European Baccalaureate History cheat sheet

Candidates sit five written papers; the written component contributes 35% of the examination-based half of the final mark, so each paper carries roughly 7% of that half before weighting differences between papers are applied.

Each written paper is marked out of 100 by two independent correctors; where their marks differ, the mean is taken unless the difference exceeds the tolerance set by the examination board, in which case a third corrector arbitrates.

Written papers are graded on the European Baccalaureate 0-10 scale with 0.1 increments; a mark below 5.0 is a fail, 5.0-5.9 is satisfactory, 6.0-6.9 is good, 7.0-7.9 is very good, and 8.0-10 is excellent.

Paper questions are set against the s7 History syllabus, which covers the period from roughly 1815 to the present, organised around themes of nationalism, industrialisation, imperialism, total war, and European integration.

Source-based questions require evaluation of provenance, purpose, and context of the documents as well as content extraction; marks are awarded for cross-referencing sources and for identifying their limitations.

Essay questions demand a clear thesis, structured argument, and use of specific historical evidence; examiners reward analysis and causal explanation over narrative description.

Answers must be written in the language of the section in which the candidate is enrolled (L1, L2, or the language of the History section), and linguistic accuracy is assessed separately from historical content in language sections.

Time allocation follows the paper's mark scheme: candidates should divide available minutes by the number of marks, leaving time to plan and to check that every sub-question has been attempted.

Candidates sit three oral papers; the oral component contributes 15% of the examination-based half of the final mark, so each oral paper carries about 5% of that half before internal weighting.

Each oral examination consists of a prepared presentation followed by questions from the examining board; the presentation typically lasts around ten minutes and the questioning a similar period.

The candidate's chosen topic must be approved in advance by the teacher and must fall within the s7 History syllabus; topics outside the syllabus are not accepted.

Assessment criteria cover historical knowledge, quality of argument, use of evidence and sources, structure and clarity of presentation, and ability to respond to questions.

The examining board normally comprises at least two members, one of whom is the candidate's own teacher; marks are agreed by consensus and recorded on the official oral examination sheet.

Candidates may bring a written plan or notes but not a full script; reading a prepared text verbatim is penalised under presentation criteria.

Questions from the board test depth of understanding: candidates are expected to explain causation, assess significance, and defend or revise their interpretation under questioning.

Oral marks use the same 0-10 scale with 0.1 increments as written papers, and the same pass threshold of 5.0 applies.

The preliminary mark is built from two components during s7: A marks, which are formative and continuous, and B marks, which come from the Pre-Baccalaureate examinations.

A marks are awarded for ongoing classwork, homework, participation, and shorter assessments throughout the year; B marks derive from the formal Pre-Baccalaureate examinations sat during s7.

The preliminary mark contributes 50% of the final mark in History; the examination-based half contributes the other 50%, within which written papers are 35% and orals 15%.

A and B marks are recorded on the 0-10 scale with 0.1 increments, and the preliminary mark is the weighted combination set by the school within the harmonised European Schools framework.

Pre-Baccalaureate examinations are sat under formal conditions and are marked by the subject teacher, with moderation by a second teacher or the inspectorate to ensure comparability across sections.

Candidates and parents must be informed of A and B marks during the year, and a documented appeals procedure exists for disputed marks.

A mark of 5.0 or above in the preliminary mark is required for the candidate to be admitted to sit the Baccalaureate examinations in that subject.

The preliminary mark is finalised before the written and oral examinations and cannot be revised after the examination session begins, except through the formal appeal process.