TCE Ancient History course document — modules explained
TASC Ancient History Level 3 asks how we know what we know about the ancient world, how ancient societies were organised, and how far individuals shaped them. The written examination is three compulsory essays: one on the evidence and interpretations of a site, event or era, one on the political, social, economic and cultural structures of the same civilisation, and one on the power and influence of a prescribed individual — each rated against TASC's extended A+ to z criteria rather than marked out of a raw total. This is an original ATARMAxxing study resource built from TASC's published documents; it is not affiliated with or endorsed by TASC.
ANH315117 Ancient History Level 3 course document, Version 3a (accreditation renewed without amendment on 25 September 2025; available from 1 January 2026; current for 2026), read with the ANH315117 External Assessment Specifications Version 3 (February 2025) · guide last reviewed . Always check the current course document on the TASC site ↗.
ANH315117 Ancient History Level 3 course document, Version 3a (accreditation renewed without amendment on 25 September 2025; available from 1 January 2026; current for 2026), read with the ANH315117 External Assessment Specifications Version 3 (February 2025)
The external written examination runs for 3 hours of working time with 15 minutes of preparation time beforehand (notes on the supplied note paper and highlighting key words only; the exam starts when the supervisor says so). There is no information sheet, and no notes or texts may be brought in. Each section has ONE compulsory essay question of about 60 minutes, answered in its own booklet with the civilisation letter on the cover. Section A (Criteria 3, 4 and 5) applies a general question to the student's Section A topic: the Battle of Kadesh, the destruction of Troy, Delphi, Masada, the Roman Games, the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, or the Ziggurats of Mesopotamia. Section B (Criteria 3, 4 and 6) is on the same civilisation and must address one or more core elements and at least one key feature. Section C (Criteria 3, 4 and 7) is on one individual from a prescribed list of 21 and may use a different civilisation. Every question requires primary and secondary evidence. TASC does not publish a percentage weighting or raw mark: the paper supplies ratings for Criteria 3–7 and the External Assessment Specifications state that each section carries equal weight. ATARMAxxing's practice papers use an indicative 180-mark scheme (60 marks per section) purely as a study allocation mapped onto those criteria — it is not TASC's grading method, and every practice paper and marking guide says so.
Past papers on this subject span more than one course document. Papers written under an older one still work as practice, but the modules they test have changed — the index labels every paper with the course document it was set under.
ANH315117 — current for 2026 (Version 3a; External Assessment Specifications Version 3, February 2025) · 2021–current
The modules, one by one
Each area below lists the concepts named in the course document, what the TASC exam asks of them, and the mistake that most often costs marks.
Historical skills — evidence and communication (Criteria 3 and 4)
Section A — Investigating the Ancient World
Section B — Structure of an Ancient Society
Section C — The Nature of Power and Authority
Area 1 of 4
Historical skills — evidence and communication (Criteria 3 and 4)
Criteria 3 and 4 are rated in all three essays, so they reward the same habits everywhere: a thesis-led introduction that uses the question's terms, topic sentences that argue rather than narrate, accurate expression in the past tense and third person, and evidence that is synthesised rather than listed. TASC's assessment reports are blunt that an essay without at least one primary and one secondary source cannot rate above C on Criterion 4, that reputable modern scholars should be named as the subject of a sentence rather than tucked into brackets, and that encyclopaedias and websites are not acceptable sources. Planning a short source list before each essay and pacing the three hours evenly are part of the skill.
What the exam asks
Where marks go missing
Area 2 of 4
Section A — Investigating the Ancient World
Section A is historiography through one case study chosen from seven: the Battle of Kadesh, the destruction of Troy, Delphi, Masada, the Roman Games, the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties, or the Ziggurats of Mesopotamia. Students learn the chronological and geographical context, the key archaeological and written sources, and the competing interpretations and representations from antiquity to today — for example Ramesses II's victory narrative against modern stalemate readings, or Josephus against Yadin's excavations. The exam rewards analysis of the origin, purpose and context of evidence, the effect of omission, selection and gaps on validity, and a reasoned judgement about which interpretations hold up.
What the course document lists under this area · 8 points
Historical methodology: primary and secondary sources, origin, purpose, context, reliability, contestability, omission and gaps
A1 Egypt: The Battle of Kadesh (1274 BC)
A2 Greece: The destruction of Troy (c. 1180 BC)
A3 Greece: Delphi (c. 800–300 BC)
A4 Rome: Masada (AD 73–74)
A5 Rome: The Roman Games (c. 1st century AD)
A6 China: Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties (c. 2100–256 BC)
A7 Assyria: Ziggurats of Mesopotamia (Ziggurat of Ur, c. 2100 BC)
What the exam asks
Where marks go missing
Area 3 of 4
Section B — Structure of an Ancient Society
Section B studies the same civilisation's political, social, economic and cultural structures and practices within a defined period (for example Archaic and Early Classical Greece, or Pompeii and Herculaneum for Rome), using at least one key feature as evidence: Arts, Architecture and Drama; Weapons and Warfare; Technology and Engineering; Women and Family; or Beliefs, Rituals and Funerary Practices. Strong essays link a named core element to a key feature through specific events, sites and sources, and show historical context as concrete change over time rather than general attitudes. Markers warn against catalogues of features, leader biographies and modern value judgements.
What the course document lists under this area · 6 points
Core elements: political, social, economic and cultural structures and practices
Feature 1: Arts, Architecture and Drama (Thebes; Athenian Agora, Acropolis and Kerameikos; Pompeii and Herculaneum; Xianyang and the Qin mausoleum; Nimrud)
Feature 2: Weapons and Warfare
Feature 3: Technology and Engineering
Feature 4: Women and Family
Feature 5: Beliefs, Rituals and Funerary Practices
What the exam asks
Where marks go missing
Area 4 of 4
Section C — The Nature of Power and Authority
Section C is a study of human agency through one prescribed individual: Mentuhotep II, Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, Horemheb or Ramesses II; Solon, Cleomenes I, Peisistratus, Themistocles or Thucydides; Cicero, Sulla, Julius Caesar, Livia or Augustus; Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang or Cao Cao; or Tiglath-Pileser, Sargon II or Ashurbanipal. Students examine the nature of power in the society, the individual's background and rise, motivations, methods, relationships, threats, impact and legacy, and how they were depicted in life and judged after death. The exam asks for evaluation — how far the individual shaped their society and how far they were shaped by it — supported by ancient sources and modern scholarship.
What the exam asks
Where marks go missing
Common questions
Does the real TASC Ancient History exam have 180 marks?
No. TASC rates every criterion using extended ratings from A+ to z, and the papers' Guide to Exam Structure and the External Assessment Specifications (Version 3, February 2025) confirm there is no marks-based total. The 180-mark scheme on this hub (60 per section) is ATARMAxxing's indicative study allocation, mapped onto the criteria each section is rated on — it is not an official TASC mark scheme.
Can I choose which question to answer?
Not between questions: each section has one compulsory essay. The choice is in what you apply it to — your Section A topic from the printed table, your civilisation's core elements and key features in Section B, and one individual from the prescribed list in Section C. Questions are deliberately general, so prepared essays must be adapted to the exact wording.
Do I have to use the same civilisation for all three essays?
Sections A and B must be on the same civilisation. Section C may use a different civilisation, and recent assessment reports say students are not disadvantaged by doing so if they research the context thoroughly. If you studied the Battle of Kadesh in Section A, you cannot write on Ramesses II in Section C.
How many sources do I need in each essay?
At least one primary and one secondary source in every essay. Recent assessment reports say responses without both could not rate above C on Criterion 4, and that the strongest essays use a wide range of archaeological, epigraphic, literary and artistic evidence alongside named modern scholars.
Is the exam multiple choice or source-based?
No. The real paper is three essays with no multiple choice and no printed source extracts; Section C may use a brief statement as a stimulus. This hub's multiple-choice and short written items are an ATARMAxxing study format for building knowledge, not a TASC exam format, and are labelled as such.
When is the 2026 exam?
TASC's 2026 Written Exam Timetable lists Ancient History (ANH315117) on Wednesday 18 November 2026 in the morning session, which commences at 9:00 am, with 3 hours of working time. Check TASC's timetable page for any changes.
Practise it against the real thing
Knowing the course document is the first half. The other half is seeing how TASC actually asks it — every official paper for Ancient History is indexed by the same areas above.