1. IB Paper 1 - General Guidance

3. Marks and Timings
marks Q
minutes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
3 marks
2 marks
4 marks
6 marks
9 marks
Q. 1(a)
Q. 1(b)
Q. 2
Q. 3
Q. 4 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60
10 mins 2

4. Marks and Timings – allow disproportionate time for Q4
minutes
minutes adjusted per difficulty of gaining each mark 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
3 marks
2 marks
4 marks
6 marks
9 marks
Q. 1(a)
Q. 1(b)
Q. 2
Q. 3
Q. 4 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60
10 mins 2
6 mins
Q1(a)
4 mins
Q 1(b)
8 minutes Q 2
12 minutes for Q 3
30 minutes for Q 4

5. Q.1(a) – testing understanding of one source
According to source A, why was … ? [3 marks]
The question demands a direct use of one source.
Three short paragraphs of 2-3 sentences each would be ideal.
In each of your three paragraphs:
Sentence 1. Draw a specific inference – Source A makes the point that….
Sentence 2. Support with brief quotation - This is shown by …
Sentence 3. [Not always needed]. If it seems meaningful make a more general conclusion. E.g. This therefore confirms that….

6. Q. 1(b) – testing the understanding of one source
What message is conveyed by Source C ? [2 marks] This is typically an image-based question. Nature of the image will depend on the historical time period of your paper choice. E.g. manuscript illumination/portrait/photograph/cartoon etc. Some ways to miss out on full marks: -By simply describing what you see in the image. -By not working enough with the material you are given. E.g. missing things out that you could comment on. -By ignoring the caption. The caption has relevant information, and you can use that to support and inform your understanding of the source. -By not thinking how the choice of image relates to the general topic of the paper, and therefore possibly misunderstanding the message.

7. Q. 1(b) – testing the understanding of one source
What message is conveyed by Source C?
One message that is conveyed by Source C is Richard I is a military leader. This can be seen from the detail of his seal which shows him as a mounted knight on a warhorse, in armour and wielding a sword.
A second message of this source is that Richard is the right heir to the territories of his mother Eleanor “Duke of the Aquitinians”, and also of his father Henry II, “Count of the Angevins”, and “Duke of the Normans.” This also emphasises his descent from William the Conqueror in Normandy. In addition, we also learn from this seal that it was produced before the death of his father Henry II in 1189, as he is not described as “King of the English.”
Source C: The Great Seal of Richard the Lionheart. The inscription around the edge reads: ‘Richard, Duke of the Normans and Aquitainians and Count of the Angevins.’

8. Q.2. With reference to its origin, purpose and content, analyse the value and limitation of Source X for the historian studying ….. [4 marks]
The answer must explicitly explain the value and limitation of each of the origin, purpose and content of the source.
Highlighter pens are useful here for identifying value and limitation in the text.
Four short paragraphs of one or two sentences each.
Missing out on any one of the five key terms will cost you marks.
Don’t use synonyms. Make sure that the examiner can see you explicitly using the exact specified terms.

9. Q. 2. Factors to consider – make sure you have at least one feature from each of these cells. Ideally two. But not time for all….
value
limitation
origin
value of who produced it; value of when it was produced value of where it was produced value of medium of production e.g speech, portrait, photo, newspaper
limitation of who produced it - partial perspective/incomplete knowledge Limitation of when it was produced - too close/too far removed from event Limitation of where it was produced - strong political or partial agenda/censorship Limitation of the medium - what it may not be able to tell us
purpose
value of why it was produced - what we can learn from the intentions of the creator. Value of intention - what outcome does it want? Value of audience - why is it important that it was geared to this audience ?
limitation of why it was produced - partiality/honesty? Limitation of intentions of the creator. Unrealistic or poorly timed intention Limitations of audience Was the audience persuadable?
content
value of the content - what insights does it give? What is the value of the detail - stats, dates ? Value of quoted speech ? Value of any names or places mentioned?
limitation of content - what does it fail to tell us? What is the limitation of any detail or what can be inferred from its absence ? What is the limitation of the quoted speech? Accuracy/honesty? Absence of names or places mentioned ?

10. Q. 3 Compare and contrast what sources B and D reveal about …
Q. 3 Compare and contrast what sources B and D reveal about ….. [6 marks]
Up to four paragraphs of around three sentences each.
Highlighter pens useful here for identifying comparison/contrast.
Absolutely essential to have running comparison and contrast in each paragraph.
Comparison/similarity is often harder to find than contrast/difference. Deal with this first.
The sources will have been chosen to enable both comparison and contrast, but do not expect an equal weighting of similarity and difference.
Look for comparison and contrast beyond explicit statements of similarity or difference – e.g. differences of emphasis; presence or absence of names, places, detail etc.
First sentence in each paragraph should make a point about agreement/disagreement between the sources.
Second and third sentences should quote and ideally cross-refer to show comparison and contrast the two sources.
If it is unclear how comparison/contrast is shown by the quotes, explain this in the last sentence of each paragraph.

11. Q.4 Using the sources and your own knowledge, evaluate the ….[9 marks]
This is basically a mini-essay that requires you to use all the sources and your own knowledge to answer the question.
As noted already, allow yourself half of the time allocation for this, because of the more complex structuring needs.
Answer should begin with an introductory paragraph that defines the key issues and arguments.
Each of the following paragraphs should begin with a key point that you then support with use of the sources and your knowledge.
Make it easy for the examiner by flagging clearly when you are using a source. E.g. ‘As Source B shows…’
Your own knowledge should be specific, which means that you do need to revise the Paper 1 knowledge content. To make this an efficient use of your time, look for overlap with Paper 2 or Paper 3 topics so you can recycle the knowledge elsewhere
Allow yourself time for a couple of concluding sentences.

12. Two pitfalls for Paper 1

13. A key tip – creating mock papers as a group
Work out feasible Q.4s for each topic. E.g. “Evaluate the success of the democracies’ response to Hitler’s diplomacy in the years ”
Think about how the examiners create the papers – often two primary sources that can be used for Q.3; a secondary source, and an image.
Get familiar with the obvious online collections of primary sources for your topic.
Divide up responsibility for creating past papers for every theme in your topic using primary and secondary sources, and images.
Do as many Q.4s as you can against the clock.