IB Essay Writing
While exam essays are subjective by their very nature there are some step by step guidelines you can follow for each section of your essay to ensure you perform at your best. As always, there is no substitute for practice and you would be wise to avoid writing full essays until each of the three individual parts of the essay (introductions, main body paragraphs, and conclusions) is second nature to you. The only way this will happen is through practice. The sub pages go into detail on each section of the essay. If you're looking for the general characteristics of a top marked IB history essay they are reproduced below for you.
2010 IB Guide Paper 2 Critera
- Answers are clearly focused responses
- Answers showing a high degree of awareness of the demands of the question.
- Where appropriate, answers may challenge the question successfully.
- Detailed and accurate historical knowledge is applied as evidence and used consistently and effectively to support critical commentary.
- Events are placed in their historical context
- There is a perceptive understanding of historical processes: cause and effect; continuity and change and (where appropriate) comparison and contrast.
- There may be evaluation of different approaches to, and interpretations of, historical issues and events.
- Evaluation of interpretations is integrated effectively into the answer to support and supplement the argument.
- Answers are well structured and clearly expressed,
- Answers use evidence to support relevant, balanced and focused historical arguments.
2010 IB Guide Paper 3 Criteria
- Answers are clearly focused responses,
- Answers show a high degree of awareness of the demands of the question.
- Where appropriate, answers may challenge the question successfully.
- In-depth and accurate historical knowledge is applied consistently and convincingly to support critical commentary.
- Answers may reveal a high level of conceptual ability.
- Events are placed in their historical context.
- There is a clear understanding of historical processes: cause and effect; continuity and change and (where appropriate) comparison and contrast.
- There may be evaluation of different approaches to, and interpretations of, historical issues and events.
- This evaluation is integrated effectively into the answer to support and supplement the argument.
- In addition, an awareness of the reasons for circumstances that produced differing and often conflicting historical interpretations is present.
- Answers are well structured and clearly expressed,
- Answers use evidence to support relevant, balanced and well-focused arguments.
- Synthesis is highly developed, with knowledge and critical commentary fully and effectively integrated.