History at IB Level: Examinations starting 2010
From 2010 history students at International
Baccalaureate level will be examined on a new syllabus. With IB becoming
increasingly popular as an alternative to A-Level study this is therefore a
good time to review what exactly IB entails: how similar it is to A-Level, its
advantages and drawbacks.
At a glance, my initial idea for teaching the new syllabus, term by term, looks like this (although I am likely to juggle things around as time wears on! (SL=Standard Level; HL=Higher Level))
Year 12
|
Autumn part 1 |
Autum part 2 |
Spring part 1 |
Spring part 2 |
Summer part 1 |
Summer part 2 |
SL: Causes of WW1
HL: Russia 1853-81 |
SL: Effects of WW1
SL: Reasons for G. defeat
HL: Russia 1881-1890 |
SL: Rise of Mao / Chinese Civil War
HL: Middle East 1914-49, Pt1 (the Palestinian issue, 1914-1947). |
SL Paper 1: The Middle East 1945-79, Pt1 (1945-66)
HL: Russia 1890-1914 |
HL: Russia 1914-1917
SL: Russia 1918-24
SL: Origins of WW2 |
| Year 13 |
SL: Rise of Stalin
HL: Middle East 1914-49, Pt2 (case study of an Arab nation)
SL: Spanish Civil War |
HL: Middle East 1914-49, Pt3 (case study of an Arab nation).
SL: Rule of Stalin |
SL Paper 1: Middle East 1945-79, Pt2 (1967-79) |
HL: Mussolini's Domestic and Foreign policies.
SL: Origins of Cold War to 1949 – inc. Berlin Wall to bring G. up to 1961 |
|
|
How do you structure your course? I'd be very interested to compare ideas - please contact me with your suggestions and comments!
A. Assessment in IB History
Overview
History at IB is a two-year course which, unlike the
AS/A2 model, has no external assessment element midway through the course.
Students choose to study History either at Standard Level or at Higher Level.
All of these students produce an Internal Assessment (IA) on a topic of their
choice during the course, and sit for two examination papers: Paper 1 consists
of four sourcework questions, whilst Paper 2 requires students to write two
essays. Higher Level students additionally have to study some extra topics for
Paper 3, which involves the production of a further three essays. This means
that the overall grade for Standard Level and Higher Level students is calculated
differently:
Assessment Grid for IB History |
| |
Standard Level |
Higher Level |
Internal
Assessment |
25% |
20% |
Paper
1 (60 mins) |
30% |
20% |
Paper
2 (90 mins) |
45% |
25% |
Paper
3 (150 mins) |
|
35% |
1. Sourcework
Paper
1
[Student Handout: Tips for IB History Sourcework]
At the time of writing, the IB board has not made
available any sample papers for the new syllabus. However, it is unlikely that
they will substantially change the existing approach of each paper. With this
qualification in mind, up until now Paper 1 has consisted of five accessible
sources; written sources are rarely more than 200 words long, and there is
usually at least one visual source such as a cartoon or photograph among these.
The four questions, adding up to 25 possible points, follow a predictable
format, with a clear markscheme:
1a. “Why, according to Source A,…” (3 marks);
1b. “What message is conveyed by Source B…” (2 marks);
2. “Compare and contrast the views expressed by
Sources C and D…” (6 marks);
3. “With reference to their origins and purpose,
assess the values and limitation of source A & D to this historian
studying…” (6 marks);
4. “Using the sources and your own knowledge, explain
to what extent you agree that…” (8 marks).
2. Essays
[Student Tips: IB History Essay Skills]
[Student Tips: "Challenging the assumptions of the question" in Level 7 of the mark scheme]
Paper
2
This examination paper is traditionally divided into
five sections of five questions each. Students will be required to answer two
questions chosen from different sections of the paper, hence the requirement
that students study at least two of these topic sections in depth (see below).
The five questions within each section will range from the narrowly specific
(“To what extent was the rise to power of either Hitler or Mao due to personal
appeal and ability?”) to the very open-ended (“Assess the importance of
ideology for rulers of twentieth century single party states”). Another popular
style of question in Paper 2 involves the comparison of different regions
("Analyse the foreign policy of two rulers of
single-party states, each chosen from a different region.").
This genuinely synoptic approach to History – chronologically,
geographically and thematically – is one of the most challenging but
stimulating aspects of the IB course.
Paper
3
Higher Level students only sit this paper. The IB
board produces several Paper 3 examination papers, each of which tests
knowledge of a different world region (for example Europe and the Middle East,
the Americas). The teacher will declare in advance which of these papers his or
her students will be sitting – in my case, I teach towards the European
paper. The paper consists of a list of 25 essay questions covering up to 200
years from which candidates must answer 3. In contrast to Paper 2, these
questions are not organised into themes, and are not particularly synoptic in
nature: instead, they are in-depth questions on particular topics ("What
were the main causes of the Spanish Civil War?", "Compare the roles
of Trotsky and Lenin in the October Revolution and the formation of the Soviet
State to 1924").
The
Internal Assessment
[Advice on how to structure the Internal Assessment, along with a sample markscheme]
The Internal Assessment at IB History level is an individual study which accounts for 20% of final mark for Higher Level students, and 25% for Standard Level students. It is a study of 1500-2000 word essay on a topic of the student's own choice. This personal study of 1500-2000 words is often the
most enjoyable part of the course for many students. It is divided into very
clear sections – an introduction, a summary of evidence, an evaluation of
sources, an analysis and so on – each of which has a recommended word
limit and its own clear mark scheme. In comparison to many A-Level personal studies,
the topic theme for the Internal Assessment (IA) does not need to be confined
to the period, region or themes being tested in the external examinations.
Students may be working towards an exam focusing heavily on Modern European
History, but could choose as their IA a question on Medieval Asian History. In
the past, popular choices of study have been based around novels, films or works of art
("How useful is the art of George Grosz to the historian of Weimar
Germany?") or personal interviews ("Does oral testimony substantiate
the view that life in East Germany got worse following the fall of
Nazism?"), but more studies based on more traditional themes ("How
significant was Harriet Tubman in the American abolition movement?") are
also perfectly acceptable.
B. Syllabus for IB History
Before the introduction of the new
syllabus one of the criticisms of the IB was that it only allowed for the study
of Modern History. In the new syllabus, however, teachers must decide whether
to follow Route 1 (Medieval / Early Modern) or Route 2 (Modern).
IB History Route 1 (Islamic and European History
c500-1600)
Route 1 is a completely new syllabus of
study that has been made available to teachers desperate to allow their
students to escape from the tyranny of Modern History that dominates most GCSE
courses. This option is not likely to prove popular given that the main developments (e.g. Renaissance, Reformation) have largely been ignored in favour of obscure and badly resourced topics (e.g. The Kingdom of Sicily 1130-1302!). For more details of this Route, click here.
IB History Route 2 (20th Century World History)
Route 2 has much in common with the old
IB syllabus, being a Modern History course, although with some significant
differences.
▪ Paper 1 (sourcework) requires students to have studied either Peacemaking, Peacekeeping -
international relations 1918-36 or The Arab-Israeli conflict 1945-79 or Communism in crisis 1976-89.
-
Communism in crisis 1976-89
-
This is not a topic I teach at IB level. However, there are useful materials in the GCSE section of the website covering Cold-War related issues:
-
-
-
-
▪ Paper 2 (two essays) requires students to study at least two of the following five topics. Within each of the two
topics chosen, teachers are encouraged to focus on material taken from at least
two of the four regions (Europe & Middle East, Africas, Americas, Asia
& Oceania)
-
-
2. Democratic states - challenges and
responses: e.g. Nehru, Weimar Germany, Mandela.
-
-
4. Nationalist and independence
movements in Africa and Asia and post-1945 Central and Eastern European states:
e.g. Gandhi, Ho Chi Minh, Mugabe, Walesa, Havel.
-
▪ Paper 3 (three essays) requires students to study one of the following regional options
in depth. Each option is broken down into twelve topics of which students are expected to study three.
-
1. Aspects of the History of Africa
1800-2000
-
2. Aspects of the History of the
Americas 1760-2000
-
3. Aspects of the History of Asia and
Oceania 1770-2000
-
4. Aspects of the History of Europe and
the Middle East 1750-2000
For example, the twelve topics within
the final (European) regional option listed here are as follows:
Paper 3, Option 4: Aspects of the History of Europe and
the Middle East 1750-2000
1. The French Revolution and Napoleon
[ActiveHistory Study Unit for Year 9 - use as you wish!]
2. Unification and Consolidation of
Germany and Italy
[IB History Resources - Germany]
3. The Ottoman Empire
4. Western and Northern Europe 1848-1914
5. Imperial Russia, Revolutions, Emergence of Soviet State 1853-1924
[IB History Study Guide: Tsarist and Revolutionary Russia to 1924]
[IB History Resources - Alexander II]
[IB History Resources - Alexander III]
[IB History Resources - Nicholas II]
[IB History Resources - Lenin]
6. European Diplomacy and the First
World War 1870-1923
[IB History Resources - Causes of WW1, Course / Effects WW1, the Peace Treaties]
7. War and Change in the Middle East
1914-49
[ActiveHistory Study Unit for Year 9 - use as you wish!]
[I am teaching this Middle East unit at IB Level in 2010-2011, during which time resources will be made available on the site]
8. Interwar Years: Conflict and
Co-operation 1919-39
[IB History Resources - The Peace Treaties after World War One]
[IB History Resources - The League of Nations in the 1920s]
[IB History Resources - The The Wall St. Crash / Depression]
[IB History Resources - The League of Nations in the 1930s]
[IB History Resources - The Spanish Civil War]
[IB History Resources - Mussolini] [resources to follow in Summer 2010]
9. The Soviet Union and Eastern Europe
1924-2000
[History Study Guide - Stalin's USSR]
[IB History Resources - Stalin's USSR]
[IB History Resources - Khrushchev and Brezhnev]
[IB History Resources - Soviet Economic Development 1880-1980]
[IB History Resources - Hitler's Germany]
[IB History Study Guide: The Cold War to 1961]
[The Cold War c.1945-55]
[IB History Resources: Causes for the Collapse of Communism in Europe]
10. The Second World War and Post-War
Western Europe 1939-2000
11. Post-War Developments in the Middle
East 1945-2000
[ActiveHistory Study Unit for Year 9 - use as you wish!]
[I am teaching this Middle East unit at IB Level in 2010-2011, during which time resources will be made available on the site]
12. Social and Economic Developments in
Europe and the Middle East
[IB History Paper 3 Past Questions: European Option]
Observations on Route 2:
For most current teachers of IB, the new
syllabus will require an adjustment to rather than a complete overhaul of
existing schemes of work, although the opportunity now exists to bring in units
of study on the Middle East. The biggest change is to Paper 1, which previously
involved the study of either Stalin or Mao or the Cold War. Paper 2 has been
changed less drastically: most topics studied by schools such as the World
Wars, Communist and Fascist dictatorships and the Cold War still have a central
place in the new examination. Nevertheless, there are some important changes
here too: in particular, it is no longer possible to study international
organisations such as the League of Nations and the UN in the new, narrower
topic on "multiparty states", although conversely Eastern Europe has
now been incorporated into the topic of "Nationalist and Independence
Movements". Lenin and Mussolini have disappeared as recommended figures in
the study of single-party states, and the old topic 6 ("The State and its
Relationship with Minorities") has been quietly dropped – although
to be fair it was never popular anyway.
C. Structuring the
IB History Course
Following the IB course offers its own particular
challenges and opportunities. Firstly, the fact that there is no mid-course
external assessment comparable to the AS/A2 model is something that will suit
some teachers and students more than others. Secondly, IB teachers have to
organise a course that acknowledges that some students within the class will be
studying at Standard Level, whilst others will also be working towards the
extra paper required for the Higher Level examination. Some teachers –
myself included – therefore lean towards teaching Paper 3 (Higher Level)
topics that are also tested in Paper 2 (Standard Level & Higher Level) in
order to reduce the overall workload of the Higher Level candidates.
Nevertheless some selected topics will only be relevant for Paper 2; there will
also be others that are only relevant to Higher Level candidates sitting Paper
3, and on these occasions Standard Level students need to be given free study
time.
D. Suggested
Weblinks
http://occ.ibo.org - The IB Online Curriculum Center,
providing past papers, a discussion forum and guidance to history teachers
www.ibhistory.net - A curriculum grid,
suggested approaches and study guides for students and teachers of IB History
http://history-wiki.wikispaces.com/ - I use
this wiki to provide each student at the International School of Toulouse with
an area for writing their Internal Assessment and receiving feedback: it gives
a clear idea of the sorts of questions that have been chosen and how the study
is marked. Such wikis are free to set up and allow teachers to compare drafts
quickly and efficiently as well as to keep a clear "audit trail" of
the development of the study. A real timesaver!
E. IB History Study Guides
IB History Study Guide: World War One
IB History Study Guide: Tsarist and Revolutionary Russia to 1924
IB History Study Guide: Stalin's Russia to 1953
IB History Study Guide: The Cold War to 1961
IB History Study Guide: The Spanish Civil War 1936-39
Russel Tarr is Head of
History at the International School of Toulouse, author of the website www.activehistory.co.uk and author of
the Third Edition of "Luther and the German Reformation" in the
Access to History series.
