IB History HL exam-day guide
IB History HL · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Confirm your exact session times and venue with your school's IB coordinator
Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 may be scheduled across different sessions or days depending on your school's timetable. Confirm start times, room numbers and whether papers are in the morning or afternoon session; do not rely on another candidate's schedule.
Photo ID and admission documentation
Bring whatever identification your school or exam centre requires. Requirements vary by centre, so confirm with your IB coordinator which document is accepted rather than assuming a national ID card or passport alone is sufficient.
Several black or blue ballpoint pens plus spares
Scripts must be legible to examiners. Bring at least three working pens and test them beforehand; pencil is generally only appropriate for diagrams or rough work unless your coordinator says otherwise.
A clear pencil case or transparent pouch
Many centres require stationery to be visible. Confirm with your coordinator whether your centre enforces a clear-pouch rule and what may be kept on the desk.
A simple analogue watch
You need to pace yourself across three papers. Smart watches and any device with connectivity are normally prohibited; confirm with your coordinator what timepieces are permitted in your room.
No notes, no phone on your person
Leave revision notes outside the exam room. Phones must normally be switched off and stored away from your desk as directed; a phone found on you during the exam can lead to malpractice procedures. Confirm the storage arrangement with your coordinator.
Water in a plain transparent bottle, label removed
Hydration helps on long papers. Check whether your centre permits drinks at the desk and whether labels must be removed.
Know your paper structure cold
Paper 1: source-based, prescribed subject, one hour. Paper 2: two essay questions from different topics, 1 hour 30 minutes. Paper 3 (HL only): three essay questions from your regional option, 2 hours 30 minutes. Confirm the exact duration and structure for your session with your coordinator, since prescribed subjects and options differ by school.
Plan your Paper 2 topic coverage in advance
Paper 2 requires answers from two different topics, so decide before the exam which two topics you can answer on and which questions you will skip. This decision should be made in the final 24 hours, not in the exam room.
Rehearse timing with a past-paper question under exam conditions
Do at least one timed run in the final 72 hours: one Paper 1 source question set, one Paper 2 essay in 45 minutes, and one Paper 3 essay in 50 minutes. Confirm with your coordinator whether your school provides past papers or whether you should source them yourself.
Sleep and eat normally the night before
Do not attempt an all-night revision session. Cognitive performance on essay papers depends heavily on rested working memory; a late cram session costs more marks than it gains.
Confirm the rules on leaving early and toilet breaks
Centres differ on whether you may leave before the end of the exam and how supervised toilet breaks are handled. Confirm the specific policy with your coordinator before exam day so you are not surprised.
Plan the day
Stop trying to learn new content. Choose the two Paper 2 topics and the Paper 3 sections you will actually answer, and write them on a single card. For each, list the 8-10 key events, dates and historians' interpretations you can deploy. Anything you cannot recall by now will not be learned in 72 hours; consolidate instead.
Paper 1 rewards method more than memory. Do two or three timed source sets: practise origin-purpose-value evaluation, cross-referencing two sources for corroboration and contradiction, and structuring the extended comparison question. Check your answers against the mark scheme if your school provides one, and note the command words you missed.
Write one Paper 2 essay in 45 minutes and one Paper 3 essay in 50 minutes without notes. Then mark them yourself against the assessment criteria: focus on argument, use of evidence, and evaluation of interpretations. Identify your recurring weakness, such as a descriptive opening paragraph or missing counter-argument, and fix that one habit.
Confirm venue, session times and ID requirements with your coordinator. Lay out pens, watch and permitted items. Check travel arrangements and set two alarms. Remove revision apps and notifications from your phone.
Review your one-page topic cards, key dates and the essay structures you will use. Do not start a new topic. Re-read your own marked essays and the list of mistakes you wrote down. Stop studying by early evening.
Pack pens, spares, ID, watch, water and any permitted items the night before. Set alarms. Aim for a normal night's sleep; if you cannot sleep, rest in bed rather than revising, and avoid screens.
Eat a proper breakfast and arrive at the venue with time to spare. Do not hold group discussions about content immediately before the paper; other candidates' panic or half-remembered facts will unsettle you. Skim only your own topic card.
Read the sources before the questions. Allocate roughly 10 minutes to the short-answer questions and the remainder to the extended comparison. Every answer should quote or paraphrase specific source content; answers that generalise without reference to the sources score poorly. Watch the clock and leave two minutes to check you have answered every part.
Spend the first 5 minutes choosing questions you can genuinely answer from two different topics, then plan each essay for 3-4 minutes. Write each essay in about 40 minutes, leaving a short check at the end. Open with a thesis that answers the question directly, sustain an argument, and integrate specific evidence and historians' interpretations rather than listing events.
Choose three questions from your regional option in the first 5 minutes. Plan briefly, then write each essay in about 45-48 minutes, leaving time to check. Do not let one essay overrun; a brilliant first essay cannot recover the marks lost on a rushed third. If time is short on the last essay, write a clear conclusion rather than stopping mid-sentence.
Rules to check
Bring the identification your centre requires and confirm with your coordinator in advance which document is accepted; do not assume any single document will be sufficient.
Phones and any other electronic devices must normally be switched off and stored away from your desk as directed. Confirm the storage rules with your coordinator, and never keep a device on your person during the exam.
You must not communicate with other candidates once the exam has begun, and you must not discuss or disclose the content of the paper with anyone until the examination period for that paper has ended worldwide. Confirm the exact disclosure rules with your coordinator.
Paper 2 requires answers to two questions from different topics; answering both from the same topic will not earn full credit. Confirm this requirement for your session with your coordinator.
Marks for essay papers depend on sustained argument, specific evidence and evaluation of interpretations, not on length alone. A shorter, focused, well-evidenced essay generally scores better than a long narrative one.
If you need to leave the room, raise your hand and wait for the invigilator; supervised toilet breaks are normally arranged, but the specific policy varies by centre, so confirm it with your coordinator.
If you believe there is an error in the paper or a disturbance in the room, tell the invigilator immediately rather than after the exam; requests for special consideration are time-sensitive and handled through your coordinator.
Do not attempt to bring in or use unauthorised notes or materials. Malpractice procedures can affect your whole diploma, not just the paper concerned; if you are unsure whether an item is permitted, ask your coordinator before exam day.