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IB History Drilling Guide: Paper 1 Sources, Paper 2 Essays and a 12-Week Plan
TUTORZONE EXAM DRILL GUIDE · IB HISTORY (CURRENT COURSE) PAPER 1 AND PAPER 2
Built on the current IB History course: Paper 1 is one hour of source questions, 24 marks in four parts (comprehension 5, value and limitations 4, comparison 6, mini-essay 9), worth 30% at SL and 20% at HL; Paper 2 is 1.5 hours of two essays for 30 marks drawn from two different world history topics, worth 45% at SL and 25% at HL. This page is the drilling method only – structure, drill order, a 12-week timetable, pacing, the usual mark losses and the error log. For questions with answers use the original mock linked below.
How is IB History assessed, and what does each part carry?
Paper 1 (source-based): 4 questions, 24 marks (SL 30%／HL 20%); Paper 2 (essays): two essays (30 marks) from two different world history topics (SL 45%／HL 25%)
Assessment at a glance (2027)
| Component | Content | Weighting | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (source-based) | 4 questions, 24 marks | SL 30%／HL 20% | 1 hour |
| Paper 2 (essays) | two essays (30 marks) from two different world history topics | SL 45%／HL 25% | 1 h 30 min |
IB History Paper 1 drilling technique: Q1/Q2 use the sources only – add no outside knowledge; every Q2 point must be tied to origin/purpose/content; Q3 needs both sides (similarities and differences) or it caps at 3; Q4 (9 marks) demands sources + own knowledge + a judgement – doing only source analysis is the most common way to lose marks.
What each paper is actually testing
| Paper | Drill focus | How marks are lost |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (source-based) | comprehension + OPCVL + comparison + mini-essay | Bringing outside knowledge into Q1/Q2 – the marks all come from the sources, so textbook content costs marks |
| Paper 2 (essays) | argument + specific evidence | An essay that narrates instead of answering – no explicit line and no weighing, so examples alone stay in the low bands |
What is each IB History paper really testing, and what should you drill?
Paper 1 (source-based): comprehension + OPCVL + comparison + mini-essay; Paper 2 (essays): argument + specific evidence
Drill order: by topic, then by year, then the mark scheme
| Step | What you do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. By topic | Work through each topic, starting with the paper that allows least help (no calculator / closed book) | Exposes what is genuinely not understood |
| 2. By year | Whole papers to time, one or two a week | Trains pace, stamina and question selection |
| 3. Mark scheme | Go through the marking scheme question by question and log the scoring steps you missed | Most lost marks are written wrong, not thought wrong |
Should drilling go by topic first or by year?
By topic first, then whole papers by year, then the mark scheme. The first third of the time goes topic by topic (8-10 years of the same topic back to back), the middle switches to timed whole papers, and the last fortnight only redoes the recurring errors from your log.
A 12-week drilling timetable
| Week | Phase | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-3 | By topic: foundation | Topic by topic, starting with the easiest marks, building habits and recall |
| Weeks 4-6 | By topic: core | 8-10 years of the same topic back to back, errors classified by topic |
| Weeks 7-8 | By topic: advanced and electives | Elective and higher-order topics, now under time pressure |
| Weeks 9-10 | By year: timed papers | One full paper a week, timed, no reference materials |
| Week 11 | Mark scheme work | Question by question against the marking scheme; list the scoring steps you omitted |
| Week 12 | Plug holes and simulate | Only the recurring errors from your log, then one full exam simulation |
Subject-specific weighting for this timetable: The twelve weeks split by paper. Weeks 1-4 are Paper 1 only: the same four-part source set twice a week, always on ruled paper in a fixed shape – three points for Q1, two value and two limitation points for Q2, three similarities and three differences for Q3, a line-of-argument sentence to open Q4. Weeks 5-8 move to Paper 2, two timed essays a week (40 minutes each), one on a single region and one cross-regional, listing three concrete examples before checking the mark scheme. Weeks 9-11 are mixed timing: an hour of Paper 1 straight into 1.5 hours of Paper 2, imitating exam-day output. The final week redoes only the recurring error types and writes the command-word list out from memory. HL candidates add one Paper 3 essay a week (2.5 hours, three essays, 45 marks, 35%), drilling cross-regional comparison.
Use it properly: this is not a checklist to finish. Every week must keep time for redoing errors, or from week 9 you will be repeating the same batch.
Pacing
| Paper | Time | Suggested split |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (source-based) | 1 hour | about 10 min Q1, 10 min Q2, 12 min Q3, 20 min Q4 |
| Paper 2 (essays) | 1 h 30 min | about 40 min per essay |
How should the time be split inside each IB History paper?
Paper 1 (source-based): about 10 min Q1, 10 min Q2, 12 min Q3, 20 min Q4; Paper 2 (essays): about 40 min per essay
The drilling mistakes that cost the most marks
| Mistake | What it looks like | What actually happens | Instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Own knowledge in Q1/Q2 | Reciting the textbook | Sources only | sources only |
| Q2 as reliable/unreliable | No origin/purpose link | Tie every point to OPCVL | tie to origin/purpose/content |
| Q3 similarities only | Differences ignored | 3 marks each side | both sides |
| Q4 source analysis only | No own knowledge | Sources + own knowledge + judgement | use both |
The error log and the mark scheme
Three columns, never a copy of the question: sources (outside knowledge crept in, a source went unused), structure (Q3 one-sided, Q4 without a line of argument, an essay with no topic sentences), examples (specific enough in year, place and person, and actually supporting the claim). Three hits in one column in a week means next week drills that column only. The mark scheme asks for a judgement built on the sources and your own knowledge, so write your judgement and the expected judgement side by side – that is the only way to see which step of the thinking slipped.
How many years should you drill?
IB past papers go to schools only and no complete set is public, so you cannot drill by year alone. Use whatever past papers the school holds, lay five years of the same topic side by side (interwar diplomacy, the origins of the Cold War) to see how the question shapes repeat, then fill the gaps with the specimen questions in the official subject guide and your own rewrites. Paper 1 sources are new every session, so what you drill is the four-part move, not the content; Paper 2 questions repeat often enough that eight years sorted by topic, with three interchangeable example sets per topic, is worth the effort.
How many years of past papers is enough?
IB past papers go to schools only and no complete set is public, so you cannot drill by year alone. Use whatever past papers the school holds, lay five years of the same topic side by side (interwar diplomacy, the origins of the Cold War) to see how the question shapes repeat, then fill the gaps with the specimen questions in the official subject guide and your own rewrites. Paper 1 sources are new every session, so what you drill is the four-part move, not the content; Paper 2 questions repeat often enough that eight years sorted by topic, with three interchangeable example sets per topic, is worth the effort.
Frequently asked questions
Is this page a mock paper or a drilling guide?
This is the IB History drilling guide: assessment structure, drill order, a 12-week timetable, pacing, common mark losses and the error-log method. For questions with answers, use the IB History mock papers linked under Related.
By topic or by year first?
By topic. Eight to ten years of the same topic back to back is what exposes repeating errors; going straight to whole papers just repeats the same batch under time pressure.
How should the error log be written?
Do not copy out questions. Per error record four things: question reference, which step failed (concept, wording, calculation), what the mark scheme requires, and the correct action next time.
Does HL Paper 3 need separate practice?
Yes, but not a separate technique. Paper 3 is 2.5 hours and three essays for 45 marks, 35% of the HL total, and still marks a line of argument, layered paragraphs and specific evidence – the difference is that questions demand comparison across three regions or periods. Write one timed Paper 3 essay a week: open with a line that covers all three regions, give each region a paragraph, and spend the last paragraph on the differences between them rather than listing regions in order.
How do I write the Q2 value and limitations answer quickly in the exam?
Fix the shape as one opening sentence, two of development and one of judgement: state the type and origin of the source, use two sentences on the purpose it was written for and how that shapes the content, then judge explicitly which question it is valuable for and where it is limited. Every point must come back to the wording or the author of the source – a bare reliable or unreliable scores nothing.
Official references
| Resource | What to use it for |
|---|---|
| IB History subject page (IBO) | Confirm the Paper 1-3 marks and times |
| https://www.tutorzone.com.hk/en-ib-psychology-paper-1-mock-2027/ | IB Psychology Paper 1 drilling mock |
Related: IB History Paper 1 original mock (four source questions with answers and technique) · practice area
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