JC History study plan
JC History · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
The Historian and the Sources & The Work of the Historian and Archaeologist
Distinguish primary from secondary sources and classify ten given examples by type, origin, and intended audience
Evaluate a source for bias, purpose, and reliability using a written checklist of at least four criteria
Sequence the stages of historical research from question formation to published conclusion
Explain how archaeologists use stratigraphy, typology, and dating methods (dendrochronology, radiocarbon) to build a chronology
Compare what a historian and an archaeologist would each contribute to interpreting a single excavated site
Your checkpoint
A one-page source-evaluation worksheet applied to three short unseen source extracts, plus a labelled diagram of an excavation stratigraphy with a written chronology of at least 150 words
Ireland: The Ancient Past and Early Christian Ireland
Outline the main phases of Irish prehistory from Mesolithic settlement to the Iron Age, naming a representative site for each phase
Describe the function and construction of megalithic monuments and hillforts and explain what they reveal about society
Explain how the arrival of Christianity and the mission of Patrick changed Irish society and learning
Identify the key features of Irish monastic settlement, including round towers, scriptoria, and manuscript production
Assess the importance of Irish monasteries in preserving and transmitting learning in early medieval Europe
Your checkpoint
A comparative table of four Irish archaeological or monastic sites with date, type, evidence found, and what each tells us, plus a 200-word written assessment of one site's significance
Ireland: The Age of Exploration and Plantation
Explain the causes and methods of the Tudor plantations, including surrender and regrant and the plantation of Laois-Offaly
Describe the organisation and impact of the Munster and Ulster plantations, naming key figures and confiscated lands
Trace the causes, course, and consequences of the Nine Years War and the Flight of the Earls
Analyse the 1641 Rebellion and the Cromwellian settlement in terms of land transfer and long-term social change
Evaluate the effect of plantation on religion, language, and land ownership in Ireland
Your checkpoint
An annotated timeline from 1541 to 1660 with at least ten entries, each linked to a cause or consequence, plus a 250-word answer on whether the plantations achieved their aims
Ireland: The 1798 Rebellion and the Act of Union & Ireland: The Great Famine and Emigration
Explain the causes of the 1798 Rebellion, including the United Irishmen, sectarian tensions, and government repression
Describe the main stages and regional patterns of the rebellion and assess its outcome
Explain the background to and terms of the Act of Union, including its supporters and opponents
Identify the causes of the Great Famine, including subdivision, dependence on the potato, and the blight
Evaluate the government response to the Famine and its demographic and social consequences, including emigration patterns
Your checkpoint
Two exam-style paragraphs of about 150 words each, one on a cause of 1798 and one on a consequence of the Famine, each supported by at least three specific facts
Ireland: The Struggle for Independence, 1900–1923
Outline the cultural and political revival from 1900, including the Gaelic League, the literary revival, and the growth of Sinn Fein
Explain the causes and consequences of the Home Rule crisis, the Ulster Volunteer Force, and the Larne gun-running
Describe the planning, execution, and aftermath of the 1916 Rising and the shift in public opinion that followed
Trace the course of the War of Independence and the signing and terms of the Anglo-Irish Treaty
Explain the causes and outcome of the Civil War and the establishment of the Free State
Your checkpoint
A cause-and-consequence chain diagram from 1912 to 1923 with at least eight linked events, accompanied by a 200-word judgement on the most decisive turning point
Europe and the Wider World: The Renaissance and Reformation
Identify the defining features of Renaissance art and architecture and name representative artists and patrons
Explain how printing, patronage, and humanism spread Renaissance ideas beyond Italy
Distinguish the main causes of the Reformation, including abuses, theology, and political interests
Compare the teachings of Luther and Calvin on salvation, authority, and the sacraments
Describe the Counter-Reformation response and the effects of the Reformation on European society
Your checkpoint
A comparison grid of Luther and Calvin across four doctrinal points, plus a 200-word explanation of how one technological or political factor accelerated the Reformation
Europe and the Wider World: Revolutions and Nationalism & Europe and the Wider World: The Twentieth Century
Explain the causes and phases of the French Revolution and the rise of Napoleon
Define nationalism and explain how it reshaped Europe in the nineteenth century, citing at least two examples
Outline the causes of the First World War and Ireland's involvement in it
Explain the causes and consequences of the Second World War and the emergence of the Cold War
Describe one major social or technological change of the twentieth century and its impact
Your checkpoint
A two-column summary sheet covering five revolution or nationalism events and five twentieth-century events, each with cause, key fact, and consequence
The Historian and the Sources & The Work of the Historian and Archaeologist & Ireland: The Ancient Past and Early Christian Ireland & Ireland: The Age of Exploration and Plantation & Ireland: The 1798 Rebellion and the Act of Union & Ireland: The Great Famine and Emigration & Ireland: The Struggle for Independence, 1900–1923 & Europe and the Wider World: The Renaissance and Reformation & Europe and the Wider World: Revolutions and Nationalism & Europe and the Wider World: The Twentieth Century
Retrieve key dates, names, and terms across all ten domains through timed self-testing
Practise source-based questions on unseen extracts under exam time limits
Write full-length answers on the highest-weighting domains, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Identify and re-learn the three weakest areas revealed by practice results
Build a one-page revision sheet of high-frequency facts for final review
Your checkpoint
One complete timed mock paper marked against a self-built scheme, with a written list of the three weakest areas and a concrete re-learning action for each
Milestones
Week 2: Can classify unseen sources and name a representative site and its evidence for each phase of Irish prehistory and early Christian settlement without notes
Week 4: Can explain the causes and consequences of the plantations, 1798, the Act of Union, and the Famine in linked cause-and-consequence form, with at least three supporting facts each
Week 6: Can narrate the 1900-1923 period as a continuous chain of causes and consequences and compare Luther and Calvin on four doctrinal points
Week 8: Completes a full timed mock paper across all domains with every section attempted and a written remediation plan for the three weakest areas