How to Revise for IB History

Written by: Zoe Wade

Published

28 April 2025

Illustration of a student with brown hair revising IB History, writing in a book, with the title "How To Revise IB History" on a pink background.

Contents

Revision for IB History can feel like an uphill battle. With the range of topics, depth studies, and the critical importance of your historical investigation, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But don’t worry – you don’t have to go it alone!

In this guide, I’ll show you the most effective tactics to revise for IB History, helping you feel more confident, organised, and ready for your exams.

These strategies are tried and tested by both Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL) students, and they’ll help you improve your grades and streamline your revision.

Tactics You’ll Learn:

Active Revision
Timelines for Chronology
Flashcards for Key Concepts
How to Tackle the Historical Investigation
Retrieval Practice
Past Papers
Study Groups

Active Revision: Moving Beyond Passive Techniques

For many students, revision often feels like “reading and summarising notes.” However, these passive techniques (such as re-reading or highlighting) are not the most effective ways to retain information. Research in cognitive science shows that active revision is far superior when it comes to remembering and understanding the material.

When you engage in active revision, you’re not just passively taking in information – you’re retrieving and applying what you’ve learned. This process works with the three stages of memory:

Encoding: This is when new information is first learned. In your IB History lessons, you're encoding when you're exposed to new facts, dates, and concepts.
Consolidation: As you continue to study and revisit topics, the information moves into your long-term memory. This happens as you review, reflect, and make connections between different pieces of information.
Retrieval: This is where you are able to pull information from your long-term memory when you need it. It’s the most challenging part of revision, but also the most important. In your IB History exams, you’ll need to retrieve this knowledge quickly and effectively to answer questions on complex topics.

How can you actively revise?

Test yourself on what you remember after reading a section of your notes.
Turn your notes into flashcards or quiz yourself with past exam questions.
Teach a family member or friend what you are studying in IB History.
Try dual coding. This is where you add images or colours to text to help the consolidation process. Dual coding activities for IB History could include:
- Mind maps
- Flowcharts
- Storyboards
- Acronyms and mnemonics such as “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue” or MAIN for the causes of the First World War (Militarism, Alliance System, Imperialism, and Nationalism)

Timelines for Chronology: Mastering Dates and Historical Sequences

In IB History, knowing key dates and events in chronological order is vital. Timelines are one of the most effective tools for mastering historical sequences and ensuring you remember critical moments in history. For both SL and HL students, chronology plays a significant role in essay writing and source analysis, particularly in topics like the Cold War or the causes of World War II.

How can you use timelines in your revision?

Create a visual timeline of the major events in each topic, noting key dates and their significance.
Test yourself by trying to recreate timelines from memory.
Use colour coding to highlight events with different significance, such as wars, treaties, or major political shifts.
- This method works for students by helping them organise the information and visualise the sequence of events, which is invaluable during exams.

Flashcards for Key Concepts: A Smart Way to Memorise Important Information

Flashcards are a classic revision technique, and for good reason. When revising for IB History, creating flashcards for each topic or key concept will help break down the syllabus into manageable chunks. Whether it’s historical figures, important treaties, or key events, flashcards make it easier to absorb information and improve memory retention.

How can you use flashcards in your revision?

Write a question on one side (e.g., “What is communism?”) and the answer on the other.
Quiz yourself regularly to ensure you're memorising both facts and concepts.
Flashcards do not just have to be focused on basic knowledge recall. You can also include flashcards that test you on key historical skills such as:
- consequences
- causes
- significance

Teacher tip: Flashcards work best if you create them as you study new content. This is because the knowledge is fresh in your brain and you can use this method to reinforce the encoding of information.

Historical Investigations: How to Tackle Your Internal Assessment

The Internal Assessment (IA) is a significant part of your IB History course, and it requires you to conduct an independent historical investigation. This process can feel daunting, but with the right approach, it can also be one of the most rewarding parts of the course. A good IA can relieve some exam pressure, as it accounts for 25% (for SL students) and 20% (for HL students) of a student’s final grade.

Start early, stay organised, and make sure you stay on top of the research.

How can you approach your IA effectively?

Choose a focused topic that has enough sources available but isn’t too broad.
Spend time evaluating your sources before diving into the investigation. Consider their value and limitations.
Structure your investigation carefully, with a clear research question and a logical argument.
Use secondary sources for background information and primary sources for in-depth analysis.
A well-planned IA will demonstrate your ability to think like a historian and will have a huge impact on your grade.

Retrieval Practice: Making Your Brain Work for Better Results

One of the most effective ways to revise for IB History is retrieval practice. This method involves recalling information from memory to reinforce learning and identify areas that need more work. Instead of passively reading your notes, challenge yourself to retrieve the information from memory.

How can you use retrieval practice?

Test yourself on various topics after reviewing your notes. Use past exam questions or create your own.
Organise your retrieval practice into a “Last Week, Last Month, Last Year” format, which is a great example of interleaving (studying multiple topics at once).
Keep a record of your retrieval sessions to track your progress and identify areas to focus on.

Teacher tip: Retrieval practice is scientifically proven to help consolidate knowledge in your long-term memory and boost your exam performance.

Past Papers: How to Use Them to Your Advantage

Past papers are an essential part of your IB History revision. They help you familiarise yourself with the exam format, question types, and how to structure your answers. Practising past papers under timed conditions simulates the pressure of the actual exam and helps you manage your time effectively.

How can you use past papers for IB History?

Start with past questions that relate to the topics you find most challenging.
Practice writing full essays within the time limits for Paper 2.
Use model answers to analyse how to approach questions effectively and what examiners are looking for.

Study Groups: How to Make Group Revision Work for You

Sometimes, working alone isn’t the most effective way to revise. Study groups offer a collaborative environment where you can learn from each other, discuss difficult topics, and test each other’s knowledge. Group revision can be especially helpful when studying for IB History, as it allows you to discuss historical events and different perspectives.

How can you make the most of study groups?

Discuss difficult concepts with your group, such as the causes of wars or the impact of authoritarian states.
Use the group to quiz each other on important events, dates, and historical figures.
Hold mock debates or discuss different interpretations of key historical events, helping you think critically.

Teacher tip: Working with others can help keep you motivated, engaged, and provide new insights into your revision topics. Ensure each person in your study group is just as engaged as you are, and has a different strength to you. For example, you could help your group with source analysis whilst another member could be the expert on essay writing.

Improve Your Grades with Save My Exams

At Save My Exams, we’re dedicated to helping students study effectively and achieve their best grades. While we currently don’t offer IB History-specific resources, our extensive revision notes and practice questions for a wide range of other subjects provide a comprehensive foundation for mastering exam techniques and understanding the study process.

By using Save My Exams’ resources, you’ll learn how to break down complex topics, practice answering exam-style questions, and sharpen your revision skills. Our resources are created by experienced teachers and examiners, designed to guide you through the key concepts you need to know, while helping you perfect your exam strategies.

We’re here to support your journey to academic success, whether you’re preparing for IB History or any other subject.

Explore Our IB Revision Resources