Paper Two and Three Exam

Technique
General Advice:

For both papers you must complete essays: 2 essays in Paper Two and 3
essays in Paper Three
You should be spending absolute maximum of 45 minutes on each essay
Steps during exam:
1. Quickly open your exam paper and jump to your relevant sections
which are;
Paper Two
Causes Practices and Effects of War
The Cold War
Paper Three
Imperial Russia, revolutions, emergence of Soviet State
1853-1924
European Diplomacy and the First World War 1970 to
1923
Inter war Years: Conflict and Cooperation 1919 to 1939
2. Scan all the questions in your relevant sections
3. Circle the questions you plan to answer.
4. Highlight the key words in the questions eg: Command terms, scope,
events, etc
5. Spend max of 5 minutes planning your essay. You can put this in your
answer booklet, just make sure to put a large X through the page to
show the examiner it is not to be marked.
6. Complete your essays, constantly referring back to your essay plan.
7. Check your essay plan to ensure you have included all points you
wanted to make

Assessment Objectives(AO1-5)
The following five elements are being sought in every IB History exam essay. The
better you complete each element the higher grade you receive.
1. Clear focus on the demands of the question
2. Use of historical knowledge to support opinions(dont simply describe
events)
3. Clear understanding of historical context, place the events in a wider
context

4. You must show different interpretations and depending on the question

also show cause/ effect or compare/contrast.
5. Have a clear structure to your essay (thematic is preferred to
chronological).

Structure for Essays:

Paragraph One:

Give a clear review of the question to show you understand what

you are being asked (AO 1).
Define the scope of your essay for both time and place(AO 1&3)
Explain how you plan to structure your answer to the question(AO
1&5)

Paragraph Two:

Fully define the historical context of the question show how the
specific events you are dealing with fit into the wider history of the
time(AO 3)
If possible mention some historiography here saying what famous
historians have said about the topic(AO 4)

Paragraph Three & Four:

Possible Interpretation A give a clear PEE (Point/evidence/

explanation) for one main point/idea that directly relates to the
question.(AO 2&4)
Possible Interpretation A give another clear PEE (Point/evidence/
explanation) for another main point/idea that directly relates to the
question.(AO 2&4)

Paragraph Five & Six:

Possible Interpretation B give a clear PEE (Point/evidence/

explanation) for one main point/idea that directly relates to the
question.(AO 2&4)
Possible Interpretation B give another clear PEE (Point/evidence/
explanation) for another main point/idea that directly relates to the
question.(AO 2&4)

Paragraph Seven:

Directly address the question and give an overall judgment on it,

summarize your opinion.(AO 1)

Very briefly review the points you made to back up this judgment.
Absolutely no new ideas should be introduced here.(AO 5)