levo

OCR A-Level History A, memorised fast.

Long notes are boring. Brain-hack the whole H505 specification with active recall and actually remember it.

  • Spec H505
  • 58 topics
  • 582 subtopics

What OCR A-Level History A covers

OCR A-Level History A (specification H505) is built entirely from options. A student takes one British period study and enquiry from thirteen, one non-British period study from twenty-four and one thematic study with historical interpretations from twenty-one, alongside a topic-based essay researched independently. All fifty-eight taught units are banked here, so pick the three you are sitting on the topic selection page and everything else drops away.

OCR Level 3 Advanced GCE in History A, specification H505, version 3.2. Read the OCR specification ↗

How it is assessed

Y101 to Y113

British period study and enquiry

  • One unit of thirteen, made up of a period study and an enquiry topic that precedes or continues it
  • Section A is the enquiry: one compulsory question analysing and evaluating four primary sources to test a hypothesis (30 marks)
  • Section B is the period study: one essay chosen from two, reaching a substantiated judgement (20 marks)

1 hour 30 minutes50 marks25%

Y201 to Y224

Non-British period study

  • One unit of twenty-four, each built on four key topics
  • One two-part question chosen from two
  • A comparison of two factors and their relative importance (10 marks), then an essay on a different part of the period (20 marks)

1 hour30 marks15%

Y301 to Y321

Thematic study and historical interpretations

  • One unit of twenty-one, covering themes across at least a hundred years with three named depth studies
  • Section A: an essay judging which of two historians' extracts about one of the three depth studies is more convincing (30 marks)
  • Section B: two thematic essays from a choice of three, each covering the whole period (50 marks)

2 hours 30 minutes80 marks40%

Y100

Topic based essay

  • An independently researched essay of 3,000 to 4,000 words
  • Explains and analyses different perspectives on a historical issue, using a range of sources and interpretations
  • Titles must be checked by OCR; marked by the centre and moderated

Non-exam assessment40 marks20%

The full specification

58 topics, 582 subtopics. Open any topic to see what is inside it.

01Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016Unit group 110 subtopics
02Y102: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035–1107Unit group 111 subtopics
03Y103: England 1199–1272Unit group 111 subtopics
04Y104: England 1377–1455Unit group 110 subtopics
05Y105: England 1445–1509: Lancastrians, Yorkists and Henry VIIUnit group 110 subtopics
06Y106: England 1485–1558: The Early TudorsUnit group 110 subtopics

How you work through it

Pick the mode that fits the time you have.

Try three questions

No account needed. Answer from memory first.

Your recallNot started
Numbers

How was the dynastic feud with Aethelwold finally resolved?

Who and when

At what gathering did the northern rulers acknowledge Edward's overlordship, and when?

Key term

Describe how the nature of the court and royal council changed under Athelstan.

Spaced Repetition Schedule

How reviews are timed

Levo will automatically distribute all of your progress into a spaced repetition calendar. Once you’ve answered, it’s scheduled for you on the next day in the spaced repetition schedule. Over time, the gaps between your recall get bigger, from a day to three years, reinforcing memorisation over a long period of time.

Interval sequence

  • 1 day
  • 3 days
  • 7 days
  • 14 days
  • 30 days
  • 60 days
  • 4 months
  • 8 months
  • 1 year
  • 2 years
  • 3 years

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016
Y102: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035–1107
Y103: England 1199–1272
Y104: England 1377–1455

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

Franz Ferdinand was shot at in June.
SarajevoBelgradeVienna

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AA republic replaced the sultanate.
BThe caliphate was abolished in 1924.
CThe Latin alphabet was adopted.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Simony means the buying and selling of Church office.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

History A revision questions

Common questions about revising OCR A-Level History A. Tap any to open it.

How do you memorise OCR A-Level History A?

By testing yourself, not rereading. Active recall, pulling each answer from memory then checking it, builds far stronger memory than highlighting notes. Levo runs the method for you across all 58 History A topics and brings each one back on a spaced schedule so it stays memorised.

What is the fastest way to revise History A for OCR?

Skip the long notes and go straight to retrieval. Levo turns the H505 specification into short questions you drill with rapid recall, cram whole papers in one sitting, and a readiness score tells you exactly what is left to learn.

What topics are on OCR A-Level History A (H505)?

There are 58 topics, split across 582 subtopics, from Y101: Alfred and the Making of England 871–1016, Y102: Anglo-Saxon England and the Norman Conquest 1035–1107, Y103: England 1199–1272 and more. Every topic is listed above, and each one opens to the subtopics inside it.

What do you get inside Levo for History A?

Six ways to work the same material. The 3-step method for learning a set, Cram for sorting a whole paper into what you know and what you do not, Blank Blitz for making key facts automatic, Build It for assembling full-mark answers, Test It for catching misconceptions, and Brain Breaks between sessions. A readiness score tracks how much of the subject you have memorised.

Is active recall better than rereading your notes for History A?

Consistently, yes. Rereading feels productive but fades quickly. Retrieving an answer from memory, the way Levo tests you, is what actually forms durable memory, and it shows you honestly what you do and do not know.

Does Levo cover the whole OCR History A specification?

Every topic on the H505 specification is covered, written from the published subject content. The full list is above, and each topic opens to its subtopics so you can see exactly what is there before you subscribe.

How can you encourage your teenager to revise?

Make it short, structured and low-pressure. Levo gives a clear daily plan, quick sessions rather than marathon ones, streaks that reward showing up, and an honest readiness score, so revision feels like progress instead of a chore. Parents can add an account and follow along.

Can you revise History A the night before an exam?

Yes. Cram mode is built for exactly that: fly through a whole paper, sort every topic into red, amber and green, then drill just the reds and ambers you do not know yet. It is the honest version of a last-minute session.

Every question in History A, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

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