Past papers - CCEA GCSE History

Here you can find CCEA past papers for GCSE History. Use the links below to download question papers and mark schemes (which contain indicative content and explain how marks are awarded).

Assessment is through two written exams, with the exam in Unit 1 worth 60% and the exam in Unit 2 worth 40% of the final mark.

In Unit 1: Modern World Studies in Depth and Local Study, you take a 1 hour 45 minute written exam with two sections. Section A (Modern World Studies in Depth) consists of short response questions, structured questions and an essay question. Section B (Local Study) consists of source-based questions, short response questions and an essay question. In each section, there are two options of study – you should answer the questions on the option you have been studying. If in any doubt, ask your teacher.

In Unit 2: Outline Study – International Relations, 1945-2003, you take a 1 hour 15 minute written exam with source-based questions, a structured question and an essay question.

CCEA past papers and mark schemes are the intellectual property of CCEA and are copyright © CCEA. All CCEA material is linked to with their permission.

Modern World Studies in Depth and Local Study

Summer 2025 - Past paper | Mark scheme
Summer 2024 - Past paper | Mark scheme
Summer 2023 - Past paper | Mark scheme

Outline Study – International Relations, 1945-2003

Summer 2025 - Past paper | Mark scheme
Summer 2024 - Past paper | Mark scheme
Summer 2023 - Past paper | Mark scheme

You can find more History past papers and mark schemes on the CCEA website.

Past papers and mark schemes going back as far as 2018 are available there, along with many Irish Medium and modified versions of the papers.

1. Make effective use of all resources
CCEA provides examination candidates with a lot of really useful resources. As well as past papers and mark schemes, make sure to consult the annual Chief Examiner’s reports. These reports are particularly useful in helping you to understand what the examiners are looking for in answers and, more importantly, clearly identifying the kinds of mistakes they want you to avoid. For example, the (poor) quality of handwriting has been commented on in the Chief Examiner’s report – you may potentially lose marks if examiners cannot read your responses!

CCEA also provides two further resources, which they expect students to make effective use of:

• CCEA GCSE History: Steps to Success Guidance for Students
• CCEA GCSE History: Analysing and Evaluating Sources in History

These and other documents are available on the CCEA History support page.

2. Make use of a range of revision methods and techniques
Whatever your revision style, there are a number of practical suggestions as to how you should approach revision and make best use of your time:

• Start your revision in plenty of time.
• Draw up a detailed revision checklist that allows you to focus on the parts of the course that you are most concerned about.
• Organise a weekly revision timetable for each section of the History course.
• Set yourself a target of material to cover in each revision session and stick to it.
• Try to condense all relevant information on a topic to one page – or even on a record card which you can slip into your blazer pocket and consult throughout the day.
• Revise for short periods – ideally 15 to 20 minutes at a time – and make sure you take breaks in between.
• Review what you have covered at the end of the day and again at the start of the next day to make sure you have internalised the information.
• Be open to using a range of ways of remembering material. For example, rhymes, mnemonics and diagrams such as mind maps or spider diagrams. You might even consider putting these diagrams around the walls of your revision room, so that you can glance at them when necessary.
• You might consider using your phone to record yourself revising a topic – and listen to your recording, perhaps when travelling to and from school.

3. Familiarise yourself with the way questions are asked
Look at all available past papers (History past papers going back to 2018 are available on the CCEA site) so you can see the range of questions asked. Identify key words in the different questions and learn what they mean – they are there to help you focus on what you are being asked to do, and it is essential that you do just that! Try to use these keywords in your answers – this way you will be able to keep your responses as focused as possible.

4. Practice makes perfect!
It is essential to develop and refine your exam technique and the best way to do that is to practice past papers under timed conditions. Focus in particular on topics you find challenging. Mark your work against the relevant mark scheme – this will help you develop your understanding of how marking is carried out by the examiners. Identify what you get wrong and adjust your revision accordingly – adding to your revision notes. Then repeat these questions until you are confident you are answering them in the most effective way possible.

5. Learn how to answer source questions effectively
If the question requires you to use a source and your own knowledge, make sure you do both. If it only requires you to use the source, make sure you refer only to it in your answer – in such cases you do not need to include your own knowledge.

Some questions will require you to select a short relevant quotation from the source (for example, Unit 1: Section B, Q2/Q8) – make sure you do so.

Unit 1: Section B, Q3/Q9 addresses the utility (usefulness) of a source. Unit 1: Section B, Q4/Q10 addresses the reliability of a source. Remember, the examiners will expect you to come to a clear judgement about a source’s reliability or utility and you should maintain this judgement consistently throughout your answers.

1. Know your papers/sections
You must familiarise yourself with structure/layout of both GCSE exam papers. Doing so will help reduce the chances of panic on the day. Follow the instructions printed on the front of the examination paper, and those within each section/question.

In the exam for Unit 1, candidates must choose one option in Section A (from a choice of two) and one option in Section B (again, out of two choices).

In the exam for Unit 2, candidates must answer all questions in Section A and two questions in Section B. In Section B there is a choice of question to answer in Q6 (you should choose either a or b).

Where you are given a choice of questions to answer, make sure you choose just one question to answer. It is not unheard of for some candidates to answer both!

Make sure you are looking at the right section/questions. This is particularly relevant to Unit 1: Section B, which contains the two Northern Ireland options.

2. Perfect/manage your timings
If you want to score strongly in each element of the examination, you must spend the correct amount of time on each question. Too much time spent spent on earlier questions, which are generally not worth as many marks, may mean too little time left for the later questions worth more marks.

A good rule of thumb is to spend no more than 1m15s per mark on a question. For example, if a question is worth four marks, you should be moving onto the next question after five minutes; if it is worth 16 marks, you should move on after 20 minutes.

Following this approach should mean you have two or three minutes to spare once you have finished the paper. If you do have any time left at the end, revisit any question you found challenging to see if you are able to improve your answer. Remember, never leave an answer blank.

3. Read questions thoroughly
Make sure to read each question carefully, ideally more than once, before you start writing anything. Highlight or underline the key words or phrases in each question – this will help you to keep focused in your answers.

Spend a little bit of time planning out your answers for the higher value questions.

Remember to stick carefully to whatever dates are given in a question.

4. Plan your responses
All answers benefit from a little planning. Take your time to consider your response.

• A chronological framework can be useful.
• Select appropriate facts to answer the question asked.
• Many candidates lose marks by failing to identify all relevant information. Instead of writing too much about a single point, try to write a bit less about a number of points.
• Do not simply write a narrative relating to the period the question refers to.

For higher value/longer questions, ensure that your answer is structured, includes an introduction and conclusion, is balanced (covers both sides of the argument) and includes a judgement or verdict on the extent to which you agree or disagree with the proposition in the question.

5. Answer the question asked
Remember, answer the question that has been set by the examiners – not the one you wish had been set! Your answers must demonstrate detailed knowledge, so this is where learning the key facts thoroughly will pay off.

Make sure your answers relate to the date range of the questions – marks will not be awarded for information given on facts and events outside of those date ranges, no matter how good the detail you provide is!

Finally, do not include information not relevant to the question asked.

If practising with past papers has shown you an area you’d like to work on, there’s plenty of support available.

You can go straight to the most relevant Bitesize study guide for CCEA GCSE History and refresh the topics you need. The course covers all the main areas you’ll meet in the exam, major world events, key moments in Northern Ireland’s history, and the big international changes that shaped global politics from 1945 to 2003.

Just follow the links to the topic you want to revise, where you’ll find clear, easy‑to‑understand notes, videos, diagrams and quick quizzes to help you strengthen your knowledge and get exam‑ready.

Unit 1: Modern World Studies in Depth

Option 1: Life in Nazi Germany, 1933-45

Hitler takes political control 1933-1934 | Control and opposition in Nazi Germany | Life for workers in Nazi Germany | Life for women and the family in Nazi Germany | Life for young people in Nazi Germany | Life for the Jewish community and minorities in Nazi Germany | Life in Germany during World War Two

Option 2: Life in the United States of America, 1920-33

Life for black Americans | Life for immigrants | Life for Native Americans | Prohibition | Social change and popular entertainment | The 'Roaring Twenties' | Economic problems in the 1920s | The Wall Street Crash, 1929 | The Great Depression, 1929-1933

Unit 1: Local Study

Option 1: Changing relations – Northern Ireland and its neighbours, 1920-49

The partition of Ireland | From Irish Free State to Éire | The Economic War, 1932-1938 | Northern Ireland and World War Two | Éire’s neutrality and its impact on relations during the war | Impact of German attacks on Britain, Northern Ireland and Éire | Life in post-war Northern Ireland and Éire | Constitutional change in Éire and its effects

Option 2: Changing relations – Northern Ireland and its neighbours, 1965-98

The O'Neill years | The campaign for civil rights | Violence in 1969 | The re-emergence of paramilitary organisations | Internment: Reasons, actions and effects | Direct Rule,1972 | Power-sharing 1973-1974 | Changing republican strategy 1980-1981 | Anglo-Irish Agreement,1985 | The Downing Street Declaration, 1993 | The Good Friday Agreement, 1998

Unit 2: Outline Study

International relations, 1945-2003

Co-operation ends and the Cold War begins | Emerging superpower rivalry and its consequences, 1945-49 | The Berlin blockade and airlift | The Hungarian uprising | The Berlin Wall | The Prague Spring | The Korean War | The Cuban Missile Crisis | The Vietnam War | The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan | The end of the Cold War, 1985–91 | 9/11 and the 'war on terror' | The invasion of Iraq, 2003

Explore more History resources with the full range of help from Bitesize.