IB SL History Course (DP IB History: SL): Revision Note

IB History (Standard Level)

Your complete guide to what you will study, how you will be assessed and the structure of the course.

The first assessment of the IB History SL will be in 2028.

The IB Diploma Programme History course is an inquiry-based study of the past. At Standard Level, you will complete a focused study, a thematic study and an independent historical investigation.

Assessment structure (SL)

• External assessment makes up 70% of the final grade (3 hours of exams in total)

• Internal assessment is 30% of the final grade, marked by your teacher and externally moderated by the IB

Paper 1: Source-based assessment

• Linked to the focused study you have studied in class, from the following options:

  • Climate and innovation

  • Independence and identity

  • Political and economic transitions

  • Conflict and displacement

  • Protest and change

• The exam uses one of the two paired examples from your chosen focused study (you must study both, but only one appears in any given exam)

• Three sources are provided (Sources A, B and C), a mixture of primary and secondary, which may be written, pictorial, diagrammatic or multimodal

• All sources are framed by a single inquiry question stated at the top of the paper

  • The question stems stay the same; it is only the inquiry question and sources which change

    • Explain how the content of both Source A and Source B can be used to answer the inquiry question [6 marks ]

    • Analyse how the context of Source C influences how it can be used to answer the inquiry question [6 marks]

    • Examine how the perspectives in all the sources can be used to answer the inquiry question [12 marks]

• You must answer all three questions on the focused study you have covered

• You must demonstrate knowledge from the focused study throughout your answers

Paper 2: Concepts and thematic study

• For Paper 2, you will have covered one thematic study from:

  • Conflict (from 750 CE onwards)

  • Innovation and transformation (from 750 CE onwards)

  • Authoritarian rule (from 1750 CE onwards)

  • Popular movements (from 1750 CE onwards)

• The paper is split into two sections. You must complete both sections

Section A: Specified historical concepts

• Two questions on the four specified historical concepts (cause and consequence, continuity and change, perspectives, significance)

  • Choose one question to answer

  • This is a short-response question; you are assessed on your analysis of a concept, illustrated with an example from your thematic study
    

Section B: Thematic study

• Two questions on each of the four thematic study options

• Only answer the questions on the option you have studied

  • Choose one of the two questions on your thematic study and answer both parts:

    • Part (a) - short response, assessing your understanding of a historical example

    • Part (b) - essay response, assessing your synthesis of diverse historical examples to build an analytical argument

Internal assessment: Historical investigation

• A 2,200-word research investigation on a historical topic of your choice

• Around 20 hours of class time across the course

• The internal assessment is marked by your teacher, externally moderated by the IB

  • It is structured in three sections, each assessed by its own criterion

• You must:

  • Reference all sources

  • Submit a bibliography (minimum of 7 sources)

  • State an accurate word count

• The internal assessment (IA) must be a different topic from any extended essay you have submitted

Specified historical concepts

• Four concepts run through the whole course and are assessed in Paper 2 Section A:

  • Cause and consequence - the interplay of multiple reasons for, and results of, historical events

  • Continuity and change - what stays the same and what changes over time

  • Perspectives - the diverse points of view of people in the past and of historians today

  • Significance - what matters about a development or event and why

• You are also encouraged to explore other relevant concepts (e.g. conflict, democracy, authoritarianism, revolution, power, identity), particularly in your historical investigation

Historical skills

• Four historical skills run through the course. At SL, three of these are the primary focus of an assessment component:

Assessment objectives

• The course assesses three levels of thinking

  • Knowledge and understanding

  • Application and analysis

  • Evaluation and synthesis

• These are assessed across six elements of the course:

  • Historical inquiry context

  • Historical concepts

  • Historical sources

  • Historical content

  • Historical arguments

  • Historical inquiry questions

• These are interconnected rather than purely hierarchical; for example, applying a concept can be just as demanding as evaluating one

Course aims

• In line with the wider Individuals and Societies group, the IB History course aims to equip you to:

  • Explore and critically engage with multiple perspectives and ways of thinking

  • Investigate and evaluate the interactions between individuals and societies

  • Think and act as informed and principled individuals in societies

  • Understand and value the variety and diversity of the human experience across time and place

• In addition, IB History students will:

  • Inquire into the past through historical contexts, concepts, content and skills

  • Investigate historical events, issues and topics

  • Explore and evaluate diverse historical perspectives and arguments

  • Examine diverse historical identities and experiences

Command terms

• These are the official IB command terms used in History examination questions. You must know exactly what each one is asking for

  • Analyse - Break down to bring out the essential elements or structure

  • Discuss - Offer a considered and balanced review that includes a range of arguments, factors or hypotheses; opinions or conclusions should be presented clearly and supported by appropriate evidence

  • Examine - Consider an argument or concept in a way that uncovers the assumptions and interrelationships of the issue

  • Explain -Give a detailed account, including reasons or causes

  • To what extent - Consider the merits or otherwise of an argument or concept; opinions and conclusions should be presented clearly and supported with appropriate evidence and sound argument

Key terminology

• DP - Diploma Programme

• SL - Standard Level

• HL - Higher Level

• IA - Internal Assessment (the historical investigation)

• EE - Extended Essay

• TOK - Theory of Knowledge

• CAS - Creativity