IB History HL
The HL History course in the IB Diploma Programme is designed to encourage the exploration of history from multiple perspectives and to teach students to make evidence-based arguments. The wide variety of topics, subtopics, and examples required for study gives students the chance to better understand the complexity of human nature and deepen their knowledge of the contemporary dynamics between individuals and societies.
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Practice Exams
Choose your revision tool! Contains topic quizzes for focused study, Revision Village mock exams covering the whole syllabus, and the revision ladder to precisely target your learning.
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Past Papers
Full worked solutions to all past paper questions, taught by experienced IB instructors.
Course Structure and Content
Every IB History student in schools around the world will likely have a different path through the course content. While the standard- and higher-level courses have similar structures and many elements are identical, it is important to understand that the IB History HL course is bigger both in the quantity of material expected as well as the depth of knowledge demanded of that material.
Higher Level History includes an external assessment, Paper 3, which does not exist in the Standard Level course. This paper demands an in-depth study of a Regional Option: Africa and the Middle East, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, or Europe. Students will study three separate “sections” of material within a regional option and during the Paper 3 exam, they will write three essays about those sections.
Paper 1 and Paper 2 are identical in the History HL and SL courses. Students will answer questions on one of the five Prescribed Subjects in Paper 1, as well as on two of the twelve World History topics in Paper 2. A sample course outline for the IB History HL course might look like this:
- Paper 1: Prescribed Subject 3 - The Move to Global War (Japanese, German and Italian Expansion)
- Paper 2: World History Topics 10 (Authoritarian States) and 12 (The Cold War)
- Paper 3: History of Europe (HOEU) - Sections 15 (Diplomacy in Europe), 17 (Post-war western and northern Europe) and 18 (Post-war central and eastern Europe)
The final element of the IB History HL course is the internal assessment, a historical investigation based on a topic of the student’s choosing. This independent research task is a great opportunity for students to either a) explore an area of interest not addressed in their classroom studies and/or b) enhance or reinforce their understanding of the topics and examples studied in class.
Tips for Success
- Paper 3 is long and grueling: 150 minutes means you’ll have 50 minutes per essay question. Try breaking the exam down into smaller units and allot time for deciding which questions you will respond to, planning your response, writing, and resting. Yes, resting! Both your hand and your brain will need a break.
- Remember that all of the knowledge you have accumulated across the two years of the course may be useful at any point in the course. Just because you learned about the Chinese Civil War for World History Topic 11 (20th Century Wars) doesn’t mean you can’t use that as “own knowledge” in your Paper 1 essay question about responses to Japanese expansion in East Asia.
- Know your command terms! Be prepared for a variety of essay prompts or essay question styles. Practice questions that ask you “to what extent” you agree or disagree with a quote, “evaluate” the reasons for and results of historical events, and “discuss” their significance or impacts. These question types all aim to assess your understanding of the key concepts of the IB History course: change, continuity, causation, consequence, significance and perspectives.
The Higher Level IB History resources available on RV are designed to provide various ways to acquire content knowledge and practice skills that will effectively prepare you for the HL exam.