[billy.dupee]

Hi, im taking this module for the second time as i got a U the first time round at 6th form and now have to learn it by myself without teachers or a tutor.

Basically, ive been revising from books and have covered everything up until Thatcher within the time period. However, i wanted to know how much detail to go into and how much knowledge of each 'topic' or section of the period i should know. For example, im scared that i dont know enough Edward Heath government and the Seldon Park/Economic policies and other main points of his section.

In the exam would it be better to have a thinner knowledge of the whole period or a more in depth view of 2-3 areas?

Could you please also give me some pointers on how to approach the exam technique for the paper as i didnt really seem to understand it first time round, and now im living alone without money for tutors learning by myself.

Thanks in advance

[MrJohnDClare]

What a difficult task you have set yourself, and we will do all we can to help.
Please forgive me if I start off at the wrong place.

First, are you aware of what says you have to learn in the specification?

Quote

Content
Britain 1951-1964: the return to power of the Conservative Party;
post-war economic recovery and developments in society. British
reactions to plans for European integration. The Suez crisis. The
premiership of Harold Macmillan, the ‘affluent society’ and ‘the wind
of change’. The influence of CND. The Profumo Affair. The
reasons for the Labour election success of 1964.
Britain 1964-1979: social and cultural developments in ‘the Sixties’;
the changing fortunes of the main political parties, including the
influence of the trade unions and the issue of immigration.
Economic trends and the impact of the oil-price crisis of 1973.
Campaigns for and against British membership of the EEC. The
difficulties facing the governments of Harold Wilson and James
Callaghan. The reasons for Conservative victory in 1979.
Britain 1979-1997: the impact of economic crisis and recovery. The
Conservative Party and the governments of Margaret Thatcher. The
SDP-Liberal Alliance and the fundamental changes affecting the
Labour Party and its leadership. The financial crisis of 1992 and the
decline of Conservative dominance in the 1990s. The reasons for the
Labour victory of 1997.

and of the key questions around which the exam will be created:

Quote

How extensive were social, economic and cultural changes during this period?
In what ways and to what extent was there a “broad consensus” between the main political parties in the period 1951-1970?
How far, in the period 1975 – 1990, did British politics experience a ‘Thatcher revolution’?
Why did the Labour Party decline and subsequently recover in the period 1974-1997?
How successfully, in the period 1955 – 1997, did successive British governments deal with issues arising from the creation of the EEC?

I am aware that this doesn't answer your question about 'how much depth?', but it's not wasted time to start at the beginning.


NEXT, to establish how much depth is expected, you need to look at last year's question paper (2007) and markscheme (2007). Studying the markschemes will tell you what the examiners award marks for, and in how much detail they expect you to answer.
It will also be useful for you to look at the Teacher Guidance materials for this unit, which give you exemplar answers and the marks they were awarded and why.

You might also read the examiner's reports, which will tell you where pupils went wrong and went right last year (2007).


In addition, there is some Access to History help here for some questions.


When you have had a look at these materials, I am sure that you will still have many questions.
We can't promise to answer them all to your satisfaction, but if you post them on this thread we will try.