Edexcel GCSE History (1HI0) Past Papers 2026

Thematic Study and Historic Environment

Duration: 1h 20m

Period Study and British Depth Study

Duration: 1h 50m

Modern Depth Study

Duration: 1h 30m

Chronological precision — using evidence from the wrong time period

Across Paper 1 thematic essays, examiners repeatedly noted candidates writing about periods outside the dates stated in the question. In Paper 1 Option 10, some answers about policing 1829–present included material from the early modern period, and answers about law enforcement c1700–c1900 included 20th-century examples. In Paper 3, a number of responses confused events from the Tsarist period with the Provisional Government period. Answers using evidence from outside the stated date range cannot be rewarded for that material.

Paper 1, Paper 3

Confusing inference with description or paraphrase in Q1 (Paper 3) and Q3 (Paper 1)

Examiners consistently noted that a significant minority of candidates simply repeated or paraphrased the content of the source rather than making an inference that goes beyond what is directly stated. Answers that 'just repeated the content of the source, without making an inference, or simply reworded the source' received no marks for that attempt. An inference must draw a conclusion from the source that is implied but not explicitly stated.

Paper 1, Paper 3

Using the provenance's date or place of publication to explain differences between interpretations in Q3(c)

Across Paper 3 options 30 and 31 in both 2023 and 2024, examiners found a recurring error where candidates tried to explain differences between interpretations by referring to when or where the interpretation was published. Examiners were explicit that this approach 'is unlikely to provide a valid basis for a response to this question' and could not be substantiated with evidence from the texts.

Paper 3

Follow-up enquiry packages (Q2b Paper 1) — suggesting vague or anachronistic sources

In the historic environment follow-up enquiry question, examiners noted that suggested sources such as 'newspapers', 'diaries' or 'other articles' are too generalised to be rewarded. Suggesting interviews or consulting history books, the internet and documentaries were also specifically identified as invalid answers. A specific contemporary source from the period in question must be named with a clear explanation of how its evidence would answer the proposed enquiry.

Paper 1

Writing about the topic in general rather than specifically the Historic Environment context in Paper 1

In Paper 1 source questions, some candidates focused on general knowledge about the topic (e.g. poverty in Victorian England broadly) rather than the specific historic environment named in the question (e.g. conditions in lodging houses in Whitechapel). Examiners noted that some responses 'failed to focus on conditions in lodging houses, instead providing more general knowledge about the housing situation in Whitechapel or problems of policing which was not the focus of the enquiry'.

Paper 1

Ignoring the complete time period in Q5/Q6 thematic essays and concentrating on one sub-period

In Paper 1 extended answers, examiners noted that some candidates focused disproportionately on one part of the time period. In Option 10 (2024), a strong answer about attitudes in society and crime was noted as covering only 'the first 200 years of the time period in excellent detail', losing credit for failure to address the whole range. Candidates are reminded that 'examples should address the full time period in the question in order to demonstrate wide-ranging knowledge'.

Paper 1

Asserting agreement with interpretations by saying 'from my own knowledge I know this to be true'

Across Paper 3 Q3(d) in all options and both years, examiners explicitly stated that 'merely asserting agreement with points in the interpretation by saying from my own knowledge I know this to be true is not sufficient evidence of contextual knowledge'. Contextual knowledge must be specific and must actively test or support the argument made in the interpretation, not simply assert its accuracy.

Paper 3

Failing to recognise the difference between sources (primary/contemporary) and interpretations (historians' constructed views)

Examiners in both 2023 and 2024 across all Paper 3 options emphasised that 'students should appreciate the difference between sources and interpretations and be aware that interpretations are constructed by historians in order to offer their view of events'. Conflating the two leads to applying AO3 source-reliability logic to an AO4 interpretations question, which fundamentally misunderstands the task.

Paper 3