Edexcel International GCSE (IGCSE) History (4HI1) Past Papers 2026

Depth Studies

Duration: 1h 30m

Investigation and Historical Interpretations

Duration: 1h 30m

Technique analysis in source impression questions — candidates identify the impression but do not explain how it is constructed

Examiners reported this in every option across both Paper 1 2023 and 2024 reports. The pattern was universal: most candidates could identify the correct impression and select supporting quotations (Level 2), but the majority could not move to Level 3 because they did not analyse the author's techniques of selection, emphasis, tone or omission.

Paper 1

Criteria-based judgement in Q(c) — candidates make assertions of importance without explaining the basis for their ranking

Examiners singled this out across options in both 2023 and 2024 as the reason many otherwise knowledgeable responses were confined to Level 3. The evidence that 'many students had in depth of knowledge but when coming to a judgement tended to state that something was more important or significant without applying and explaining criteria' was repeated verbatim across multiple options in both years.

Paper 1

Contextual knowledge use in Paper 2 Part C — matching information rather than evaluating the interpretation's validity

Examiners noted that candidates increasingly carried out 'a very detailed audit of the sources and extract' but that this mechanical matching approach was insufficient for top marks. The requirement to deploy contextual knowledge to evaluate the interpretation's validity — not just find supporting or contradicting details — was underperformed across multiple options in 2023.

Paper 2

Factual accuracy in Q(b) — generalised or inaccurate knowledge confining responses to lower levels

Examiners reported across multiple options in both years that 'some answers were very generalised' in Q(b). In 2024, examiners specifically noted that some candidates confused deflation with hyperinflation when explaining effects of the Great Depression, and in 2023 candidates gave generalised knowledge about effects rather than precise detail. Accuracy of AO1 knowledge was a primary differentiator between mid and high marks.

Paper 1

Scope focus in Paper 2 Section B Part B — writing about the general topic instead of the specific stated outcome

Examiners found in 2023 that a recurring error in Section B Part B was candidates writing around the broader topic rather than addressing the specific causal link stated in the question. Two examples were cited by name: Q B2b (medical treatment, not conditions generally) and Q B7b (the success of shuttle diplomacy, not shuttle diplomacy as a background topic).

Paper 2

Paper 2 Section B Part A comparative approach — writing parallel accounts rather than direct comparisons

While examiners noted improvement in 2023 compared to previous years, they still found candidates tending to give details from each time period separately rather than making direct comparative statements. The use of 'comparative vocabulary' such as 'similarly' or 'whereas' was praised specifically as a hallmark of the best responses.

Paper 2

Paper 2 Section B Part C — insufficient coverage across multiple aspects of content

The Paper Summary for 4HI1 Paper 2 (2023) highlighted that the most successful responses provided 'evidence from at least three aspects of content', implying that weaker responses confined themselves to fewer aspects. In some options (e.g., China Part C) candidates focused on one figure or policy to the exclusion of others, preventing them from making the comparative judgements needed for the top level.

Paper 2

Answering only part of Paper 2 Part C questions — choosing only one sub-question where two are available

Examiners for Paper 2 (2023) noted for China that 'the candidate has chosen not to write on the Cultural Revolution, which is surprising in view of its importance' — indicating that candidates sometimes avoided major specification content in their Part C response, limiting the depth and comparative range of their analysis.

Paper 2