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Edexcel · GCSE · History

Free Edexcel GCSE History
Practice Paper

8 mixed-difficulty practice questions in the style of real Edexcel GCSE papers — answers, mark-scheme-style explanations, and the official exam structure all on one page.

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What the real Edexcel GCSE History paper looks like

Paper 1
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 1-4 of the specification.
Paper 2
Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 5-8 of the specification.
Paper 3
Where applicable — e.g. Combined Science, Languages. Includes synoptic and applied questions.
Total exam time: ~3 hours across two or three papers.
Grading: Grades: 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest), with U (ungraded). A grade of 4 is a standard pass; 5 is a strong pass.

Mini practice paper: 8 questions

Mixed-difficulty questions from across the History syllabus. Tap "Show answer" after each to check yourself.

Q1 · Difficulty 1/3

Which of the following best describes the role of the SS (Schutzstaffel) within the Nazi police state?

  1. An elite organisation controlling concentration camps and the security services
  2. A propaganda unit responsible for producing Nazi films and radio broadcasts
  3. A parliamentary bodyguard unit that protected the Reichstag
  4. A civilian organisation monitoring food rationing across German cities
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: A — An elite organisation controlling concentration camps and the security services
The SS, led by Heinrich Himmler, became the most powerful security organisation in Nazi Germany, controlling concentration camps, the Gestapo, and the SD (Security Service). It was not a parliamentary bodyguard — that role had belonged to earlier protection squads. Propaganda was the domain of Goebbels' ministry. Food rationing was an administrative function unrelated to the SS's role.
Q2 · Difficulty 1/3

What was the Spanish Armada (1588)?

  1. A peace treaty
  2. A fleet of 130 Spanish ships sent by Philip II to invade England, which was defeated
  3. A trade agreement
  4. A Spanish colony
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — A fleet of 130 Spanish ships sent by Philip II to invade England, which was defeated
Causes: religious differences, English support for Dutch rebels, Drake's raids. English fireships, storms, and tactical skill led to Spain's defeat. It boosted English confidence.
Q3 · Difficulty 1/3

What were the terms of the Treaty of Versailles for Germany?

  1. Germany was rewarded
  2. War guilt clause, huge reparations (£6.6bn), loss of territory, military restrictions (100,000 army)
  3. Germany gained land
  4. There was no treaty
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — War guilt clause, huge reparations (£6.6bn), loss of territory, military restrictions (100,000 army)
Germany had to accept blame (Article 231), pay crippling reparations, lose colonies and 13% of European territory, and limit its army to 100,000 with no air force.
Q4 · Difficulty 2/3

What was détente?

  1. Increased tension
  2. A period of reduced tension and improved relations between the superpowers in the 1970s
  3. A military alliance
  4. A nuclear treaty only
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — A period of reduced tension and improved relations between the superpowers in the 1970s
Détente included SALT treaties (limiting nuclear weapons), the Helsinki Accords (human rights), and US-Soviet cooperation (Apollo-Soyuz space mission in 1975).
Q5 · Difficulty 2/3

What was the Night of the Long Knives (June 1934)?

  1. A Jewish pogrom
  2. Hitler ordered the murder of SA leaders (including Röhm) and political rivals to consolidate power
  3. A military parade
  4. An election night
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Hitler ordered the murder of SA leaders (including Röhm) and political rivals to consolidate power
Hitler eliminated the SA leadership who threatened his relationship with the army. It removed internal rivals and showed Hitler would use extreme violence to maintain control.
Q6 · Difficulty 2/3

What caused the end of the Cold War?

  1. A nuclear war
  2. Gorbachev's reforms (glasnost and perestroika), economic collapse of the USSR, fall of the Berlin Wall, and dissolution of the Soviet Union
  3. An alien invasion
  4. A peace treaty in 1980
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Gorbachev's reforms (glasnost and perestroika), economic collapse of the USSR, fall of the Berlin Wall, and dissolution of the Soviet Union
Gorbachev's openness (glasnost) and restructuring (perestroika) loosened Soviet control. Eastern European revolutions followed. The USSR dissolved in December 1991.
Q7 · Difficulty 1/3

What was the Space Race?

  1. A car race
  2. Competition between USA and USSR for dominance in space exploration, from Sputnik to the Moon landing
  3. A bicycle race
  4. An arms competition
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Competition between USA and USSR for dominance in space exploration, from Sputnik to the Moon landing
USSR: first satellite (Sputnik 1957), first human in space (Gagarin 1961). USA: first Moon landing (Apollo 11, 1969). The Space Race was a proxy for technological superiority.
Q8 · Difficulty 1/3

What did medieval people believe caused disease?

  1. Germs
  2. Miasma (bad air), God's punishment, the Four Humours being unbalanced, or astrology
  3. Bacteria
  4. Viruses
Show answer & explanation
✓ Answer: B — Miasma (bad air), God's punishment, the Four Humours being unbalanced, or astrology
Without knowledge of germs, medieval people attributed disease to supernatural or environmental causes. The Church taught disease was God's punishment for sin.
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Edexcel GCSE History FAQ

What does the Edexcel GCSE History exam look like?
The Edexcel GCSE History exam is structured across 3 components. Paper 1: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 1-4 of the specification. Paper 2: Approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, ~70-100 marks. Covers Topics 5-8 of the specification. Paper 3: Where applicable — e.g. Combined Science, Languages. Includes synoptic and applied questions. Total exam time: ~3 hours across two or three papers.
Can I download a free Edexcel GCSE History past paper?
Real Edexcel past papers are published directly by Edexcel on their official website. Kramizo doesn't redistribute copyrighted past papers, but we do generate free AI-written practice papers in the exact same style — same command words, same difficulty tier, same mark conventions. Use this practice paper as warm-up, then time yourself on official past papers before exam day.
How is Edexcel GCSE History graded?
Grades: 9 (highest) to 1 (lowest), with U (ungraded). A grade of 4 is a standard pass; 5 is a strong pass. Kramizo's practice questions are tagged with difficulty 1-3 mapping roughly to the lower, middle, and top grade boundaries you'll encounter in the real exam.