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Skills that use Calculation

1. Chronology and working across long time periods

   Assessed: In the exam and in coursework (NEA)

   Learners review a timeline at the start of the Unit 2 enquiry, handle approximate dates ("c.") across periods from medieval to modern, and in Unit 4 track change across a continuous period of about 75 to 100 years.

   Numeracy: Measurement, The number system, Calculation, Conceptual understanding, Strategic competence

   Getting pupils ready

   Year 7

   Pupils build a scaled timeline of Welsh history from 1066 to 1500 along a corridor wall, placing events by century and working out the gaps between them.

   Year 8

   Pupils draw a timeline of Aberdare from 1800 to 1914 with a consistent scale, and calculate how many years passed between key events such as the arrival of the railway and the opening of a local colliery.

   Year 9

   Pupils plot events from c.1880 to c.1980 on a timeline, explain what "c." means for an approximate date, and mark periods of fast and slow change.

   Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

   Where it is in the specification: Section 3.2, Unit 2 and Unit 4 overviews, page 57; Unit 4, Section 4.1, page 54

   “Review the question, timeline and narrative and form a hypothesis”

   Progression step 3

   • I can use and interpret calendars, timetables and schedules to plan events and activities, and make calculations as part of the planning journey.

   • I can estimate by rounding to the nearest 10, 100, 1000 or whole number.

   • I can add and subtract numbers using whole numbers and decimals.

   Progression step 4

   • I can make and justify estimates and approximations of calculations.

   • I can use efficient written methods to add and subtract numbers and decimals of any size, including a mixture of large and small numbers with differing numbers of decimal places.

   • I can represent a concept in different ways, flowing between different representations including verbal, concrete, visual, digital and abstract.

   Progression step 5

   • I can represent a concept in different ways, flowing between different representations including verbal, concrete, visual, digital and abstract.

   • I can identify, measure or obtain required information to complete the task.

2. Interpreting statistical sources

   Assessed: In the exam and in coursework (NEA)

   Several options require learners to use numerical evidence, such as estimates of Black Death mortality, casualty and mortality statistics for 9/11 and the Soviet war in Afghanistan, and unemployment in Wales during the Depression, and to judge how far the figures can be trusted.

   Numeracy: Interpreting data, Relationships within the number system, Calculation

   Getting pupils ready

   Year 7

   Pupils read a bar chart of Aberdare's population from the 1801 to 1901 censuses and write two sentences describing the growth using figures.

   Year 8

   Pupils compare different estimates of Black Death deaths, turn them into fractions and percentages of the population, and explain why historians disagree.

   Year 9

   Pupils interpret a line graph of unemployment in the Welsh valleys in the 1930s alongside a personal account, and write a paragraph on what each tells them and its limits.

   Show the specification wording and the LNF statements

   Where it is in the specification: Unit 2, Section 2.6.4, page 39; Unit 2, Section 2.2.5, page 31; Unit 1, Section 1.6.2, page 24

   “statistical data on mortality rates and injuries, and the significance of personal accounts.”

   Progression step 3

   • I can extract and interpret information from an increasing range of diagrams, timetables and graphs (including pie charts).

   • I can draw conclusions from data and recognise that some conclusions may be misleading or uncertain.

   • I can use equivalence of fractions, decimals and percentages to compare proportions.

   Progression step 4

   • I can interpret graphs that describe real-life situations, including those used in the media, recognising that some graphs may be misleading.

   • I can interpret mathematical information; drawing inferences from graphs, diagrams and data, including discussion on limitations of data.

   • I can express one quantity as a percentage of another.

   Progression step 5

   • I can interpret graphs that describe real-life situations, including those used in the media, recognising that some graphs may be misleading.

   • I can interpret mathematical information; drawing inferences from graphs, diagrams and data, including discussion on limitations of data.

   • I can draw conclusions from data and recognise that some conclusions may be misleading or uncertain.

Source: WJEC GCSE History specification, Teaching from 2026, For award from 2028, Version 6, June 2026.