IB History – Paper Two Feedback HL & SL

Purpose: Essay Skills

Topics: Causes, PracticesWar& SinglePartyStates

2 Essays Time: 1 hr 30m

Paper Two Grade Boundaries

Mark / IB Grade
27 – 40 / 7
23 - 26 / 6
19 – 22 / 5
15 – 18 / 4
11 – 14 / 3
6 – 10 / 2
0 – 5 / 1

Feedback

[Look at grade descriptors sheet]

Very poor performance overall. Why?

  • You must read & understand the question: Identify key words. Use them in essay.
  • You must know the material/ Information. Revision was inadequate and failed to give you a strong enough basic knowledge. Statistics too!!
  • Applying your knowledge. If you don`t have the above, then you will struggle to answer the question. Identify the key words, relate all information to them, do not just write everything down you know about a topic.
  • Lack of exam technique. An essay is a challenge, not a slow drift meandering through a debate. Everything you write must score and must not be repetitive.
  • An essay is seeking an argument from you, not a descriptive piece of writing. Information and dates are the evidence that you must use to support your argument.
  • Plan – without one you make big mistakes ( eg chronological order), usually plans areeither ineffective or too long.
  • Timing – 90 minutes for 2 essays = 45 minutes per essay. 5 minutes to plan each one, and 40 minutes to write it. Be strict in how you control your time.
  • Revision. It must include the planning and answering of typical questions. Do not walk into the room without having experienced the challenge of a difficult question, without ever applying your knowledge about a topic, and without realising how to `compare and contrast.` Remember, the key topics surrounding every topic are always the same. You must practice applying that knowledge to the specific question.
  • Writing in proper paragraphs and sentences………..language: you must write in fluent manner. You must use historical terms naturally. You must avoid vague comments like ‘people said.’
  • Introductions: are not précis whole essay. Give direct theme answering q.
  • Conclusions: are not restatement of what written. Final ‘stunning’ point, refer to q, look forward from topic.
  • Avoiding question you cannot do. If you revise properly then you won`t be tempted by other sections. If you don`t revise well or the questions seem hard, then its even more certain failure to choose another section that we have not covered.
  • Historians have opinions and key ideas. So where is your historiographical knowledge that makes an easy introduction or conclusion? What’s happened to your quotes page?
  • Regions: Know your examples/ leaders of both Right and Left Wing from different regions & be able to compare them.

An essay is an intellectual exercise into which you must engage and think. Shorter, focused answers with evidence are preferable to long repetitive drivel…..

Get down to it or……….

How to do the Paper:

Some Typical Questions:

Topic 1: Causes, practices and effects of war

  1. How far were the Soviet Union and Germany the victims of the Versailles peace settlement?
  1. With reference to a civil war, discuss the view that civil wars are usually caused by economic problems rather than by political or religious differences.
  1. Compare and contrast the effects for the country concerned of two of the following: the Chinese Civil War; the Nigerian Civil War; the Spanish Civil War.
  1. How far were the causes of the First and Second World War the same?
  1. “War causes more suffering to women than men” Using evidence from at least two wars, discuss this statement.

Topic 3: The rise and rule of single-party states

  1. Compare and contrast the rise and establishment of a single party regime from one fascist and one communist country.
  1. Analyse how far ideology has been put into practice by either one communist or one fascist ruler between 1900 and 1990.
  1. In what ways, and for what reasons, did rulers of single-party states play an important role in world affairs between 1917 and 1945?
  1. How and why was propaganda used in two single-party states, each chosen from a different region?
  1. Examine the role of education and/or the arts in two single party states, each chosen from a different region.

Do glance at other sections: there might be a ‘nice’ question on League Nations or a topic that your Internal Assessment/ Extended Essay is about!!

IF YOU PREPARE, THEN YOU CAN HAVE FUN!!

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