Cambridge IGCSE World History: Depth Study A, The First World War 1914-18 (0470)

This guide covers Depth Study A: The First World War, 1914-18, one of five Depth Study options within Cambridge IGCSE World History (0470). It is distinct from the site’s existing guides to The Nineteenth Century, 1848-1914 and The Twentieth Century, 1919-1989, which cover the two Core Content options (every candidate studies one of the two) – Depth Studies are a separate body of content, examined in Section B of Paper 1 (Core Content is examined in Section A), and every candidate studies at least one of the five.

Where this fits in 0470

Every 0470 candidate studies one Core Content option (either Option A, the Nineteenth Century, or Option B, the Twentieth Century) plus at least one Depth Study from five options: The First World War 1914-18, Germany 1918-45, Russia 1905-41, the United States 1919-41, and the Second World War in Europe and the Asia-Pacific 1939-c.1945. On Paper 1 (Structured Questions), candidates answer two questions from Section A (Core Content) and one question from Section B, which sets two questions on each Depth Study. Depth Study content is also the basis of Paper 4 (Alternative to Coursework, one question from two per Depth Study) and can be the basis of Component 3 Coursework. Confirm with your teacher which Depth Study your course covers: this guide is for Depth Study A.

Syllabus coverage

CAMBRIDGE IGCSE WORLD HISTORY (0470) – DEPTH STUDY A: THE FIRST WORLD WAR, 1914-18

• Background only, not Depth Study A content: the causes of the First World War (the alliance system, the arms race, colonial rivalry, the Balkans and the crisis of June-July 1914) are examined under Core Content Option A, key question 6, “What caused the First World War?”
• Key question 1, “Why was there stalemate on the Western Front?”: the Schlieffen Plan and how it worked in practice (the German advance through Belgium, the British Expeditionary Force, Russian mobilisation); the battles of Mons and the Marne, the race to the sea and the First Battle of Ypres; trench warfare and the war of attrition; tanks, machine guns, aircraft and gas; the battles of Verdun and the Somme, including Haig’s leadership and tactics at the Somme
• Key question 2, “To what extent was it a world war?”: British Empire troops on the Western Front (case studies of Indian and Canadian troops); the war in Africa (case studies of German East Africa and South West Africa); Japan’s contribution in Asia (the siege of Tsingtao, naval help securing the sea lanes); the Arab Revolt
• Key question 3, “How important were other fronts?”: the war at sea (the Battle of Jutland, convoys, submarines and the U-boat campaign); the Gallipoli campaign; the Eastern Front and the defeat of Russia; the impact of war on civilian populations
• Key question 4, “Why did Germany ask for an armistice in 1918?”: the German offensive of 1918 and the Allied advance, including the impact of American entry into the war; conditions in Germany at the end of the war (the Kiel Mutiny, the German Revolution and the Kaiser’s abdication); the Armistice

How to approach it

Cambridge’s Depth Study questions are typically framed around Key Questions – broad, causal or evaluative questions such as “Why was there stalemate on the Western Front?” – rather than a simple list of facts to recall. Revision is most effective when organised around these Key Questions, building an evidenced argument for each, rather than learning events in a purely chronological list disconnected from the question they answer.

Official syllabus

Cambridge IGCSE History (0470) syllabus, for examination in 2024-2026 – cambridgeinternational.org. The syllabus coverage above was checked against this syllabus (Version 1) on 2026-09-21. Always check the current syllabus document for the complete content list before an exam.

Why the Schlieffen Plan failed

Germany’s pre-war strategy assumed a rapid knockout of France through Belgium, before Russia could fully mobilise in the east. In practice, Belgian resistance slowed the German advance, British involvement followed Belgium’s invasion (drawing Britain into the war under its treaty commitments), and the German army was halted at the First Battle of the Marne in September 1914. This failure is the single event most directly responsible for the war becoming a prolonged, entrenched conflict rather than the short campaign military planners on both sides had expected.

Trench warfare: why the stalemate was so hard to break

Defensive technology – machine guns, barbed wire, and pre-registered artillery – gave defenders a huge advantage over attackers crossing open ground, which is why offensives on the Western Front repeatedly produced enormous casualties for very limited territorial gain. New technologies introduced during the war (tanks, aircraft, and improved artillery tactics such as the creeping barrage) were attempts to restore mobility to the battlefield, though none proved decisive on their own until combined together, alongside manpower and supply exhaustion, late in the war.

Worked example: answering a “why” Key Question

The routine below is an original model written for this resource, not a reproduction of any official past paper or mark scheme.

Key question 4: "Why did Germany ask for an armistice in 1918?"

Step 1 - identify multiple contributing factors, not a single
cause:
e.g. US entry in 1917, the failure of Germany's 1918 Spring
Offensive, and the cumulative exhaustion of the Central Powers.

Step 2 - explain each factor's specific contribution:
e.g. US entry added fresh troops and resources just as German
manpower was being stretched thin by the Spring Offensive's own
losses.

Step 3 - weigh which factor mattered most, with reasoning:
e.g. argue that the failed Spring Offensive was the turning point,
since it both exhausted German reserves and allowed the
Allied counter-offensive that followed.

Step 4 - use precise dates and named events throughout, not vague
references to "later in the war."

Common mistakes

Spending Depth Study revision time on the causes of the war, which belong to Core Content Option A (key question 6), not to Depth Study A – and, in that Option A question, treating the assassination of Franz Ferdinand as the sole cause without explaining the longer-term causes that made a wider conflict possible. Describing trench warfare only in terms of conditions, without explaining why it produced a stalemate. Listing events chronologically without connecting them back to the Key Question actually being asked. Confusing this Depth Study’s content with the Nineteenth Century Core Content option (Option A), whose final key question covers the war’s causes; the Twentieth Century option (Option B) begins with the peace settlement of 1919.

Quick revision checklist

• Organise revision around the Depth Study’s Key Questions, not a plain chronological list of events.
• Be able to explain, not just describe, why the Schlieffen Plan failed and why trench warfare produced a stalemate.
• Prepare a multi-factor explanation for why the war ended in 1918, with clear reasoning about relative importance.
• Know specific named events, dates, and technologies rather than only general descriptions.
• Confirm with your teacher that Depth Study A is one your course covers: every candidate studies at least one of the five.