IB History HL flashcards
IB History HL · Build recall with a focused review session.
32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Paper 1 structure
- Four source-based questions on a prescribed subject: comprehension, analysis, comparison, and an 8-mark synthesis essay. Total 25 marks in 1 hour.
- Provenance
- The origin of a source: author, date, place, audience, and purpose. Used to judge value and limitation for a specific historical enquiry.
- Value and limitation
- Assessment of what a source can reliably reveal and what it cannot, judged by its origin, purpose, and timing relative to the events studied.
- Cross-referencing sources
- Comparing two or more sources to identify agreement or conflict, then explaining differences through provenance such as audience, censorship, or date of writing.
- Primary source
- Evidence created at the time of the event by a participant or contemporary witness, such as a treaty, speech, letter, photograph, or official record.
- Secondary source
- An account produced after the events by someone interpreting evidence, such as a historian's monograph, textbook, or journal article.
- Synthesis question
- The final Paper 1 question requiring an argument that integrates at least three sources with the candidate's own contextual knowledge.
- Paper 2 format
- A 1 hour 30 minute exam worth 30 marks. Candidates write two essays from different world history topics.
- Command terms
- Instruction words such as 'to what extent', 'compare and contrast', or 'evaluate' that define the required thinking and judgement in an essay question.
- Authoritarian state methods
- Techniques used to gain and hold power, including terror, propaganda, legal manipulation, indoctrination, charismatic leadership, and popular social policies.
- Cold War containment
- US policy of limiting Soviet expansion through alliances, economic aid, and military deterrence, exemplified by the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, and NATO.
- Proxy war
- A conflict in which major powers support opposing local forces rather than fighting directly, such as Korea, Vietnam, or Angola during the Cold War.
- Decolonization
- The process by which colonies gained independence, accelerating after 1945 through nationalist movements, weakened imperial economies, and international pressure.
- Comparative essay criteria
- The explicit dimensions chosen to compare case studies, such as aims, methods, support base, and outcomes, applied consistently to each case.
- Essay thesis
- A clear, arguable statement in the introduction that answers the question and is sustained and evaluated throughout the essay.
- Paper 3 format
- An HL-only exam of 2 hours 30 minutes worth 45 marks. Candidates write three essays from one regional depth-study option.
- Regional options
- Paper 3 depth studies organized by region: Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, and Africa and the Middle East, each divided into period sections.
- Change and continuity
- An analytical approach identifying what altered and what persisted across a period, including turning points and the groups affected differently.
- Causation ranking
- Ordering causes by importance and explaining links between long-term conditions, short-term factors, and immediate triggers of an event.
- Turning point
- An event or decision after which the direction of developments changes significantly, such as a war's outbreak or a regime's collapse.
- Historical significance
- Judging why an event, person, or development matters, based on its scale, depth of impact, durability, and relevance to later developments.
- Chronological precision
- Using accurate dates, named individuals, treaties, and statistics to support arguments in depth-study essays.
- Periodization
- Defining start and end points for a study and justifying why those boundaries best capture the historical development examined.
- Historical investigation
- The internally assessed HL component worth 25 marks, comprising source evaluation, an investigation, and a reflection within 2,200 words.
- Research question
- A focused, open, and answerable question that guides the investigation and is addressed in the conclusion.
- Section 1 sources
- Two sources evaluated for origin, purpose, value, and limitation, worth 6 marks, linked to the research question.
- Investigation section
- The 15-mark core of the internal assessment, requiring analysis of a range of evidence and a reasoned conclusion answering the research question.
- Reflection section
- The 4-mark final section explaining what the investigation revealed about the methods and challenges of the historian's work.
- Word limit
- The 2,200-word cap on the historical investigation, excluding footnotes and bibliography; exceeding it may incur a penalty.
- Referencing
- Consistent citation of all sources in a recognized style, with a bibliography, to avoid plagiarism and allow verification.
- Analytical not narrative
- Writing that explains causes, significance, and relationships rather than merely recounting events in sequence.
- Source limitation statement
- A specific explanation of what a source cannot show for the chosen enquiry, tied to its origin, purpose, or date.