provenance, style and emphasis, and content, tied to the historical context (AQA Component 2, Section A). Comment on bias alone, or generic comment without context, earns little.

  • MistakeEssays without specific evidence.

    FixTop bands need precise dates, named figures and located events. Vague answers under-score.

  • MistakeHistorians' views dropped in as quotes.

    FixIn AQA's Component 1 interpretations question, identify each extract's argument and test it against your knowledge of the context; knowledge unrelated to the extracts earns no credit. In the NEA, evaluate two academic historians' interpretations, including when and in what context they wrote.

  • MistakeConclusion that doesn't return to the question.

    FixAlways restate a justified judgement on the original question, not a summary.

  • MistakeNEA without a clear, debatable question.

    FixFrame a focused question on an issue historians disagree about, set in a context of about 100 years; AQA suggests formats such as 'To what extent…' or 'Assess the validity of this view'. The final work remains the student's own.

Study tips

  • Write thesis-driven essays; every paragraph should support a central claim with evidence.
  • On the Component 2 primary-source question, judge each source's value through its provenance, style and emphasis, and content, always tied to the historical context.
  • In the Component 1 interpretations question, identify the arguments in the three extracts and test how convincing they are against your knowledge of the period; knowledge unrelated to the extracts earns no credit.
  • Choose a focused NEA question on an issue historians debate, set within a context of about 100 years, as AQA requires.

Ready to raise your A-Level History grade?

You can start one-to-one A-Level History lessons with a single lesson. Every package and price is on one page.

  • Live one-to-one lessons online
  • No package needed — book a single lesson
  • Lesson times that fit your school week
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FAQ

A-Level History Prep — Frequently Asked Questions

The questions students ask most about A-Level History preparation.

AQA 7042 offers 11 breadth-study and 19 depth-study options, including 1C The Tudors: England, 1485–1603; 1H Tsarist and Communist Russia, 1855–1964; and 2O Democracy and Nazism: Germany, 1918–1945. Schools usually choose the options, so you study the ones yours teaches.

Law, Political Science, International Relations, Journalism, Education and History itself.

There's no fair ranking: the boards assess the same core skills in different structures. AQA 7042, which this page follows, assesses historians' interpretations through extracts in Component 1, primary sources in Component 2, and both in the NEA. Cambridge International 9489 is examined through four written papers with no coursework. We work from your school's specification.

In AQA 7042 the Historical Investigation is 20% of the A-Level (40 marks): 3,500–4,500 words, and AQA deducts five marks if it runs over 4,500. Plan early: your school must send AQA the title for approval by 20 October in the year before you finish the course.

Specific dates and names matter; rote memorisation alone doesn't. Top bands integrate evidence into argument.

There is no standard figure: it depends on your starting point, the options your school teaches and how much support you want with the NEA. A Free Intro Call is the place to scope a plan.

The money-back guarantee covers live lessons. If you are not satisfied after your first private lesson, we refund your payment in full.

Lessons cancelled less than 3 hours before the start count as taken and are not refunded. A lesson that has not been paid for 3 hours before it starts is cancelled automatically.

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