AQAA-Level298 resources

AQA A-Level History Past Papers & Mark Schemes

Download free AQA A-Level History (7042) past papers & mark schemes. All Components 1 & 2 options: Tudors, Russia, USA, Germany, Cold War & more. 298 resources.

📅June 2017 – June 2024📄298 resources available✅Free to download

Papers Overview Paper Structure Key Info Key Topics Command Words Grade Boundaries Revision Tips Try AI Tutor ✦

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298 of 298 resources — page 1 of 12

June 2023

9 files

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2Q The American Dream: reality and illusion, 1945-1980 – June 2023

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2R The Cold War, c1945-1991 – June 2023

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2M Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906-1957 – June 2023

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2S The Making of Modern Britain, 1951-2007 – June 2023

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2N Revolution and dictatorship: Russia, 1917-1953 – June 2023

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 1D Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603-1702 – June 2023

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 1J The British Empire, c1857-1967 – June 2023

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2E The English Revolution, 1625-1660 – June 2023

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 1E Russia in the Age of Absolutism and Englightenment, 1682-1796 – June 2023

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June 2022

8 files

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2Q The American Dream: reality and illusion, 1945-1980 – June 2022

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2R The Cold War, c1945-1991 – June 2022

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2M Wars and Welfare: Britain in Transition, 1906-1957 – June 2022

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2S The Making of Modern Britain, 1951-2007 – June 2022

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2N Revolution and dictatorship: Russia, 1917-1953 – June 2022

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2E The English Revolution, 1625-1660 – June 2022

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 1E Russia in the Age of Absolutism and Englightenment, 1682-1796 – June 2022

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 1K The making of a Superpower: USA, 1865-1975 – June 2022

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November 2021

2 files

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2P The Transformation of China, 1936-1997 – November 2021

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 1J The British Empire, c1857-1967 – November 2021

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November 2020

6 files

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2Q The American Dream: reality and illusion, 1945-1980 – November 2020

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2R The Cold War, c1945-1991 – November 2020

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2S The Making of Modern Britain, 1951-2007 – November 2020

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 1D Stuart Britain and the Crisis of Monarchy, 1603-1702 – November 2020

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 1J The British Empire, c1857-1967 – November 2020

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A-level History – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (A-level) : Component 2E The English Revolution, 1625-1660 – November 2020

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Breadth, Depth, and Independent Inquiry: The Three Components of AQA A-Level History

AQA A-Level History (specification code 7042) is structured around three intellectually distinct modes of historical work: broad thematic study, intensive depth analysis, and independent research. Each component rewards a different set of historical skills, and understanding what each one demands helps you target revision and coursework effort effectively. Component 1 (2 hours 30 minutes, 80 marks, 40%) is the breadth study. Each option spans a substantial period — at least 100 years — and requires students to understand change and continuity over time, not just isolated events. Options range from medieval Britain through Tudor and Stuart history, Russian history across the 19th and 20th centuries, German political history from unification to reunification, US history from post-Civil War through to Watergate, and the British Empire. Crucially, Component 1 includes a Section B essay on historical interpretations — asking students to evaluate different historians' arguments about the period, not just narrate events. Component 2 (1 hour 30 minutes, 40 marks, 20%) is the depth study. Each option covers a shorter, more focused period — typically around 50 years — requiring detailed factual precision and analytical depth. The options span medieval to modern: Wars of the Roses; the Reformation; the English Revolution; French Revolution; various 20th-century crises including International Relations 1890–1941, Democracy and Nazism in Germany, and The Cold War. Essays here must be precise and well-structured within the tight time constraint. Component 3 (40 marks, 40%) is the Historical Investigation — 3,500 to 4,500 words of independent historical research. Students select a question, identify a relevant historical debate, source and evaluate primary and secondary evidence, and construct an argued response. This component accounts for 40% of the total grade and is submitted before the exams. With 298 past papers covering all option combinations, this is the largest resource collection for AQA A-Level History.

Exam Paper Structure

Component 1No calculator

Breadth Study (100+ year span)

⏱ 2 hours 30 minutes🎯 80 marks📊 40% of grade

Section A: Short essay questions on change and continuity over the breadth periodSection B: Historical interpretations essay — evaluating different historians' arguments about the period

Component 2No calculator

Depth Study (focused period)

⏱ 1 hour 30 minutes🎯 40 marks📊 20% of grade

Short-answer questions requiring detailed factual precisionEssay questions on cause, consequence, or significance within the depth period

Key Information

Exam Board	AQA
Specification Code	7042
Qualification	A-Level
Grading Scale	A*–E
Assessment Type	2 written papers + Historical Investigation coursework
Number Of Papers	2 written papers
Exam Duration	Component 1: 2 hrs 30 mins. Component 2: 1 hr 30 mins
Historical Investigation	Independent research essay 3,500–4,500 words (40%)
Available Sessions	June 2017 – June 2024
Total Resources	298

Key Topics in History

Topics you need to know

Historical interpretations and historiography (AO3 — evaluating historians' arguments)Change and continuity over time in breadth study optionsCausation, consequence, and significance in depth study optionsSource analysis and primary evidence evaluationHistorical argument construction (structured essays)Independent Historical Investigation (coursework, 3,500–4,500 words, 40%)

Exam Command Words

Command word	What the examiner expects
Explain	Give reasons for a historical development, event, or change — analysis required, not just description
Evaluate	Assess the merits of a historian's argument using specific factual knowledge and reasoning
Assess	Weigh up different factors or interpretations to reach a reasoned, qualified judgement
How convincing	Judge a historical interpretation by testing it against your own contextual knowledge
To what extent	Establish how far a stated claim or factor accounts for a historical development — requires a qualified conclusion
How far do you agree	Develop a line of argument that considers the validity of the given statement before reaching a judgement
Using the sources	Evaluate the provided primary sources for their utility and reliability in answering the historical question

Typical Grade Boundaries

Grade	Approximate mark needed
A*	78–88%
A	68–77%
B	57–67%
C	46–56%
D	36–45%
E	26–35%

⚠️ Typical boundaries for the written papers (120 total exam marks: Component 1 80 + Component 2 40). Historical Investigation (60 marks) is internally assessed. Actual boundaries vary by series — check AQA's website.

Historical Argument, Interpretations, and the Coursework Question: AQA History Exam Technique

The Assessment Objectives operate differently across the three components, and confusing them is a major source of lost marks. AO1 rewards structured communication and factual accuracy — this applies everywhere, but without the other AOs it only reaches mid-band. AO2 rewards the ability to analyse and evaluate historical events using appropriate historical concepts (causation, consequence, change, continuity, significance) — this is what turns description into analysis. AO3 is the interpretation objective, rewarding the ability to evaluate different historians' arguments — this appears specifically in Component 1's Section B and in the Historical Investigation. Students who write descriptive essays for Component 1 Section B, without engaging with the historians' interpretations specified in the question, fail AO3 entirely. For Component 1 Section B interpretations questions, the technique is counterintuitive for many students: your own factual knowledge is used to evaluate the historian's argument, not to demonstrate what you know independently of it. Read each extract, identify its central claim and the evidence or argument it uses to support it, then assess how convincing that claim is — using your contextual knowledge to support, qualify, or challenge it. An argument that a particular factor was decisive can be evaluated by asking: what does the historian's argument omit? What does the broader evidence suggest? For Component 2, the limited time (90 minutes for typically three or four essay questions on detailed content) demands efficient planning. Plan in two minutes: state your argument, identify three or four supporting points with specific evidence, reach a conclusion. Writing a planned 4-paragraph essay in 20 minutes is more valuable than writing an unplanned 8-paragraph essay in 35 minutes. For the Historical Investigation, begin with a question where historians genuinely disagree — AO3 cannot be demonstrated without a real historiographical debate. Choose a question narrow enough to be answerable in 4,000 words but substantial enough to generate multiple perspectives. Read at least three historians' works directly (not textbook summaries) and engage with the arguments they make rather than simply noting that 'historians disagree'.

More AQA A-Level Subjects

Explore other A-Level subjects from AQA

AQA A-Level History Past Papers & Mark Schemes

Download Past Papers

June 2023

June 2022

November 2021

November 2020

Breadth, Depth, and Independent Inquiry: The Three Components of AQA A-Level History

Exam Paper Structure

Key Information

Key Topics in History

Exam Command Words

Typical Grade Boundaries

Historical Argument, Interpretations, and the Coursework Question: AQA History Exam Technique

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Psychology

English Literature B

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Politics

Sociology

Geography

Economics

English Language

German

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Panjabi

Polish

Environmental Science

Hebrew (Modern)

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