Fiducia TogetherSimilarity and difference in history
Comparing periods, places or groups. Not two descriptions side by side.
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.
What it is
These questions ask how similar two things were — two periods, two revolts, two people's experiences.
Where it applies
GCSE and A Level history.
How it works
The marks are for the comparison itself and for a judgement about which is more striking, the similarity or the difference.
How to use it in your work
Compare within paragraphs on a shared theme, not one thing then the other.
Rank: say whether the similarities or the differences matter more, and why.
Use specific evidence on both sides. A comparison without detail is an assertion.
Where to get help
Your teacher and your board's specification. Bitesize for worked examples, and the subject song for the topic list.
Revise this with a song
These are ours. We write revision songs because a lot of people remember a tune when they cannot remember a page, and because revising out loud in the kitchen beats staring at a highlighter.
- The History Song The GCSE history topics, set to music.
Where to read more
Last reviewed 2026-08-28 by Fiducia Together · Next review due 2027-08-28
Please note: This page explains a word or a process in education. It is general information about the system, the law and the guidance in England — not advice about your child, your school or your exam. If a decision is going against you, get advice from one of the free services we link to before you agree to anything or miss a deadline. If you are revising, check your own exam board's specification: boards word things differently and yours is the one that marks you.