Click here to explore thousands of examiner marked IA, EE and TOK exemplars!
Are you a current IB History student and are wondering what you need to do to achieve a grade of 7 in your IA and final exams? This post is here to provide you with some guidance on how you can achieve your goal of getting a 7. Read on for some of our top tips to help you succeed in IB History.
How to get a 7 in IB History
Master the fundamental concepts
IB History requires students to understand and memorize many historical events such as wars, policy changes, conflicts, leaders, movements, etc. Students should ensure they can understand the theory behind these events as well as their significance throughout history.
Memorize key facts
IB History is highly dependent on memorization as students often have to learn a large number of historical events, figures, and concepts, requiring students to memorize large amounts of detailed information. Students must memorize various concepts and be able to apply them in unfamiliar contexts on exams and assessments. The theory is extensive so students should be prepared to do a lot of memorization.
Learn the IB command terms
Pay attention to words like "discuss," "describe," "analyze," and "evaluate" in exam questions. Each type of command term has a different meaning and requires you to answer exam questions in a certain way. A full list of IB History command terms can be found here.
Complete past papers
The best way to revise for an exam and get a 7 on it is to do past papers. The exam format is very similar from year to year and questions can often follow the same patterns. Aim to do past papers dating back at least 5 years from the exam session you are planning to sit for. Older papers can also be done, however, you should be mindful that the IB changes their syllabi regularly so older papers may not be representative of the current testable content. Nevertheless, you can still do older papers as extra practice. To simulate exam conditions, you could even set a timer to see if you can finish the past papers within the time allotted for your actual exam.
Practice OPCVL
OPCVL stands for Origin, Purpose, Content, Value, Limitation. This is a very important technique to use when analyzing historical texts as it allows you to draw conclusions and comment on the historical works in a holistic way. For a more detailed explanation of OPCVL and some examples, check out these posts here and here.
Craft a strong IA
The IA makes up 20% of your final grade in IB History which is a significant amount. You should start the IA process as early as you can to give yourself enough time to choose a topic, research the history behind it, write a draft, and finalize your IA. Make sure to follow a logical structure, which includes all the elements as described in this post. Submit your draft to your teacher for feedback on how to improve. For further guidance, check out our extensive collection of History IAs to see detailed comments on what makes a good IA. To be sure your IA is of the highest quality, you can also submit it to Clastify's review service.
Practice essay questions
Practice writing essay-style questions as these are a big part of the examination. You should time how long you take to complete one essay as well as the entire paper. This is because essay writing can often be time-consuming as you need to plan your thoughts and write them cohesively using a good flow within a set timeframe. It is important to practice this skill beforehand to ensure you do not run out of time during the actual exam.
Study consistently
IB History is very memorization-heavy and requires constant reviewing of the material to ensure you remember the vast number of historical events, dates, prominent figures, etc. Ensuring consistent study habits is crucial to achieving a 7. Create a dedicated study schedule and practice IB History at a fixed date and time weekly. Ensure your study space is free from any distractions and allows you to focus thoroughly on the history material.
We hope this post helped you learn more about how to get a 7 in IB History. For more useful materials associated with the IB check out the wide variety of IA, EE and TOK exemplars available at Clastify and other guides available on our blog.
The Fast Track To Your
Best IB Coursework & College Essays
All content on this website has been developed independently from and is not endorsed by the International Baccalaureate Organization. International Baccalaureate and IB are registered trademarks owned by the International Baccalaureate Organization.