MATSEC SEC History study guide
MATSEC SEC History · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
MATSEC SEC History is a Secondary Education Certificate subject examination awarded under the MATSEC Examinations Board of L-Università ta' Malta. The MATSEC Board sits within the University of Malta and publishes, on its own pages, the material candidates need to orient themselves: Regulations, Guidelines and policies, Syllabi, Current Session Information, Applications, Past Papers, and Marking Schemes and Exemplars. Candidates should treat the syllabus and the past papers with marking schemes as the two anchors of preparation, because the syllabus defines the content and skills examiners will test, while the marking schemes show how credit is actually awarded. The Board's contact details are published as Phone: +356 2340 2814/5/6, Email: [email protected], and Address: MATSEC Examinations Board, University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080, Malta. This page is an independent study resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the MATSEC Examinations Board or the University of Malta. It does not reproduce official question papers. Topics on this exam: History (SEC syllabus content domains not enumerated in source). The MATSEC SEC History study guide has 1 section and about 347 words.
01SEC History: content and skills tested
SEC History tests both substantive knowledge and the disciplinary skills of the historian. The syllabus is not a list of isolated facts: it asks you to connect Maltese history to the wider Mediterranean and European context and to use sources as evidence. Questions commonly combine short source-based items with structured essay questions, so precise evidence matters as much as narrative. Chronology: place events in sequence and know turning points: 1530, arrival of the Knights Hospitaller; 1565, Great Siege; 1798, French occupation; 1800, British rule; 1964, independence.
347 words, about 2 minMore study resources for MATSEC SEC History
- Practice questionsWhich Neolithic temple complex in Malta is notable for its massive stone blocks and was included in the UNESCO World Heritage list along with five other megalithic sites?
- FlashcardsĠgantija temples. Two megalithic temple buildings on the Xagħra plateau in Gozo, built during the Ġgantija phase (c.
- Cheat sheetThe MATSEC SEC History syllabus is organised chronologically and thematically: prehistory and the ancient Mediterranean world, the medieval period, the early modern period (including the Order of St John in Malta, 1530–1798), the British period (1800–1964), and independent Malta (1964 to the present), with a parallel strand on historical skills and source analysis.
- Key termsNeolithic Revolution. The shift from hunting and gathering to farming, animal herding, and settled village life, first appearing in the Near East around 10,000 BCE and later reaching the Mediterranean islands.
- Study planMap the full SEC History syllabus into a one-page topic grid covering every listed theme, period and skill.
- Common mistakesCandidates memorise topic narratives and default to retelling them under time pressure; they treat the source as a prompt for recall rather than as evidence to be weighed against a precise question.
- Exam-day guideMATSEC examinations are administered by the University of Malta's MATSEC Examinations Board through schools and registered centres.