1. Study Tips and Features for IB History
1.1 Syllabus
For IB History, both Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL) will follow the same syllabus. However, your school will decide which topics you are going to study within the syllabus. One of the key characteristics of this course is that some topics might only have a short span of 50 years, which allows you to conduct an in-depth analysis of the topic like a professional historian. For HL students, there will be an additional HL regional option compared to SL.
| Content of Study | |
| SL+HL |
Prescribed Subjects (one to be studied):
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| HL |
Options: Depth Studies (one to be studied):
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History HL (Higher Level)
1.2 Overview of History HL
For IB History, there is a huge difference between the HL course and the SL course. Although the skills required for both courses are somehow similar, the HL course dives into a deeper analysis of the topics provided. In addition to the SL requirements, HL students are expected to gain a deeper understanding of their own roles and responsibilities in the current society through examining historical events. It is also important to think about how historical events have affected the world that we are living in today, as well as how we should fully utilise the knowledge of these historical events to improve our future. Therefore, unlike SL students, HL students will have to develop the skill to critically explore how each event affects the nature of humans.
1.3 Study Tips
- You should always fully understand the truth of the historical events and form your opinions about why the event is significant and how it has influenced other events.
- Try to look at one event from a variety of perspectives and practice this skill thoroughly.
- Don’t forget to cite the sources correctly whenever you are completing an assignment such as the Internal Assessment (IA).
History SL (Standard Level)
1.4 Overview of History SL
In IB History, you will be learning the historical truths and develop the ability to analyse the historical events. You will also learn to understand how different perspectives lead to different interpretations as it is an exploratory subject that fosters a sense of inquiry. One of the most important skills will be the ability to analyse and interpret historical sources. Additionally, there is a need to explore an event from multiple perspectives by thinking critically.
1.5 Study Tips
- Make sure you read the historical records throughly to fully understand everything.
- Don’t try to cram everything in the end as you won’t have enough time to learn the material!
- Don’t just skim through the topics. Make sure that you are comfortable with all the topics that you have learned before going into a new one.
2. Assessment Model for IB History
Studying for IB History requires dedication and could be time consuming. It is important to master the exam techniques for each paper in order to gain a higher score. Always seek for help from your teachers or peers when you are stuck or unsure about a topic so that you can study efficiently without wasting your time!
| History HL (Higher Level) | ||
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External Assessment |
Paper 1 |
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| Paper 2 |
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| Paper 3 |
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Internal Assessment |
Historical Investigation |
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| History SL (Standard Level) | ||
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External Assessment |
Paper 1 |
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| Paper 2 |
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Internal Assessment |
Historical Investigation |
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3. Advices and Tips for Improving Your Score
3.1 Advices and Study Tips for History
- Develop you essay writing skills
For IB History, you will be expected to write tons of essays. Knowing how to structure your essay questions inside and out will be one of the most important things that you should remember. Make sure that you are answering the question and provide accurate historical facts.
2. Critical analysis is more important than solely memorising the facts
Memorising all the information you have is not going to help you in IB History. Having the ability to analyse the information that you have learned is more important than simply knowing the historical events. Make sure you know how to use the knowledge you have on the historical events, and use them to form your own opinions and interpretations.
3. Share your notes and sources with your classmates
You will be exposed to a large sum of sources and notes during the IB History course. The most important thing here is to share these resources with your classmates and discuss your opinions with them. By doing this, you can gain a wider perspective of a certain event and it is certainly a good chance for you to explore the topic further. Other than your classmates, you should also go to your teachers for additional advices and aim for the highest scores!
3.2 Strategies for Each Paper
Paper 1 (Source Based Paper):
This paper is a source-based examination paper. The paper will contain four sources for each prescribed subject. Sources will be primary or a mixture of primary and secondary, and may be written, pictorial or diagrammatic. You will be asked to answer all four questions from the prescribed subject and some questions will be answered using only evidence from one or more of the sources.
Since there is only an hour for you to complete the exam, you will have to formulate a strategy before the exam in order to answer all the questions thoroughly. Timing yourself while doing a past paper is a good way to practice writing the essays in time. Also, be familiar with the criteria so that you know what components will let you score high. Completing the past papers while having the criteria in your mind will help you write an effective and persuasive essay.
Paper 2 (Essay Paper):
This paper is an essay-based paper. However, there are more things that you have to consider when doing this paper. Here are 3 tips for you to score high in this exam!
- Have a rich and accurate understanding of the world history topics that you have chosen
It is always good to be knowledgeable about a topic. The more information you have, the more successful you will be at crafting a persuasive argument. On the other hand, if you can’t accurately present the historical events in paper 2, you won’t be able to secure a high score on this paper. As mentioned before, don’t try to cram all the information at once right before the exam. Instead, read the sources and historical records regularly in order to fain an accurate understanding of everything.
2. Implement case studies into your essay
As mentioned above, it is important to fully utilise the knowledge that you have learned in this essay. Therefore, use case studies to back up your point and support your argument. Treat the historical events like a story so that it will be easier for you to memorise the events. Also, by doing this, it will allow you to implement the events into your essay smoothly.
3. Develop your skills for critical analysis
Simply stating the historical facts and giving out simple opinions is not the aim the IB History course. The biggest aim of this course is to be able to critically analyse historical events from a variety of perspectives. It requires you to evaluate opinions of different historians in your own responses. However, being able to evaluate from different perspectives without going too far off the road is a lot more difficult than you think. Therefore, you should practice the past papers regularly and write logical essays with effective arguments that are backed up by accurate historical information. When you’re practicing, don’t forget to ask for advice from your peers and your teachers!
4. History IA (Internal Assessment) & EE (Extended Essay)
4.1 History IA (Internal Assessment) Advices
You will be required to complete a Historical Investigation for your IA and this applies to both SL and HL students. You are allowed to choose a topic of your choice. It is important to score as high as possible in this component as the score you get in this adds up to your final grade.
- Do a broad research and use different types of sources to conduct your analysis
The aim of this is to conduct a research by interpreting and comparing historical events from multiple perspectives. Therefore, your topic should be based on something that is controversial. Some examples may include topics such as “The Meaning of the Atomic Bombings in Japan” or “The Pros and Cons of the Stalin Administration.” As you can see, these topics allows you to expand your discussions automatically. When stating your own opinions, it is important to conduct research on the topic. In addition, primary and secondary sources play a huge role in backing up your arguments. Hence, in order to score high in your IA, you must thoroughly analyse the sources whilst constructing your arguments and opinions.
2. Use the criteria to write your IA
Before you start writing your IA, you should always look at the criteria first. This way, you will have a better understanding of what you will need to include in your IA and what you don’t need. If you follow the criteria, you will be able to demonstrate your topic in a more effective way, which allows you to obtain a high score. Keep in mind that no matter how good your IA is, if it doesn’t follow the criteria, it will not get a high score so be careful.
3. Always ask for advice from teachers
The IB History IA is thought to be difficult as students are required to summarise sources while crafting an argument with personal opinions at the same time. Depending on the topic, some students may get overly emotional. Therefore, it is important to check whether your investigation is heading into the right direction and whether the argument is understandable. Always ask for advice from your peers and your teacher. Don’t be shy!
4.2 History EE Advice and Tips
The IB History Extended Essay (EE) requires the student to choose a topic of their choice and conduct an investigation on it. It is said that the EE is somehow similar to the IA. However, the EE requires a higher level of research skills, writing skills, analytical skills and creativity. Choose a topic or area that you like so that you can enjoy the process. In order to craft an effective EE, you will have to demonstrate the sources for the topic, evaluate them, and conduct several investigations on them. If you choose to do the EE on history, you will be expected to evaluate events from multiple perspectives, which may take a long time for you to finish writing the essay. However, it is a good opportunity for you to look into the connection between the historical events in the past and the current events in the modern society. Therefore, it is totally worth a try to challenge yourself!
Things that you should be careful about the EE
- Choose a supervisor who is knowledgeable in the subject area of your EE. Your supervisor is the person who is going to monitor your progress and give you advice. Therefore, you should schedule meetings with your supervisor regularly to make sure you are on track.
- When writing the History EE, you will have to conduct a massive research on the topic. Choose a topic that you are interested in so that you can enjoy the process.
- Go through different historical records and historical accounts from historians as you will have to understand the topic from different perspectives.
- Last but not least, don’t forget to cite your sources correctly!
5. Curriculum and Criteria for IB History
Please click here (IBO homepage) for further information on the curriculum and criteria.