IB History Paper 1 - Your Roadmap to Success (with Examples)
What is IB History paper 1? How long do I have? How should I prepare? What do I need to know? How do I get maximum points? All of these questions will be discussed in the following blog post.
Let’s start at the beginning.
IB History Paper 1 - The General Overview
It’s an exam that assesses your knowledge of the prescribed subjects (more about that later) in IB History.
It counts for 30% of your final grade if you are doing the subject at SL level & 20% for your final grade if you are doing the subject at HL level.
You have 1 hour to complete the exam.
The exam comes with a resource booklet.
You can get a total of 24 marks.
You can find the distribution of these marks below:
| Point Range | IB Grade |
|---|---|
| 19–24 | 7 |
| 16–18 | 6 |
| 13–15 | 5 |
| 12–13 | 4 |
| 7–9 | 3 |
| 4–7 | 2 |
| 1–3 | 1 |
Keep in mind that there are 1 (SL) or 2 (HL) other papers that co-determine your grade.
The study of IB History encourages curiosity and critical thinking, helping students understand the complexities of the modern world and their role within it.
IB History Paper 1 - A More Extensive Overview
There are some quirks to this exam that others don’t have, and knowing how to work around them could really make a significant difference to your final score.
Firstly - you’ll get a resource booklet. It has a bunch of excerpts (small pieces of text) that can serve as a guide for your answers. It also contains photos and other historical resources, which you must read through. The questions in Paper 1 are directly related to this resource booklet.
What’s also slightly different is that you get 5 different prescribed subjects in front of you when you open the exam - you should choose 1! At the beginning of your DP program, your teacher will have chosen one of the prescribed subjects to focus on. So choose the prescribed subject that you’ve been learning about in class.
When you’ve found your prescribed subject, you will have to answer 4 questions about it by using your previous knowledge and the resource booklet in front of you.
Question 1
Question 1 is worth 5 marks and has two parts: A and B.
Part A asks you to identify what a particular source from the resource booklet suggests about a specific historical event.
Part B asks you what a particular source from the resource booklet suggests about a particular group, relationship or historical event.
Example:
Part A: What, according to source D, was the main cause of the rise of Nazism post WW1?
Part B: What does source G suggest about populism in the interwar era?
Your answers to these questions are relatively straightforward and don’t require too much background information. You can provide a straightforward and direct answer with little to no critical thinking or extra historical analysis. To get maximum points for these questions, simply state what the source in question suggests regarding the question.
You should take around 5 - 10 minutes to answer question 1.
Question 2
Question 2 is worth 4 marks and has one part.
Question 2 always follows a similar structure: “With reference to its origins, purpose & content, analyse the value and limitations of source X for a historian studying Y.”
Example:
“With reference to its origins, purpose & content, analyse the value and limitations of source C for an historian studying the factors contributing to the rise of Nazism post-WW1.”
Like the question asks, you must provide values and limitations of the source. This means finding weaknesses and strengths of the source. Perhaps the source can be seen as biased for some reason - or presents information in a certain perspective over another.
The rubric for this question states that if you only provide values and limitations, you can get a maximum of 2 marks. So, what must you do to receive full marks? You have to reference the origin, purpose & content of the source in either the value or limitation section (or both). Be sure to reference all 3!
It should take you around 10 minutes to answer question 2.
Question 3
Question 3 is worth 6 marks and has one part.
Question 3 asks you to compare and contrast what sources X & Y reveal about a certain historical topic.
Example:
“Compare and contrast what sources A & B reveal about the role of the Treaty of Versailles in the rise of Nazism.”
Like the question asks, you must provide some similarities and some differences between the stance that the two sources from the resource booklet have on a certain historical event, historical issue or historical topic. The rubric for this question is very forgiving and simply notes that your response must include some clear and valid points of comparison and contrast.
You should take around 10 minutes to answer question 3.
Question 4
Question 4 is worth 9 marks and requires, by quite a bit, the most extensive answer.
Question 4 either asks you to answer a question about a historical event or issue or gives you a quote and asks a question about it - again using your own knowledge and the sources provided.
Here are 2 examples:
Example 1: “Using the sources and your own knowledge, to what extent can the rise of Nazism be attributed to international pressures?”
Example 2: “Nazism wouldn’t have occurred in Germany if the conditions of the Treaty of Versailles had been less severe”. Using the sources and your own knowledge, to what extent do you agree with this statement?
Question 4 is an essay-type question - and thereby requires an essay-type response.
The first section of the rubric asks you to write a response that is focused. In other words, your answer actually answers the question, instead of providing irrelevant background information or rambling.
The second part of the rubric asks you to reference and use the sources as evidence for your claim. I might argue, for instance, that source D clearly shows that inflation was one of the causes of Nazism - which would not have occurred without the harsh conditions of the Treaty of Versailles.
The final part of the rubric asks you to use your own knowledge to answer the question. You might, for example, using your own background knowledge, state that Germany’s expansionist policy before and during WW1 was still prominent after WW1, which would fuel Nazi sentiment. If you get an idea from a historian you read - it is always good to mention the historian to show the IB how knowledgeable you are. For this reason, it may be beneficial to find some historians and their statements related to your prescribed topic and memorize their names.
While there is no section in the rubric regarding structure it’s always recommended to have proper structure in your answer. That is, include an introductory paragraph that states what you will argue for in your answer, then include a paragraph regarding the answer that the source may provide and, finally, finish with a paragraph where you argue for an answer based on your background knowledge. Both paragraphs could argue for the same claim or for different claims.
Struggling with certain parts of the IB History syllabus? Whether you’re aiming to improve your Paper 1 performance or get ready for final exams, our team of IB History experts is here to guide you every step of the way.
How should I prepare?
Naturally, you should look through your notes of what you’ve been learning for the last two years. Most of the time it’s not enough to re-read through the information. You have to actively use the information to help your brain remember it. So, I suggest looking up some IB past paper 1s (you can google this) and simply doing some past exams in your prescribed subject. This will be the best preparation strategy since you are actively using the information you’ve learnt over the last few years. This strategy will also help you find out where you might be lacking. If you are unable to answer a question - use this as a motivator to go back through the information. I would do around 4 or 5 past papers in the weeks leading up to your exam. Make sure to answer questions within an hour so you can practise with the time constraint as well!
Another useful strategy for memorizing information is to teach it to someone else. Explaining a certain historical topic to someone - or having a discussion about it - will help you remember the information better since you are actively using it. If you want to be extremely efficient - you can pair up with a classmate and teach each other the content. Try not to get distracted!
Now, good preparation is not only about memorizing, refreshing what you’ve learnt and cramming in the weeks before your exam - it is also about feeling fresh, ready and confident on the day of your exam. Do not study hard the night before or on the day of the exam! Give your brain a chance to relax and process the information you’ve been feeding it during your preparation. Go to bed on time the night before! Being well rested makes a massive difference to any exam that you write. You will remember more if you are recharged, think better on your feet and be able to deal with the time constraints better if you’ve had a good night of sleep. Additionally, you should eat well and drink enough on the day of your exam. Try to set yourself up for success as much as possible.
Conclusion
Prepare well, rest before the exam, give your brain time to process information and practise by doing past papers. If you do these things and follow the other tips provided in this blogpost - I have no doubt that you will do great!
Good luck with your exams!
