Study Prioritisation — What to Study First (Unit 5: Restoration England)

Unit 5 is a depth study covering 25 years. Use this guide if your revision time is limited.

Tier 1 — MUST study (appear in nearly every sitting):

• Restoration Settlement (Topic 49) — Charles's return, terms, constitutional position, Clarendon Code
• Religious Settlement (Topic 51) — Act of Uniformity, treatment of Dissenters, ongoing tensions
• Great Plague (Topic 53) — 1665, causes believed, responses, impact on London
• Great Fire (Topic 54) — 1666, causes, spread, rebuilding, Wren, 4/5 sittings
• Exclusion Crisis (Topic 59) — Whigs vs Tories, threat to James, Charles's response

Tier 2 — SHOULD study (appear regularly):

• Dutch Wars (Topic 52) — three wars, Medway humiliation 1667, causes and consequences
• Popish Plot (Topic 58) — Titus Oates, 35 Catholic executions, hysteria and politics
• Charles II's Legacy (Topic 61) — success or failure, Glorious Revolution, Bill of Rights

Tier 3 — IF TIME (appear less often but still valuable):

• Court Culture (T50), Royal Society (T55), Culture and Theatre (T56), Trade and Economy (T57), Catholics and Dissenters (T60)

Time guide: 5 hours of revision → focus on Tier 1 only. 10 hours → Tiers 1 and 2. 15+ hours → all topics. Restoration essays reward specific evidence — named acts, dates, and individuals always push answers from Level 2 to Level 3.