QCE Ancient History past exams 2020–2026, by year and topic

The rest of the syllabus

Question-level mapping for these areas is still being verified. Every official paper covering them is in the year table above.

• Unit 1: Investigating the Ancient World (Year 11, not externally examined) — Digging up the past — nature and range of primary/secondary, ancient/modern, and archaeological sources · Contextual study of a school-selected ancient society · Depth study of a selected societal feature (e.g. beliefs/rituals/funerary practices, family, women, slavery, art/architecture, weapons/warfare, technology, entertainment)
• Unit 2: Personalities in Their Times (Year 11, not externally examined) — Social, political and economic institutions surrounding a selected key ancient personality · Differing interpretations and representations of the personality from ancient to modern times · Attributes and driving forces characterising significant ancient individuals
• Unit 3: Reconstructing the Ancient World (Year 12, internally assessed) — Assyria — from Tiglath-Pileser III to the fall of the empire · Philip II and Alexander III of Macedon · The Fall of the Western Roman Empire · The Medieval Crusades · Contextual study, depth study and concluding study structure applied to the selected topic
• Unit 4: People, Power and Authority (Year 12, externally examined) — Egypt — New Kingdom imperialism · Greece — the Persian Wars · Greece — the Peloponnesian War · Rome — the Punic Wars · Rome — Civil War and the breakdown of the Republic · Rome — the Augustan Age / Augustus (mandated EA topic 2020–2024) · Julius Caesar (EA topic 2025; choice option 2026–2027) · Cleopatra (choice option 2026–2027, new 2025 syllabus)
• External assessment skills (examinable across Unit 4 content) — Comprehending historical terms, concepts and issues relating to people, power and authority · Analysing evidence from historical sources · Synthesising evidence into a historical argument · Evaluating evidence and sources to make historical judgments