Welcome to the History teacher support material (TSM).

This support material should be

read in conjunction with the Diploma Programme History guide (published in 2015 for first
assessment in 2017).

The purpose of this support material is to provide teachers with further guidance on putting a
course together, to provide further guidance approaching the teaching and learning of history,
and to provide samples of student responses to both external and internal assessment tasks
with comments from senior examiners to explain why each piece of student work was
awarded that particular mark.

This teacher support material is divided into three sections:

1.1 Putting your course together

1.2 ATL skills

Section 1:
1.3 Approaches to teaching
Approaches to the
teaching and
1.4 Unit planning (and sample unit plans)
learning of history
1.5 Sample lesson plans

2.1 Guidance on the IA task

Section 2: Internal
2.2 Internal assessment samples with moderator comments
assessment

3.1 Paper 1 response samples with examiner comments

3.2 Paper 2 response samples with examiner comments

Section 3: External
assessment
3.3 Paper 3 response samples with examiner comments
1.1 Putting your course together

There are a huge number of possible ways to structure a DP history course and teachers are
encouraged to exercise creativity and flexibility when constructing their history course.

The key starting point when putting a course together is for teachers to ensure that they
understand the requirements of the history guide (Diploma Programme History guide
published in 2015 for first assessment in 2017). As the guide contains a significant number of
changes from previous versions, it is vital that both new and experienced history teachers
read the guide thoroughly before designing/ redesigning their history course.

The DP history course provides teachers with a great deal of flexibility and choice over the
topics they select to teach, allowing teachers to adapt the course to best meet the particular
needs and interests of their students. The focus of the course on six key concepts (change,
continuity, causation, consequence, significance, and perspectives) is designed to provide a
conceptual thread which links all of the available topics. This helps to ensure coherence
whichever of the huge variety of topics on offer teachers select, and despite the huge number
of possible combinations of topics. It is though still very important that teachers take the
time to carefully consider their selection and combinations of topics.

Course planning consists of two main stages: firstly developing an overall course outline that
sets out the approach, structure, and outline of the course, and secondly developing specific
unit plans. More advice on unit planning and examples of unit plans can be found in section
1.4 of this TSM.

Creating a course outline:

There are a variety of different ways to approach the creation of a DP history course outline.
Some teachers may choose to focus their course on a particular time period, such as medieval
history, early modern history, or modern history, which then influences their selection of
topics. Other teachers may choose to choose topics from across different time periods, tied
together through a shared focus on a particular region, or on a particular concept such as
identity.
 Step 1: Select one prescribed subject
Select one prescribed subject from the list of five (see the "Syllabus outline" section of the history guide).
Each prescribed subject consists of two case studies, each taken from a different region of the world.
Both of the case studies specified for the chosen prescribed subject must be studied.

Step 2: Select two world history topics

Select two topics in world history from the list of 12 (See the "Syllabus outline" section of the history guide).
Each topic provides teachers with a great deal of flexibility in choosing their own examples. However, it should
be noted that for each one, topic examples must be studied from more than one region of the world.

Step 3: For HL only, select one HL regional option

For HL only, select one HL regional option from the list of four (see the "Syllabus outline" section of the history
guide). Three sections must be studied for the chosen regional option, from a choice of eighteen sections per
regional option.

Internal assessment
For both SL and HL, students must complete a historical investigation for their internal assessment task.
Students can investigate any historical topic of their choice (see the "Internal assessment" section of the
history guide).

Prescribed subjects:

Teachers must choose one prescribed subject from the list of five. Each prescribed subject
consists of two case studies, each taken from a different region of the world. Both of the case
studies specified for the chosen prescribed subject must be studied. For example, prescribed
subject 5 is called “Conflict and Intervention”, and it includes case studies on Rwanda (1990-
1998) and Kosovo (1989-2002). If this prescribed subject is selected, then teachers must
teach both the case study on Rwanda and the case study on Kosovo.
The requirement to study both of the case studies for the chosen prescribed subject provides
an opportunity for students to explore a similar phenomenon in two different regions of the
world. This encourages students to look for similarities and differences between the two case
studies, and to explore why these similarities and differences exist.

To encourage and support teachers with adopting this comparative approach, the two case
studies for each prescribed subject are each broken down into the same three sub-headings.
For example, in the cases of Rwanda and Kosovo each of the case studies looks at the causes
of the conflict, the course and interventions, and the impact. Having the same three sub-
headings for each of the case studies provides a common vocabulary across the two case
studies, which can be help students to see concepts underlying both case studies, such as
causation or conflict. It can also help to deepen students understanding of the similarities and
differences between the two case studies, which can then facilitate more effective transfer of
their historical understanding to other events they may encounter elsewhere in the course.

The prescribed subjects are assessed on paper one, which is a source based examination
paper. Because paper one is primarily a skills focused paper, students are not expected to
demonstrate the same depth of knowledge of the case studies that they would be expected to
demonstrate, for example, of their paper 3 topics. However, they are expected to have studied
each of the case studies in detail.

Each year the paper 1 examination paper will focus on one of the two case studies specified
for each of the prescribed subjects. It is therefore crucial to note that students must have
studied both of the case studies for the chosen prescribed subject in detail, as they will not
know which of the two case studies the examination paper will focus on in that particular
examination session. The selection of which of the two case studies for each prescribed
subject is set for each examination session will be random, and will not follow any pattern
(such as alternating from session to session).

When selecting a prescribed subject some teachers may prefer to opt for a prescribed subject
which links strongly to a topic their students are studying elsewhere in the course, to support
and reinforce their students’ understanding of that topic. Alternatively, because this
component is primarily skills focused, other teachers may decide to use this opportunity to
increase the breadth and diversity of their history course, using the prescribed subject, for
example, as an excellent opportunity to engage students with history from a different time
period.

World history topics:

Teachers must choose two world history topics from the list of twelve provided in the subject
guide. The twelve topics cover a range of time periods (medieval, early modern, and
modern), and are as follows:

1. Society and economy (750–1400)

2. Causes and effects of medieval wars (750–1500)
3. Dynasties and rulers (750–1500)
4. Societies in transition (1400–1700)
5. Early Modern states (1450–1789)
 6. Causes and effects of Early Modern wars (1500–1750)
7. Origins, development and impact of industrialization (1750–2000)
8. Independence movements (1800–2000)
9. Evolution and development of democratic states (1848–2000)
10. Authoritarian states (20th century)
11. Causes and effects of 20th century wars
12. The cold war: Superpower tensions and rivalries (20th century)

Teachers can choose any two of the twelve topics; there are no restrictions on combinations.
Some teachers may decide to choose two topics which allow them to focus on a particular
aspect of history across two time periods, such as topic 1 (society and economy 750-1400)
and topic 4 (societies in transition 1400-1700), both of which have a focus on social history.
Alternatively, some teachers may decide to choose to study two topics from the same time
period, such as topic 9 (evolution and development of democratic states 1848-2000) and topic
10 (authoritarian states in the 20th century), both of which focus on modern history.

The DP history subject guide contains a table for each world history topic outlining the topics
for study and the prescribed content. The tables also include suggested examples. It should be
noted that for this component the examples provided are suggestions only and should not be
taken as prescriptive. Teachers have the freedom to use some of these examples if they
wish, or to replace them with others that more closely meet the needs and interests of their
students.

While teachers have a huge amount of freedom to select which examples they wish to study
with their student, for each topic the subject guide specifies prescribed content which must
be studied. For example, for the topic “causes and effects of 20th century wars” the subject
guide specifies the following prescribed content:

Topic Prescribed content

Causes of war • Economic, ideological, political, territorial and other causes

• Long- and short-term causes

Practices of • Types of war: civil wars; wars between states; guerrilla wars
war and their
impact on the • Technological developments; theatres of war—air, land and sea
outcome
• The extent of the mobilization of human and economic resources

• The influence and/or involvement of foreign powers

Effects of war • The successes and failures of peacemaking

• Territorial changes

• Political repercussions

• Economic, social and demographic impact; changes in the role and

status of women
The world history topics are assessed on paper 2, which is an extended response paper.
Examination questions for this component will be based on the elements specified in the
prescribed content table for each topic. For example, a question may ask students to discuss
the territorial changes which came about as a result of one war that they have studied,
because territorial changes is specifically identified as prescribed content. Examination
questions on paper 2 will not name specific examples from the suggested examples box, as
these examples are suggestions only.

Some questions will require students to discuss or compare examples from two different
regions of the world. For the purposes of the DP history course the world has been divided
into four regions. They are Asia and Oceania, Africa and the Middle East, Europe, and the
Americas. For example, a question may ask students to compare the causes of two civil wars
that they have studied, from different regions of the world.

It is therefore crucial that teachers ensure that students have covered at least two examples
which can be used to discuss each element of the prescribed content. In the case of the
“causes and effects of 20th century wars” topic outlined above, one element of the prescribed
content is “changes in the role and status of women”. This means that teachers must ensure
that students are able to discuss two examples of wars from two different regions and how
they impacted on the role and status of women.

An effective way to help prepare students for this paper can be to adopt a more thematic
comparative approach to teaching the topics, rather than teaching the examples in isolation or
purely chronologically. For example, a teacher teaching the authoritarian states may decide
that they wish to study four examples: Germany – Hitler, China – Mao, Uganda – Idi Amin,
and Chile – Pinochet. Rather than teaching each example in isolation and simply working
through each example chronologically, teachers may find it more effective to adopt a more
comparative and thematic approach. On this approach teachers would take an element from
the prescribed content for that topic, such as “conditions in which authoritarian states
emerged”, then look at this same element in each of the four examples, taking the opportunity
to draw out similarities and differences between the examples. The teacher would then move
on to another element from the prescribed content, such as “methods used to establish
authoritarian states”, and again explore this same element in each of the four examples, again
taking the opportunity to draw out similarities and differences between the examples.

Regional options and paper 3 topics

SL and HL students all study a common core of one prescribed subject, two topics in world
history, and a historical investigation for their internal assessment task. For HL only, teachers
also select one regional option to focus on in depth. For the purposes of the IB course the
world has been divided into four regions: Asia and Oceania, Africa and the Middle East,
Europe, and the Americas.

Teachers select their regional option based on a number of factors. For many teachers it is an
opportunity to tailor the course to meet national or state requirements. Once teachers have
selected which region they wish to focus on, they should then select three topics a choice of
eighteen topics per regional option.
This element of the course is an opportunity for students to undertake in-depth study into the
history of a particular region of the world. This contrasts with the emphasis in the prescribed
subjects and the world history topics, where the emphasis is on exploring and comparing
examples from different regions.

For each topic, the subject guide presents teachers with an introductory paragraph, followed
by a series of bullet points. It should be noted that both the introductory paragraph and the
bullet points constitute the prescribed content for this component. This means that
examination questions on paper 3 may refer to the content indicated by the bullet points, or
content specified in the paragraph of introduction to the topic.

Some paper 3 topics or bullet points allow for a case study based approach, where students
are able to select which countries they discuss. Please note that ONLY topics where this is
clearly indicated in the subject guide allow for this approach, so it is important that teachers
read the subject guide closely.

For example:

If a bullet point states the following:

 Nature of kingship and challenges: England—Henry VI (1422–1461); Edward IV

(1461–1483); France—Louis XI (1461–1483)

then it means that all three named kings (Henry VI, Edward IV, and Louis XI) must be
studied.

If a bullet point states the following:

 Case studies of two of the following: al-Mu'izz (953-975); al-Hakim (996-1021); al-
Mustansir (1036-1094)

then it means that only two of the three named (al-Mu'izz, al-Hakim, and Mustansir) must be
studied. Any two of the three can be chosen.

If a bullet point states the following:

 Case study of any two enlightened despots: policies and their impact; extent of change

then it means that any two enlightened despots may be studied.

1.2 ATL skills

The DP history course, as all DP courses and indeed as all IB programmes, focuses on
developing five key areas of ATL skills: thinking skills, communication skills, social skills,
research skills, and self-management skills.

More detailed guidance and resources on these skills are provided in the guidance materials
on Approaches to Teaching and Learning in the Diploma Programme. However, this section
of the TSM provides suggestions of ways in which DP history teachers can help students to
develop these skills during their history studies. The examples provided are intended purely
as suggestions/ to provide useful ideas. They are in no way intended to be prescriptive.

Skill area Examples of activities and approaches which DP history teachers

could use to help develop these skills

Thinking skills  Ensure that students are familiar with the DP history
command terms (listed in the back of the subject guide), and
are clear about what type of thinking is expected of them
when different terms are used
 When planning history lessons, identify opportunities to
make links to TOK
 Engage students in activities in history lessons which require
higher order thinking (such as analysis and evaluation) rather
than simply requiring memorisation of content
 Encourage students to make links and comparisons between
different examples and topics that they study in their history
lessons
 Incorporate reflection activities into history lessons (these
could be range from reflective journals to online reflection
using blogs or podcasts)
 When asking students to read an article in a history lesson,
try putting them into small groups and asking them to use a
visible thinking routine such as “word, phrase, sentence”
(where they highlight a key word, a key phrase, and then a
key sentence) to help them engage with the text more closely,
and ask students to discuss why they made those particular
selections. (See Ritchhart et al, 2011, Making Thinking
Visible, Jossey Basss)

Communication  Engage students in a group debate about the significance of a

skills particular historical individual or event
 Spend time working with students on developing the essay
writing skills which are central to success in the DP history
course – activities could include work on essay planning,
paragraph structuring, introduction writing, conclusion
writing, etc.
 Expose students to historical sources in a variety of media,
including visual sources speeches, interviews, maps, etc., to
 help develop skills such as visual literacy
 Encourage students to develop their oral presentation skills
by allocating each student a particular aspect of your selected
prescribed subject to be the “lead person” on, and asking
them to research and give an oral presentation to the rest of
the class on that particular element of the prescribed subject
 When reading works by historians with students, ask students
to identify how the historians formulate and effectively
utilise arguments in their writing.

Social skills  Set a formative assessment task which requires DP history

students to work collaboratively, such as a group project.
 Provide history students with an opportunity to peer assess
each other’s work
 A key concept of the history course is perspectives – engage
students in activities which require students to consider
alternative perspectives on a particular issue or event
 Consider whether there are opportunities for your history
students to collaborate (either virtually or face to face) with
the history students from another IB school nearby

Research skills  Discuss with history students the importance of academic

honesty, and of fully acknowledging the ideas of others in all
written and oral tasks
 Encourage students early in the history course to get into a
routine of using a single standard method of referencing
 Help students to prepare for their internal assessment task by
setting formative assessment tasks which require students to
identify and locate historical sources themselves
 Embed analysis of the value and limitations of sources into
all history lessons and activities involving source material
 One of the aspects of the history internal assessment and
extended essay tasks which students find particularly
challenging is formulating an appropriate question. Provide
opportunities for students to practice formulating research
questions which are focused, specific and appropriate for
investigation within a specified timeframe

 Work with students to create a plan of how they can break

down their history internal assessment task into a series of
stages/ interim deadlines
Self Management  Ask history students to revisit an essay after they have
skills submitted it, and to make improvements
 Encourage students to try out different revision strategies to
find approaches which work well for them
 Speak to your DP coordinator about trying to try to
effectively plan key history assessment dates against dates
 for other key tasks such as TOK essays, extended essay
deadlines, and IA deadlines for other subjects
 Try to model the characteristics and behaviours that you
would like your DP history students to display ... being
punctual, meeting deadlines, taking risks, concentrating
effectively, etc.
1.3 Approaches to teaching

The DP history course, as all DP courses and indeed as all IB programmes, is underpinned by
six key approaches to teaching which encompass the key values and principles of IB
pedagogy: teaching that is inquiry-based, conceptually focused, contextualized, collaborative,
differentiated and informed by assessment.

More detailed guidance and resources on these areas are provided in the guidance materials
on Approaches to Teaching and Learning in the Diploma Programme. However, this section
of the TSM provides suggestions of ways in which DP history teachers can utilise these
approaches in their teaching. The examples provided are intended purely as suggestions/ to
provide useful ideas. They are in no way intended to be prescriptive.

Approach to teaching Examples of activities/ strategies which teachers can use

to utilise these approaches in their teaching

Teaching based on inquiry  Encourage students to find out information about a

new historical topic themselves, rather than always
supplying them with the information
 Try to promote questions, not just provide answers
 Identify opportunities for experiential learning
activities in history lessons; this could be site visits
or field trips, or may alternatively be experiences
which can be undertaken in the classroom, such as
guided role playing activities or simulations
 When planning history units, identify inquiry
questions which will help to inspire student
discussion and debate. Inquiry questions should be
student-friendly questions that can lead to essay
topics, discussions or debates.

Teaching focused on conceptual  The history course is focused on six key concepts
understanding (change, continuity, causation, consequence,
significance, and perspectives.) When planning
history lessons, try to identify the key concepts
which will be particularly important in that lesson
 Try to identify opportunities to make links to
concepts students may also be studying in their
other subjects, such as power or identity
 When exploring the causes of a specific historical
event, try to help students understand the wider
concept of causation, and help them to identify
different categories of causes (such as economic
causes, political causes, etc.)
 During each history unit try to pose a variety of
different types of questions – factual, conceptual
and debatable
Teaching developed in local and  Ensure students realise they have the option to do
global contexts their historical investigation on a local history
topic if it is something which particularly interests
them
 Encourage students to appreciate the complexity of
historical events by exploring multiple
interpretations or explanations
 Whenever you explore abstract concepts in history,
such as change, be sure to ground them in specific
examples to help students see what they look like
in the real world
 Teaching world history provides huge
opportunities to develop international mindedness
in students; in your planning try to explicitly
 Throughout the DP history course, students have
the opportunity to explore historical events that
have played a key role in shaping the world today,
deepening their understanding of the complex and
interconnected nature of past and present events.
Try to identify and explore concepts within
historical topics which also have continuing
relevance in the world today, such as power,
inequality, conflict, rights, etc.

Teaching focused on effective  Encourage students to be respectful of other

teamwork and collaboration students during discussions and debates about
historical issues
 The history IA has strong links to TOK, and to
consideration of the methods used by historians.
Talk to your students’ TOK teacher about the links
between the two tasks; there could be a possibility
of encouraging history students to give
presentations in TOK lessons which are history
based, you could invite the TOK teacher into a
history lesson to help kick off discussions about
this element, or you could just ask the TOK
teacher for tips on how they would approach this
element of the task
 Try to encourage your history department to
engage in collaborative planning, or “buddy up”
with a colleague who can give feedback on your
planning
 Promoting collaboration between students is
important, but so too is promoting collaboration
and communication between students and teachers.
Encourage students to give regular feedback on
what elements of lessons they feel that they have
understood and what elements they feel they are
 struggling with, and use this information to inform
future planning.

Teaching that is differentiated to  Encourage students to find ways of summarising

meet the needs of all learners key information about historical events which suit
their own individual style of learning; for example
concept maps, flow charts, or diagrams
 One of the key concepts for the history course is
perspectives – consider if there are ways to utilise
the diversity of cultural perspectives your students
bring to the history classroom
 When planning history lessons and units, consider
adding extension tasks to help challenge gifted and
talented students
 When you start a new topic in the history course,
try to activate students’ prior learning and discover
what, if anything, they already know about the
topic.

Teaching informed by  Formative assessment is often referred to as

assessment assessment for learning because it gives teachers
and students an opportunity to get feedback on
students’ learning. When planning history units,
think about whether your planned tasks will give
you effective feedback on student learning
 Set students practice essays based on history
examination questions from previous years, but
ensure that these tasks are set at an appropriate
stage of the course and that constructive feedback
is provided to students on how they can improve
 Ensure that history students are familiar with the
markbands for external assessment, and with the
criteria for internal assessment. If needed, early in
the course create “student-friendly” versions of the
markbands, to avoid overwhelming/ intimidating
students
1.4 Unit planning (and sample unit plans)

All DP history teachers should engage in explicit planning but the IB does not prescribe a
particular format of unit planner that teachers should use. Examples of unit planners are
provided in the guidance materials on Approaches to Teaching and Learning in the Diploma
Programme. This section of the TSM also includes examples of unit plans created by DP
history teachers. These examples are intended to help teachers to reflect on their own
planning, and are not intended to be “model” plans or to prescribe how planning should be
undertaken.

(Sample unit plans)


1.5 Sample Lesson Plans

This section of the TSM includes examples of lesson plans created by DP history teachers.
These examples are intended to help teachers to reflect on their own planning, and are not
intended to be “model” lesson plans or to prescribe how lesson planning should be
undertaken.

(Sample lesson plans)


2.1 Guidance on the IA task

The internal assessment task for both SL and HL requires students to undertake a historical
investigation. This element of the course is an opportunity for students to engage in a deeper
exploration of the methods of history, and for students to reflect on their own experience of
“doing history”. The historical investigation is made of up three sections:

1. Identification and
2. Investigation 3. Reflection
evaluation of sources

Key points to note

 Students have a free choice of topic for their historical investigation. The topic need
not be related to the syllabus but it must be historical, and cannot be on an event that
has happened in the last 10 years.
 A bibliography and clear referencing of all sources must be included in the
investigation, but are not included in the overall word count.
 The investigation must be a written piece and should be the work of the individual
student. Group work is not permitted.
 The timing of when to complete the IA task is up to the individual teacher. However,
it is advisable to start the investigation at least three months before the date that
samples must be submitted to the moderators.

The word limit for the historical investigation is 2,200 words. If the word limit is exceeded,
then the teacher's assessment must be based on the first 2,200 words. There is no minimum
word limit for the historical investigation. However, work that falls significantly below the
maximum word limit is unlikely to meet all the stated requirements for the task and is likely
to receive low marks overall.

The format of the investigation

The historical investigation must be presented in three sections, with an accompanying

bibliography. Below are suggested word allocations for each section of the historical
investigation. Please note that these word allocations are suggestions only.

Section Suggested Associated assessment criteria Marks

word
allocation
1. Identification 500 A. Identification and evaluation of sources 6 marks
and evaluation
of sources

2. Investigation 1,300 B. Investigation 15 marks

3. Reflection 400 C. Reflection 4 marks

 Bibliography Not applicable Not applicable Not applicable

Total 2,200 words Total: 25 marks

(maximum
word limit)

You will note that there is not a specific criterion relating to/ rewarding the inclusion of a
bibliography. However, clear referencing and a bibliography must be included with every
investigation. The investigation must be the students own work, and all ideas and work of
others must be fully acknowledged. If a student fails to include clear referencing and a
bibliography this is therefore a potential academic honesty infringement.

Key stages in helping students prepare for the IA task:

• Discuss with students the nature of the IA task, and ensure that they are familiar with
the assessment criteria

• Discuss with students the different types of investigation that they could undertake

• Discuss the importance of academic honesty with students before they undertake their
research, and emphasise the importance of using one standard system of referencing

• Dedicate about 20 hours of class time to the IA task

• Help students to create an individual timetable for the different stages of the
investigation; for example, choosing the topic, finishing the first draft, and the due
date for the final version

• Guide students on what constitutes a manageable task. Many IA responses struggle to

gain good marks because the question that students choose is far too broad for them
to address effectively.

• Give students guidance on selecting sources that are appropriate

• Give students feedback on a first draft of their IA (this may be done in sections if
preferred)

• Check the authenticity of the student's final draft, to confirm that, to the best of your
 knowledge, it is the student's own work.

• Mark and comment on all internal assessment work, using the assessment criteria
stated in the history subject guide. Don't be hesitant about using the full range of
marks if appropriate, and remember to adopt a "best fit" approach to applying the
markbands.

• If different teachers are involved in the preparation of students, it is vital that internal
moderation is undertaken prior to the submission of marks
2.2 Internal assessment samples with moderator comments
3.1 Paper 1 response samples with examiner comments
3.2 Paper 2 response samples with examiner comments
3.3 Paper 3 response samples with examiner comments