Pearson Edexcel International GCSE History (4HI1): syllabus, papers and marking

Two essay-style papers marked in levels, with the question focus and the second-order concept named in the feedback.

Specification Issue 5 (February 2026), first teaching 2017 · June and November series · grades 9–1

IGCSE History: where the marks go

Edexcel International GCSE History (4HI1) is two 1 h 30 min, 60-mark papers. Paper 1 asks for two answers on two depth studies chosen from eight, including Colonial rule and the nationalist challenge in India, 1919–47. Paper 2 asks for one answer on a historical investigation and one on a breadth study in change. Pearson’s reports say candidates do best when they stay on the second-order concept the question names, such as causation or significance, and lose marks when they describe instead of explaining.

Our papers are original, with source extracts written for each question. Marking returns the level reached with the descriptor quoted and the concept that would have lifted the answer. The India depth study is built first.

How we mark a real script

Paper structure and what we mark

PaperTimeMarksWeightQuestions
Paper 1 — Depth Studies1 h 30 min6050%Two questions, one on each of two depth studies chosen from eight, including Colonial rule and the nationalist challenge in India, 1919–47
Paper 2 — Investigation and Breadth Studies1 h 30 min6050%Two questions: one on a chosen historical investigation (five options), one on a chosen breadth study in change (eight options)

Syllabus outline

  1. Paper 1 depth studies: French Revolution, unification of Italy, Germany 1918–45, India 1919–47, USSR 1924–53, superpower relations 1943–72, civil rights in the USA, South Africa 1948–94
  2. Paper 2 investigations: First World War, Russia 1905–24, the USA 1918–41, the Vietnam conflict, East Germany
  3. Paper 2 breadth studies: from America 1783–1877 to the Middle East 1917–2012 and Diversity, rights and equality in Britain
  4. Source skills: inference, cross-referencing, evaluating interpretations
  5. Second-order concepts: causation, consequence, change, significance

How each paper is marked here

Where IGCSE History candidates lose marks

  1. Two features run together — Part (a) answers are best when each feature has its own paragraph; blended points lose the second mark.
  2. Description where explanation is asked — Explaining the causes of an outcome means two clear causes with developed support, not a narrative of events.
  3. Sources compared only on content — Cross-referencing needs similarity and difference, and a view of the overall extent, not a list of facts from each.
  4. Knowledge from the wrong period — Drawing on later events to support an analysis of an earlier period weakens the evaluation.
  5. No judgement — The top levels need a supported overall judgement; a good account of both sides stays in the middle.

Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for IGCSE History

See a real handwritten script marked by eight examiners at admitportfolio.com/examiners.

Questions teachers ask

Which options are available?
Tell us the depth studies, investigation and breadth study your school teaches; they are added in order of demand, with India first.
Are sources real?
No. Source extracts are written for each question.
Is there a unitised version?
Pearson offers a unitised version of the same content. This page follows the linear 4HI1 papers.
Is this official Pearson Edexcel marking?
No. Pearson Edexcel International marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for IGCSE History. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
No. Every 4HI1 paper here is original and written to the specification issue 5 (february 2026), first teaching 2017, in the same structure as the real papers shown above.
Which papers are marked?
None yet are marked question by question. Practical exams sat at the centre are not marked here.
How is the next paper chosen?
From the marks a student lost: the concepts behind them are ranked by marks dropped, and the new paper weights those topics. It is the same syllabus and structure, with new questions.
When are the exams?
June and November series. Grades 9–1.

Other Pearson Edexcel International GCSE courses

Start marking History scripts · See a real marked script