Students complete a reasoned historical argument in the form of an essay based on the focus areas in the topic they have studied from ‘Modern Nations’.

Examination questions are designed to enable students to:

• demonstrate their understanding of the role of ideas, people, and events in history
• analyse ways in which the development of the modern world has been shaped by both internal and external forces and challenges.

Students choose one proposition from their chosen topic and write an essay discussing the extent to which they agree with the proposition.

Students use the skills of historical inquiry to evaluate the origin, reliability, usefulness, limitations, and contestable nature of sources. They analyse, interpret, and synthesise evidence from different types of sources to recognise and evaluate differing perspectives on and interpretations of the past.

The following specific features of the assessment design criteria for this subject may be assessed in the examination:

• understanding and exploration — UE1 and UE2
• application and evaluation — AE1, AE2, and AE3
• analysis — A1.

Student work should be their own. See Supervision and verification of student work.

There are many ways to prepare for an exam. Resources specifically for Modern History are available below.

Past exams

Content in past exams may not be reflective of content in future exams.

Sample exams

Sample exams better reflect the types of questions students may be asked in future electronic exams. Questions may include media types which have not been possible in a paper exam (e.g. watching a video and responding).

Sample exams may not be provided for each year. They are only published when there is a significant change to the exam, like a new question type or new functionality.