History IA word count and page limit

History IA word count and page limit 
 

Is your History IA deadline coming up and you need help with writing your essay? This post is here to help you with the word limit and allocation. Keep reading for suggestions that will help you better meet the assessment criteria. 
 

The history investigation is based on the analysis of primary sources, secondary sources, or a mixture of both. When it comes to the technical requirements, there is no page limit but you have to fit within the limit of 2,200 words. Below you can learn about the suggested word allocation for different parts of your work.
 

Identification and evaluation of sources 

Start your essay by identifying and evaluating sources and clearly stating the research question. This part should be around 500 words. You should analyse the two sources with reference to their origins, purpose, and content. It is also crucial to state their nature and determine their limitations in regard to the investigated question. 
 

Check out this exemplar for commentaries on this section.
 

Investigation 

The actual investigation is the core part of the History IA. You should devote around 1,300 words to explore the research question. The investigation needs a clear and efficient structure, however, the IB does not have a prescribed format. This section should be focused on the critical analysis pertaining directly to the investigated question. Additionally, you must present your conclusions based on the conducted analysis. What we recommend is devoting separate paragraphs for different arguments based on the chosen historical sources. 
 

This investigation has the above-mentioned structure. 
 

Check out our free History IA exemplars

View all exemplars on Clastify

Grade received: 7

To what extent was martial law imposed in Poland on 13th December 1981 to pre-empt the invasion of the USSR?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did World War II lead to women in the United States becoming permanent participants of the labour force?

Grade received: 7

To what extent was U.S. foreign policy successful in winning over the support of the American public for American involvement in the Vietnam war?

View hundreds of other History IA exemplars on Clastify

Click to view exemplars

Grade received: 7

To what extent was FDR governmental intervention responsible for the end of the Great Depression in the US?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did protofeminist movements during the French Revolution succeed in establishing sexual equality?

Grade received: 7

To what extent were the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary to end the Second World War

Grade received: 7

To what extent can patriarchal factors be considered to be the most significant cause for the marginalisation of the South Korean comfort women during and after the Pacific War?

View hundreds of other History IA exemplars on Clastify

Click to view exemplars

Grade received: 7

To what extent was the Black Power Movement responsible for the decline of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did the Mongol invasions of Eurasia from the years 1250-1345 lead to positive socio-economic developments in the region?

Grade received: 6

To what extent was NATO’s intervention in the Libyan Civil War of 2011 a humanitarian intervention?

Grade received: 7

To what extent was martial law imposed in Poland on 13th December 1981 to pre-empt the invasion of the USSR?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did World War II lead to women in the United States becoming permanent participants of the labour force?

Grade received: 7

To what extent was U.S. foreign policy successful in winning over the support of the American public for American involvement in the Vietnam war?

View hundreds of other History IA exemplars on Clastify

Click to view exemplars

Grade received: 7

To what extent was FDR governmental intervention responsible for the end of the Great Depression in the US?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did protofeminist movements during the French Revolution succeed in establishing sexual equality?

Grade received: 7

To what extent were the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary to end the Second World War

Grade received: 7

To what extent can patriarchal factors be considered to be the most significant cause for the marginalisation of the South Korean comfort women during and after the Pacific War?

View hundreds of other History IA exemplars on Clastify

Click to view exemplars

Grade received: 7

To what extent was the Black Power Movement responsible for the decline of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did the Mongol invasions of Eurasia from the years 1250-1345 lead to positive socio-economic developments in the region?

Grade received: 6

To what extent was NATO’s intervention in the Libyan Civil War of 2011 a humanitarian intervention?

Grade received: 7

To what extent was martial law imposed in Poland on 13th December 1981 to pre-empt the invasion of the USSR?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did World War II lead to women in the United States becoming permanent participants of the labour force?

Grade received: 7

To what extent was U.S. foreign policy successful in winning over the support of the American public for American involvement in the Vietnam war?

Reflection 

In this section of your investigation, you should consider what insights your work has brought to light regarding the methods employed by historians and the obstacles they encounter. The optimal number of words for reflection is around 400. 
 

See this one for inspiration.
 

Below you can find the examples of discussion questions to reflect on listed in the History guide:

• What methods used by historians did you use in your investigation?

• What did your investigation highlight to you about the limitations of those methods?

• What are the challenges facing the historian?

• How do they differ from the challenges facing a scientist or a mathematician?

• What challenges in particular does archive-based history present?

• How can the reliability of sources be evaluated?

• What is the difference between bias and selection?

• What constitutes a historical event? 

• Who decides which events are historically significant? 

• Is it possible to describe historical events in an unbiased way?

• What is the role of the historian? 

• Should terms such as “atrocity” be used when writing about history, or should value judgments be avoided?

• If it is difficult to establish proof in history, does that mean that all versions are equally acceptable?

Bibliography 

A bibliography and clear referencing of all analysed sources are required, but this part is not included in the overall word count.
 

Don’t forget to check out Clastify's base of history IAs for further inspiration! If you need more guidance regarding the IB written assessments, see other posts available on our blog.