Humanities courses include history, geography, economics and global perspectives. All students in IGCSE select one humanities course. All IGCSE and AS/A Level humanities courses follow the CAIE curricula.
History
IGCSE
The IGCSE history course aims to:
- Stimulate an interest in and enthusiasm for learning about the past
- Promote the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of individuals, people and societies in the past
- Ensure that learners’ knowledge is rooted in an understanding of the nature and use of historical evidence
- Promote an understanding of key historical concepts: cause and consequence, change and continuity, and similarity and difference
- Provide a sound basis for further study and the pursuit of personal interest
- Encourage international understanding
- Encourage the development of historical skills, including investigation, analysis, evaluation and communication skills.
AS/A level
Cambridge International AS/A Level history is accepted as proof of academic ability and of historical knowledge for entry to universities.
Candidates gain lifelong skills, including
- Assessing different interpretations of an argument
- Formulating their own ideas about a subject
- Presenting clear and logical arguments
- Evaluating historical evidence
- Developing an understanding of historical concepts such as cause and effect, similarity and difference and continuity and change.
Economics
IGCSE
Cambridge IGCSE Economics candidates gain lifelong skills, including:
- An understanding of economic theory, terminology, and principles
- The ability to apply the tools of economic analysis
- The ability to distinguish between facts and value judgements in economic issues
- An understanding of, and an ability to use, basic economic numeracy and literacy
- The ability to take a greater part in decision-making processes in everyday life
- An understanding of the economies of developed and developing nations
- An excellent foundation for advanced study in economics.
AS/A level
Cambridge International AS and A Level Economics allows learners to explore concepts and theories which can be applied to the way that modern economies work. Learners develop the ability to explain, evaluate and analyse economic issues and arguments. They gain lifelong skills and a solid foundation for further study.
Students study the following economic concepts:
- Scarcity and choice
- The margin and change
- Equilibrium and efficiency
- Regulation and equity
- Progress and development
Global Perspectives and Research
IGCSE
Meeting government ministers, organising a local river clean-up project and writing to the United Nations about climate change, are just some of the activities learners are pursuing through the Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives course.
Cambridge IGCSE Global Perspectives is a groundbreaking and stimulating course that stretches across traditional subject boundaries and develops transferable skills. It is both cross-curricular and skills-based and taps into the way learners of today enjoy learning, including teamwork, presentations, projects, and working with other learners around the world. The emphasis is on developing the ability to think critically about a range of global issues where there is always more than one point of view.
AS/A level
Cambridge International AS/A Level global perspectives and research aims to encourage young people to think about and explore issues of global significance. It follows the CAIE syllabus.
Students explore and make judgements about global issues of relevance and importance to their own lives. It offers learners opportunities to acquire, develop, and apply skills in critical thinking, problem solving, research, communication and collaboration. Learners develop research skills that enable them to obtain information, evaluate its reliability and usefulness and use the evidence gathered to construct their own arguments and lines of reasoning.
