Written examinations: the five written papers and the History paper
The written examinations are the five timed papers you sit in the European Baccalaureate. Together they carry 35% of the final mark - that is, 70% of the 50% examination-based half. History can be one of those five papers. The History written paper tests two things above all: your ability to evaluate primary sources and your ability to build a sustained argument under time pressure.
How the History paper is built
- The paper usually combines a compulsory document-based question with an essay chosen from a short list.
- The document question asks you to assess usefulness, reliability, or provenance, not simply to summarise the source.
- The essay asks you to answer a command word (e.g. 'To what extent...', 'Assess...') with a clear thesis, evidence, and a counter-argument.
- Marks reward source evaluation, own knowledge, structure, and precision.
Core rules
- Read the command word and the time period before you plan.
- For sources, use provenance (author, date, audience, purpose) and context.
- For essays, state a thesis in the introduction and return to it in the conclusion.
- Allocate time roughly half to the source and half to the essay; do not let the source eat your essay time.
Worked example
Question: 'How useful is Source A, a public speech by Truman in 1947, for an inquiry into the origins of the Cold War?' Reasoning: usefulness is not the same as truth. The source is useful because it shows the official US justification for containment, its date places it at the Truman Doctrine, and its purpose (persuading Congress) explains its rhetoric. It is less useful for Soviet motives or for private decision-making. Link to own knowledge: Greek-Turkish aid, Marshall Plan, Soviet security concerns. Conclude: useful for US public policy, limited for a balanced account.
Traps that cost marks
- Describing the source instead of evaluating it.
- Treating a source as neutral because it is primary.
- Writing a narrative essay with no argument.
- Ignoring the counter-argument.
- Over-writing the source section and leaving the essay rushed.