ABSTRACT
The external school leaving certificate examination is an orthodox and traditional part of the educational system and, in a period when all things orthodox and traditional are almost automatically suspect, it has received considerable criticism. A General Certificate of Education (GCE) history examination paper is set by a Chief Examiner and marked by a number of Assistant Examiners. Most teachers will agree that the best way to prepare pupils to answer questions in a GCE history examination and to eliminate the sort of errors mentioned above is to set them actual GCE questions, preferably for homework so as to avoid taking up time in class. Experience suggests that the best way of teaching GCE history is to combine the chronological method with the topic method. The development of CSE has been of enormous significance for the history teacher. It has encouraged a more enlightened teaching of history in the fourth and fifth years of the secondary school.
