Essay Writing Tips

Paper 2 Paper 2 is an examination that is required for both HL and SL students. The exam is the same and the students are graded using the same markbands – the only difference is in the weighting of the exam for the final IB grade – it consists of 25% for HL students and 45% for SL students.

Paper 2 is an essay test that examines students’ knowledge of 20th century world history.  Students are required to have knowledge of 2 of the 5 20th century topics. 

Those topics are: Our topics are in red Causes, practices and effects of wars Democratic states: challenges and responses Rise and rule of single party and authoritarian states Nationalist and independence movement in Asia and Africa and post-1945 Central and Eastern European States Cold War

A senior Paper 2 examiner recently wrote that the main problem he sees in Paper is a lack of detailed content – students have a good general grasp of the concepts but have a difficult time supporting their arguments effectively because their essays lack factual detail.

One way of ensuring sufficient content is to link the 20th century topic to the SL option and the Prescribed Subject as much as possible so that information gets reinforced and explained in a variety of ways.   Another way is through supplementary readings, but this can be a very onerous assignment for ELLs. 

Yet another way is to have students choose one area of interest to them with each topic and have them write a series of research papers that explore one issue in greater depth, e.g., the role of women in Single Party States.

Students also need to know how to write persuasive essays in a timed situation.  Writing 2 essays on vastly different topics in 90 minutes is a very challenging task, and only practice will help students learn how to do this.

There is no one prescribed method for writing a history essay, but students must focus on the question they have been asked – which is far more difficult for most students than it sounds.  They need to formulate an argument – there is no requirement that they present a thesis, but many successful essays do indeed have one.  And, they need to support their arguments with both analysis and relevant factual evidence. 

Also Even students with a strong background in essay writing prior to IB history will need time and practice so that their skills can mature.  And that, in some respects is the final piece of the puzzle regarding success on this exam: academic maturity. 

COMMAND TERMS & UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION Which command term is used?  What is the question asking you to do? E.g. Analyse, evaluate, compare and contrast Underline key words and have a clear idea of the parameters of the topic. E.g. Analyse the success of Stalin’s domestic policies in the period 1928-1941. Take note of dates

Glossary of Command Terms

2. PLAN YOUR ESSAY You can do this in a variety of ways, including: a) Linear b) Mind map c) Matrix/Grid/Table

Avoid using personal pronouns E.g. “I think that…” colloquial language/emotive language/overly subjective statements E.g. “Stalin was a really bad guy…” Abbreviations. E.g. AIII (write Alexander III instead)

Avoid giving a one-sided interpretation of the question- you must consider multiple perspectives and have balance in your argument.   This might be through discussing different schools of thought, using historiography or offering alternate views of events (and their causes, course and consequences)