7-day free trial · £0 today · cancel any time
Start your free trialUpdated
Study the AQA A Level History 7042 online with a named UK tutor, and sit the same A Level taken in UK schools and colleges at a Tutors & Exams centre near you. Two written components, a breadth study and a depth study, plus a non-exam historical investigation.
| Qualification | A Level History |
|---|---|
| Level | Level 3 |
| Awarding body | AQA |
| Qualification number | 601/4973/5 |
| Exams | Exam entry and seat booking are through Tutors & Exams, and only on the +Exams plan. |
| Price | £49.99 a month, or £509.99 a year |
| Typical duration | 12 to 18 months, or faster if you study more each week |
| Age | Open to anyone aged 14 or over. Under 18s enrol with a parent or guardian's permission and support. |
| Who it suits | You want A Level History for a history, law, politics, international relations, journalism or teaching degree, or a degree apprenticeship. |
Yes. Adults of any age can study AQA 7042 online with Lift College and sit the same components as school candidates (two 2 hour 30 minute components worth 40% each plus a 20% historical investigation), as a private candidate at a Tutors & Exams centre. The course is open to anyone aged 14 or over (under 18s enrol with a parent or guardian's permission and support) and there are no formal entry qualifications. The recommended starting point is GCSE English Language at grade 5 or above and confidence with sustained essay writing; this is recommended, not required, and GCSE History is not needed. A Levels are examined once a year, in the May/June series, and all components are sat in the same series. Component 3, the Historical Investigation (20%, 3,500 to 4,500 words), is completed with your named tutor's guidance, marked and then moderated by AQA, and submitted before the written components. Most learners spend 8 to 12 hours a week and finish in 12 to 18 months, or faster if they study more each week. On +Exams we enter you before AQA's deadline and book your seat at one of ten Tutors & Exams centres in England; exam entry is only on +Exams. Our guide to A Level private exam centres explains the process, and can you do A Levels online? covers how online study and in-person exams fit together.
A Level History at Lift College costs £49.99 a month on Study or £89.99 a month on +Exams. Paying annually saves 15%: £509.99 a year for Study or £917.99 a year for +Exams. Study gives you the full course, your named UK tutor, marked practice in every unit, mock papers and AI Study Support; exam entry is only on +Exams. +Exams adds your AQA exam entry and Tutors & Exams centre fees, with your seat booked for you. Monthly +Exams has a 9-month expected term because exam fees are built in: you can cancel any time with no exit fee, but unused exam credit is forfeited and unbooked exams are void; no term applies if you pay annually. Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial, with nothing charged until day 8, no contract, no credit check and a 14-day money-back guarantee on every payment. Start now without the trial and every payment is 15% lower for life. We do not offer Advanced Learner Loans or third-party finance.
Comparing providers? Our guide to the best online A Level History courses in the UK sets Lift College alongside NEC, Open Study College, ICS Learn, CloudLearn and Oxbridge Home Learning, with each provider's price, exam board and exam arrangements as published on 11 October 2026.
There is no course fee to find, no finance agreement to sign and no debt to worry about. Your first 7 days are free, then you pay for the month you are in, and every payment is covered by the 14-day money back guarantee. Prefer to start now? Pay today instead of taking the trial and every payment is 15% lower for life, with the same 14-day guarantee.
+Exams on Monthly: Monthly comes with a 9-month expected term because exam fees are built in. Cancel any time, no exit fee; exam credit you have not used is forfeited and unbooked exams are void. Pay annually and no term applies.
You never sign a credit agreement with us, so there is no debt and nothing for anyone to chase. If you stop paying, you simply stop studying. No finance company, no loan and no letters.
The hardest part of studying an A Level outside school has always been the exam. Lift College and Tutors & Exams remove it: you study online with us, and you sit the same AQA papers as any school candidate at a professional Tutors & Exams centre, with your entry, venue and invigilation arranged through the partnership.
Runs from May to June. The one series each year; all papers are sat in the same series.
On +Exams we enter you before AQA's deadline for the series you choose.
Start your free trial, meet your named UK tutor and work through the AQA specification at your own pace.
On +Exams, Lift College submits your AQA entry and books your place at the Tutors & Exams centre you choose, before the entry deadline.
Trained invigilators, a room built for formal assessment, and a AQA certificate identical to a school candidate's.
There is no minimum study time. Most learners spend 8 to 12 hours a week and finish in 12 to 18 months, or faster if you study more each week. Assignments are for feedback and do not count towards your grade; the qualification is assessed by two written components (80%) and the Historical Investigation non-exam assessment (20%).
The AQA 7042 specification is built from one breadth study, one depth study and an independent historical investigation. Together the three components must span at least 200 years. Your tutor confirms the options taught at Lift College when you start. Open each topic to see what it covers.
Each component has a fixed set of question styles. You learn them one at a time with model answers, then practise them under timed conditions.
You plan, draft and refine your historical investigation with feedback from your named tutor at each stage, and submit it before the written papers.
On +Exams your entry and your seat at a Tutors & Exams centre are booked for you and the fees are included.
Two written components of 2 hours 30 minutes, each 80 marks and worth 40%, both sat in the same May/June series, plus a non-exam historical investigation worth 20%. Component 1, Breadth Study, covers developments over approximately 100 years plus interpretations (options 1A to 1L): Section A, one compulsory question on three interpretation extracts (30 marks); Section B, two essays chosen from three (25 marks each). Component 2, Depth Study, covers a period of major change in depth plus primary evidence (options 2A to 2T): Section A, one compulsory question on three primary sources (30 marks); Section B, two essays chosen from three (25 marks each). Component 3, Historical Investigation (40 marks, 20%), is an independently researched personal study framed as a question over approximately 100 years, 3,500 to 4,500 words, using primary and secondary sources with differing interpretations. You complete it with your named tutor's guidance; it is marked and then moderated by AQA, and submitted before the written components. All three components together must cover at least 200 years. Grades run from A* to E, with U below E.
| Paper | Length | Marks | Weighting | Content |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Component 1: Breadth Study | 2 hours 30 minutes | 80 marks | 40% | Developments over approximately 100 years plus interpretations (options 1A to 1L). Section A: one compulsory question on three interpretation extracts (30 marks). Section B: two essays chosen from three (25 marks each). |
| Component 2: Depth Study | 2 hours 30 minutes | 80 marks | 40% | A period of major change in depth plus primary evidence (options 2A to 2T). Section A: one compulsory question on three primary sources (30 marks). Section B: two essays chosen from three (25 marks each). |
| Component 3: Historical Investigation (non-exam) | Non-exam assessment | 40 marks | 20% | An independently researched personal study framed as a question over approximately 100 years, 3,500 to 4,500 words, using primary and secondary sources with differing interpretations. All three components together must cover at least 200 years. |
The same qualified UK subject expert supports you from enrolment through to your exam series.
Exam style tasks with individual written feedback within 5 to 7 working days.
Unit scores and topic strengths on your dashboard, which your tutor uses to tailor feedback.
A timed mock paper and a written summary of what to focus on before you are entered.
Every option includes the full course, tutor marking and study support. The difference is whether we handle your exams. Pick your option, then try it free for 7 days or start now and every payment is 15% lower for life.
Full access for 7 days. Your first payment is on day 8, and you can cancel any time before then from your account.
£89.99/month from day 8
£0 today
Start 7-day free trial14-day money back guarantee. Request a refund within 14 days of any payment.
Skip the trial and pay today. Every payment is 15% lower for as long as you study.
£89.99£76.49/month, for life
£76.49 today
Start now and pay £76.4914-day money back guarantee. Request a refund within 14 days of any payment.
Studying more than one course? Save 5% with two, 10% with three, 15% with four or more. Add them in the basket.
“The flexibility was a game changer for me. I studied around my shifts and my tutor was incredibly supportive throughout.”
Sarah M. · ManchesterAccess to HE Diploma“I was nervous about going back to study after 15 years, but the platform is so easy to use and the feedback I got on assignments was genuinely useful.”
James P. · BirminghamA Level Biology“Got into my first-choice university with a place on a Nursing BSc. The Access to HE Diploma gave me exactly what I needed.”
Aisha K. · LondonAccess to HE Diploma (Nursing)Yes. It is the same AQA 7042 specification, the same papers, the same grading and the same certificate as the A Level sat in UK schools and colleges. The only difference is how you study: online, at your own pace, with a named tutor.
Open to anyone aged 14 or over. Under 18s enrol with a parent or guardian's permission and support. There are no formal entry qualifications.
AQA 7042 pairs a breadth study over about 100 years with a depth study over about 50 years, from different periods. Lift College teaches one option for each component and provides the course material; your tutor can tell you the current options before you enrol.
Component 3 is a non-exam historical investigation worth 20%: a 3,500 to 4,500 word essay on a question of your choice, spanning about 100 years and not overlapping your examined options. Your named tutor guides the planning, drafting and authentication of the non-exam assessment, and it is submitted through your Tutors & Exams centre in the same series as your written papers. The awarding body moderates it. On +Exams the entry and centre fees for the non-exam assessment are included; on Study you arrange the submission with your own centre.
A Levels are examined once a year, in the May/June series. All papers are sat in the same series, and any non-exam assessment is submitted in the same year. On +Exams we enter you and book your seat at a Tutors & Exams centre for the series you are ready for; on Study you can arrange your own entry as a private candidate.
At one of the ten Tutors & Exams centres across England: Birmingham, Bolton, Coventry, Doncaster, High Wycombe, Mitcham, Newcastle, Romford, St Neots and Taunton. Use the centre finder on this page to see your nearest. Exams are always sat in person at an approved centre; no A Level can be sat online.
You pay monthly by subscription, or annually up front at the price shown in the plan card, which saves 15% against paying monthly. Every option starts with a 7-day free trial, there is no contract and no credit agreement, and you can cancel from your account at any time. Every payment is covered by 14-day money back. On +Exams the awarding body entry fee and the Tutors & Exams centre fee are included in the price. We do not offer Advanced Learner Loans, student finance or third-party credit; the subscription is the only way to pay.
The full course, your named UK tutor, marked practice in every unit, mock papers and AI Study Support.
You simply stop studying. There is no contract, no credit agreement and no debt. You can cancel from your account at any time and there is 14-day money back on every payment.
Yes. Lift College learners are entered as private candidates. On +Exams we handle the entry and book your seat at a Tutors & Exams centre, and the entry and centre fees are included. On Study you can enter yourself at a centre that accepts private candidates; you are responsible for that entry, the fees and any non-exam assessment arrangements.
Most learners take 12 to 18 months from enrolment to sitting the exams, studying 8 to 12 hours a week. There is no minimum study time and no term dates: you can go faster if you study more each week, or take longer, and your subscription runs for as long as you need it. Marked work is returned within 5 to 7 working days.
On Lift College's +Exams plan, A Level History is £89.99 a month or £917.99 a year, with your AQA entry and Tutors & Exams centre fees included and your seat booked for you. The Study plan is £49.99 a month or £509.99 a year; exam entry is only on +Exams.
Yes. You study AQA 7042 online with a named UK tutor and sit the written components in person at an approved centre as a private candidate, in the May/June series. On +Exams Lift College makes the entry and books your seat at one of ten Tutors & Exams centres in England, with the fees included; on Study you can enter yourself at a centre that accepts private candidates and arrange the non-exam assessment with that centre.
A UK adviser calls you back within 2 working hours, Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm. No sales script.
