OCR GCSE Ancient History past papers

Before you start. Check the mark allocation before you write anything. A 4-mark question and a 16-mark question want different shapes of answer, and the commonest mistake is writing the same paragraph for both.

While you work. Answer the question that was asked rather than the topic it came from. Examiner reports say more about irrelevant knowledge than about missing knowledge.

Marking it afterwards. The level descriptors matter more than the indicative content: the content list is examples, not a checklist. Find the level your answer sits in, then read the one above it.

Warm up first. The Rise of Cyrus and the Persian Empire is the shortest activity here, so it is the quickest way back into Ancient History before you open a paper.