GCSE History Exam Predictions 2025: Elizabethan England, c1568–1603 (AQA)

As the exams are fast approaching within a few weeks, many of you are understandably feeling the pressure. The Elizabethan England unit is rich and fascinating, but also wide-ranging — from rebellious earls and religious plots to grand stately homes and powerful queens. This guide is here not to overwhelm you, but to help you focus your revision smartly and strategically.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve carefully analysed the past few AQA exams, alongside the official specification, to look at what’s come up — and more importantly, what hasn’t. While we can’t predict with 100% certainty what will appear on your paper, we can make well-educated guesses based on patterns, recency, and the principles of syllabus coverage.

So let’s walk through the paper structure, key predictions, and how you can revise with confidence, not panic.

Understanding the Exam Format

First off, let's quickly recap the types of questions you'll face. It's always the same structure :

1. The Interpretation Question (8 marks): You get a short historical viewpoint and have to say how convincing it is,using your own knowledge to back up your points.

2. The 'Importance' Question (8 marks): Here, you explain why something (an event, person, policy) mattered in Elizabethan times. What was its impact?

3. The 'Account' Question (8 marks): This asks you to describe something – maybe how something changed, or the different parts of a situation.

4. The Big One - Historic Environment (16 marks + 4 for SPaG): You get a statement about a specific place (or sometimes a big event like the Armada) and have to argue how far you agree, using your knowledge of the site andthe wider history. For your exam in 2025, the site is Hardwick Hall. We'll come back to that!

Why Look Back? Does it Help?

Exam boards like AQA try to cover the whole syllabus over a few years. So, if a topic came up very recently, especially in the same question format, it's less likely (though not impossible!) to appear again straight away. Think of it like this: if they asked you to write an account of poverty last year (which they did in 2023!), they probably won't ask you to do the exact same thing this year. They want to test different parts of your knowledge.  

Looking back, we saw questions on Essex's Rebellion (twice for Q1!), voyages of discovery, poverty, Mary Queen of Scots at Sheffield Manor Lodge, the theatre (twice!), Elizabeth's court, her difficulties as a female ruler, Kenilworth Castle, Puritanism, and the Spanish Armada [Past Papers since 2020]. That's quite a spread!

So, What Might Be Coming Up? My Thoughts...

Let's think about the main areas of the course and what seems "due" for a bit more attention:  

• Elizabeth, Her Court, and Parliament:

  • We've seen Essex's Rebellion quite a bit recently (Q1 in 2023 & 2020) and Elizabeth's court (Q2 2022) and her general difficulties as a female ruler (Q3 2022).

  • What seems less covered recently? The really specific issues around Elizabeth's marriage (or lack thereof!) and the succession crisis. Why didn't she marry? What problems did this cause? Also, her relationship and occasional clashes with Parliament over things like money, religion, or monopolies haven't been the direct focus of an 8-marker lately. These feel like strong possibilities for Q1, Q2, or Q3.  

• Life in Elizabethan Times:

  • Theatre (Q1 2022, Q3 2020), exploration (Q2 2023), and poverty (Q3 2023) have all had recent outings.

  • What seems less covered recently? The whole idea of the 'Golden Age'. Was it really 'golden' for everyone? An interpretation question (Q1) on this could be interesting. Also, the general structure of society (the hierarchy, the 'Great Chain of Being' ) or the rise of the gentry as a powerful group could feature, perhaps in a Q2 or Q3.  

• Troubles at Home and Abroad:

  • Mary, Queen of Scots came up in the 2023 Q4, but focused on her imprisonment at Sheffield Manor Lodge. Puritanism was Q2 in 2020, and the Armada was Q4 in 2020 (focused on leadership).

  • What seems less covered recently? There's a lot here! The Catholic threat is huge. While MQS was touched on, the specific Catholic plots (Ridolfi, Throckmorton, Babington) or the Northern Rebellion of 1569 haven't been the main focus of recent 8-markers. The impact of missionary priests is another angle. Also, the foundational Religious Settlement – what it was and why it was important – feels overdue for a Q2 or Q3. And regarding Spain, while the Armada battle itself was looked at, the reasons why relations got so bad before 1588 (religion, Netherlands, Drake etc.) could easily be a Q2 or Q3.  

    
    

Spotlight on Hardwick Hall (Your Q4!)

Right, let's focus on Hardwick Hall. This is guaranteed to be your Q4 topic for 2025. You need to know this place!  

• Think about Bess of Hardwick: An amazing woman, incredibly wealthy and ambitious. The house is partly a statement about her success.  

• Wealth on Display: "Hardwick Hall, more glass than wall" – glass was super expensive! Think about the huge windows, the size, the rich decorations inside.  

• New Style: It’s a 'prodigy house', showing off new Renaissance ideas – symmetry, big windows for light, grand staircases, not built for defence like old castles.  

• Reflecting Society: The layout showed the social order – servants below, family in the middle, grand 'state rooms' upstairs perhaps for royalty. It shows how society was structured.  

• Why it Matters: It tells us about the confidence of the era (less need for castles) , the growing wealth of people like Bess, new architectural ideas coming in, and how the rich lived and showed off their status.  

So, what might the Q4 statement be about Hardwick? I'd guess it will link the building to one of those big ideas. Maybe something like: "Hardwick Hall was mainly built to show off Bess of Hardwick's wealth." "Hardwick Hall's design shows how much architecture changed in Elizabeth's reign." * "The layout of Hardwick Hall tells us a lot about Elizabethan society."  

You'll need to use specific details about Hardwick and your general knowledge of the period to argue how far you agree with whatever statement they give you.

My Best Guesses for Focus Areas

Okay, based on all that, here are my thoughts on the areas with a higher chance of coming up:

• Q1 (Interpretation): Maybe something on the Catholic threat (plots/priests), the 'Golden Age' debate, or Elizabeth's reasons for not marrying.

• Q2 (Importance): Could be the Religious Settlement, the Northern Rebellion, or the Rise of the Gentry.

• Q3 (Account): Perhaps an account of the Catholic plots, Elizabeth's handling of Parliament, or how relations with Spain worsened before the Armada.

• Q4 (Hardwick Hall): Definitely Hardwick! The statement will likely focus on wealth/status, architecture/innovation, or social reflection.

  
  

How to Revise Smartly

1. Hardwick Hall is Non-Negotiable: Know it inside out. Make it your top priority for Q4.  

2. Focus on the 'High Probability' Topics: Spend good time on the Catholic threat (plots, Northern Rebellion), the Religious Settlement, Elizabeth's marriage/succession issues, Parliament, the 'Golden Age' idea, the rise of the gentry, and the build-up to war with Spain.

3. Don't Forget the Rest: Topics like Essex, theatre, poverty, exploration might not be the main focus, but your knowledge of them is still vital context for other answers, especially Q1 and Q4. History is all connected! Knowing about poverty helps you evaluate the 'Golden Age' or understand the contrast with Hardwick's wealth.

4. Know Your Question Types: Practice answering each type specifically. Q1 needs evaluation with knowledge. Q2 needs explanation of significance. Q3 needs structured description. Q4 needs a sustained argument linking the site to the statement and context.  

   
   

Ultimately, the best preparation is always broad knowledge across the whole syllabus. These predictions are just pointers to help you focus your energy. Stay calm, revise thoroughly, practice your exam technique, and you'll be well-prepared to show what you know about this fascinating period. Good luck with your revision – you can do this.

If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed or unsure where to focus, our GCSE guides for AQA at Kingsbridge Education are packed with what you actually need such as clear summaries, countless model answers and integrated flashcards and quizzes to test yourself along the way. Find out more here: https://www.kingsbridgeeducation.co.uk