IB HISTORY MARKSCHEME FULL

Although it is permissible for candidates to refer to “Source A” or “Source 1” in their evaluation, the full details of each source must be offered within the Section. Not all sources evaluated in this Section were identified clearly. Some candidates also made a poor choice of sources and claimed that a source was limited in that it offered insufficient information on the topic. There were many candidates who mentioned these elements but only referred to the values and limitations hastily at the end. Candidates should use the origins, purpose and content of each source as supporting evidence to evaluate the values and limitations as historical sources for the topic under investigation. Most candidates presented their research question and then proceeded to evaluate two sources without explaining the reasons for their choice.Īlthough the evaluation of sources is a familiar task, there is still room for improvement in how this is approached. This requirement was met by a small number of candidates only.

To reach the top band (5-6 marks), candidates must clearly explain the relevance of two selected sources to their investigation. The six key concepts for History (causation, consequence, continuity, change, significance and perspectives) can help candidates think of topics more critically and structure research questions that avoid a narrative approach. Several research questions were too broad or did not encourage an analytic approach to the topic but a narrative of events. In this section candidates are expected to (1) clearly state an appropriate research question (2) identify and select appropriate relevant sources (3) explain why the sources are relevant to the investigation and (4) analyze and evaluate two sources with explicit reference to their origins, purpose and content.Ī surprising number of candidates did not state the research question as a question (see History Guide page 86) on either the title page or within Section A and lost marks for this omission. Though most topics were appropriate, many research questions formulated by candidates could have benefitted from a clearer focus.Ī few candidates exceeded the word limit of 2,200 words and compromised their performance in section C as examiners are instructed not to read or award mark for material beyond the word limit.Ĭandidate performance against each section However, some Internal Assessments broke the ten- year rule by focusing on events taking place after 2007. Topics were, overall, suitable and interesting and included a wide range of issues on international, national and local history. This was particularly evident in the treatment of Section C (see below) as this is a new feature of the Internal Assessment. Also, some candidates complied with the new structure but did not seem to understand what was required of them in each section. While the change did not seem to present major issues for most centres, several schools submitted work which followed the old IA format. The new format of the Internal Assessment was first assessed this session. The range and suitability of the work submitted Higher and standard level internal assessment This includes very important information about what the examiners are looking for. Below is the examiner's report for the May 2017 session.

Ib history markscheme