IB History Paper 2 - Your Roadmap to Success (with Examples)
What is IB History paper 2? 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 2 - The General Overview
It’s an exam that assesses your knowledge of the prescribed subjects in IB History.
It accounts for 45% of your final grade if you are doing the subject at SL level & 25% for your final grade if you are doing the subject at HL level.
You have 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete the exam.
You have to answer 2 questions, each worth 15 marks.
You can get a total of 30 marks.
You can find the distribution of these marks below:
| Point Range | IB Grade |
|---|---|
| 24–30 | 7 |
| 20–23 | 6 |
| 15–19 | 5 |
| 11–14 | 4 |
| 8–10 | 3 |
| 4–7 | 2 |
| 0–3 | 1 |
Keep in mind that there are 1 (SL) or 2 (HL) other papers that co-determine your grade.
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IB History Paper 2 - A More Extensive Overview
When you open the IB History paper 2 exam you will find 12 topics in front of you. Each topic is related to a different time-period.
Here are the topics:
Society and Economy (750-1400)
Causes and Effects of Wars (750-1500)
Dynasties and Rulers (750-1500)
Societies in Transition (1400-1700)
Early Modern States (1450-1789)
Causes and Effects of Early Modern Wars (1500-1750)
Origins, Development and Impact of Industrialization (1750-2005)
Independence Movements (1800-2000)
Emergence and Development of Democratic States (1848-2000)
Authoritarian States (20th Century: 1901-2000)
Causes and Effects of 20th Century Wars (20th Century: 1901-2000)
The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries (20th Century: 1901-2000)
Under each topic you will find 2 questions about that topic.
When you’ve found the 2 topics you’re most comfortable with (probably the ones you’ve covered in class), choose one question per topic that you feel you are able to answer. Below are some examples of questions and things to consider when answering them.
Topic 10 - Authoritarian States (20th century).
Question example: “To what extent did US expansionism contribute to the rise of authoritarianism in one particular country in the Middle East and Africa region?”
As a start, you should pick an Authoritarian state in the region that you know which was authoritarian in the 20th century. One example would be Iran. It is always useful to provide a brief definition of Authoritarianism in the introduction of your response. In case of this question, it is also useful to provide a brief definition of US expansionism.
After the introduction, you may argue that US expansionism contributed to a large extent because the rise of Authoritarianism in Iran was largely fueled by anti-western sentiments. You may continue to say that some of the direct causes of the authoritarian Iranian regime came from the US response to the Iranian nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the ramifications of operation Ajax and pushback from the religious powers in Iran to the installation of Shah Reza Pahlavi.
You may also, alternatively, argue that religious factors played a much larger role than US expansionism in the rise of authoritarianism in Iran. You may continue by arguing that Iran’s religious history is much lengthier than US involvement and that without the religious structures of power in place in Iran, there would be no authoritarianism.
Topic 12 - The Cold War: Superpower Tensions and Rivalries (20th Century)
Question example: “The Soviet Union clearly showed signs of Defensive Imperialism rather than Expansionism during the Cold War. To what extent do you agree with this statement?”
As a start, expansionism and defensive imperialism should be defined in the introduction of your response. It may also be useful to define a scope. The Soviet response in the beginning of the Cold War may be quite different, for instance than the end of the Cold War. Perhaps you could even argue that there is no single approach that the Soviet Union took during the Cold War and it would be better to examine certain decisions in light of their direct context.
If you agree with the statement, you may argue that the Soviet Union was merely reacting to US expansionism and the global shift of power from the UK to the US after the second world war. You may argue further that a specific example of this is the Cuban missile crisis, given that the US had increased its military presence in the countries surrounding the Soviet Union (such as Turkey).
If you disagree with the statement you may argue that the Soviet Union’s expansionism can be clearly seen from its increased influence in countries that are not part of the defensive umbrella of the Soviet Union. Why would the Soviet Union, for instance, station weapons in Cuba during the Cuban missile crisis if it merely wanted to protect itself? In addition, one may argue that Soviet territorial expansionism post WW2 is clearly an argument against its supposed ‘defensive imperialist’ foreign policy.
These are just examples of arguments you could make. There are of course many arguments you are able to make and I encourage everyone to look at some past papers (exams from previous years) and answer some questions from those past papers.
What does the Rubric ask for?
For top marks, the IB History Paper 2 rubric asks for a few things:
A well-structured and focused argument.
This means you answer the question directly.
Your response has a clear introduction, answers the question and provides clear and logical argumentation.
Your knowledge of the topic is accurate and relevant
This means that you provide relevant information to the case (as opposed to random information that is irrelevant).
The information you provide to the case is accurate (eg: correct names and dates).
This means you are able to paint a clear picture of the historical context by telling the reader what kind of tensions were present at the time and placing the case in the larger context of that time.
That your response contains critical analysis.
This means that there is an evaluation of different perspectives. You may for instance provide a counterargument to your own argument. You may also challenge the question in order to prove critical thinking. The authoritarianism question above, for instance, assumes that Iran was at all authoritarian in the 20th century - which may be disputed.
Whether you’re aiming to improve your Paper 2 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 review the content that you have learned over the past 2 years. Trust in your own ability to answer the questions well. If you have been paying attention in class for the past few years, practised writing papers and have done research for various other projects for class there is absolutely no reason you won’t do well on this exam. Prepare well, rest before the exam and give your brain time to process information when you study. Definitely spend some time practising by doing past papers. It’s always a good idea to give yourself exactly 1.5 hours and handwrite the exam so you can simulate your exam setting as closely as possible. Finally, eat and drink plenty on the day of the exam and get enough sleep the night before.
