IB DP History (DP History): HL options: Depth studies – Revision Notes

The HL options are the regional depth studies examined on IB DP History Paper 3, taken only by Higher Level students in the course first assessed in 2017. You study one region – Africa and the Middle East, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, or Europe – and three of its eighteen sections, then write three 15-mark essays in 2 hours 30 minutes, worth 35% of the HL grade.

Related: HL options study guide and practice questions.

Syllabus coverage (DP History, first assessment 2017)

No.	HL option	Structure	Typical modern content areas (check your school’s three sections)
1	History of Africa and the Middle East	18 sections, study 3	European imperialism and resistance; nationalism and independence; apartheid South Africa; Egypt and the Arab world after 1945; the Iranian Revolution
2	History of the Americas	18 sections, study 3	Independence movements; the US Civil War; the Mexican Revolution; the Great Depression in the Americas; the Cold War in the Americas; civil rights and social movements
3	History of Asia and Oceania	18 sections, study 3	Qing decline and the Chinese revolutions; Meiji and twentieth-century Japan; the impact of the world wars in South-East Asia; South Asia after 1947; the People’s Republic of China
4	History of Europe	18 sections, study 3	The French Revolution and Napoleon; imperial Russia and the revolutions of 1917; Europe and the First World War; inter-war states and diplomacy; the Soviet Union; post-war Europe

The guide’s sections run roughly chronologically from the medieval period to the end of the twentieth century; most schools choose three connected modern sections.

Paper 3 at a glance

Feature	Detail
Who	HL only
Length	2 hours 30 minutes
Question paper	One paper per region; two questions on each of the 18 sections (36 questions)
Task	Answer any three questions from your region
Marks	15 per essay, 45 in total
Weighting	35% of the HL grade (Paper 1 20%, Paper 2 25%, internal assessment 20%)
Time per essay	50 minutes, including about 5 minutes planning

How Paper 3 differs from Paper 2

Paper 2	Paper 3
Thematic and often comparative across regions	Regional and in depth
Two essays in 90 minutes	Three essays in 150 minutes
Examples chosen by you within a topic	Questions often name a specific country, leader or period
Breadth of examples	Precise detail, chronology and historiography for a narrower area

The same five 15-mark markbands (13-15, 10-12, 7-9, 4-6, 1-3) are used for both essay papers.

Building a revision grid for each section

For every section studied, fill one grid like this (example: imperial Russia and the revolutions of 1917, History of Europe):

Heading	Content
Chronology	Alexander II’s emancipation of the serfs (1861); assassination (1881); 1905 Revolution and October Manifesto; Stolypin (1906-11); First World War; February and October Revolutions (1917)
Causes and turning points	Defeat in the Crimean and Russo-Japanese wars; industrialisation under Witte; the war’s strain
Key people	Alexander II, Alexander III, Nicholas II, Witte, Stolypin, Lenin, Kerensky
Debates	Was 1917 inevitable? “Optimists” stressing pre-war modernisation versus “pessimists” stressing structural crisis
Likely questions	“To what extent was the First World War responsible for the collapse of Tsarism?”; “Evaluate the success of reform, 1861-1914”

Command terms on Paper 3

Term	What it demands
Evaluate	Weigh strengths and limitations to reach a judgement
Discuss	Offer a considered, balanced review with a range of arguments
To what extent	Consider the merits of the claim and reach a judgement on degree
Examine	Consider an argument or concept, revealing assumptions and links
Compare and contrast	Similarities and differences throughout

Worked example: choosing three questions

You studied three Europe sections: Russia to 1924, Europe and the First World War, and the inter-war states. The paper offers two questions on each. Choose by:

1. Fit to evidence: pick the question where you can name five or six precise pieces of evidence in planning.
2. Clear judgement: avoid a question if you cannot write a one-line thesis within two minutes.
3. Time: 150 / 3 = 50 minutes each; never “borrow” from the third essay.

Essay skeleton for a 50-minute Paper 3 answer

1. Introduction (5 minutes): define the key term in the question, set the date range and state your thesis.
2. Three or four analytical paragraphs (35 minutes): one factor or argument each, with precise evidence and a mini-judgement.
3. Counter-argument (included in the body): the strongest case against your thesis, and why it is weaker.
4. Conclusion (5 minutes): answer the question directly, weighing the factors.

Common mistakes / exam traps

• Answering a question on the wrong date range. Paper 3 questions are tightly dated; examiners do not reward material outside it.
• Paper 2 habits. Comparisons across regions are not asked for; depth within the named case is.
• Revising only two sections. With two questions per section, three well-revised sections give you a choice of six.
• Historiography as decoration. Use historians’ views to support or challenge your argument.
• Three unequal essays. The third essay counts as much as the first.

Frequently asked questions

Can SL students take Paper 3? No. Paper 3 and the regional options are HL only.

How many sections should I study? The guide asks for three sections of one region; revise all three fully.

Do I have to answer questions from different sections? No. You answer any three questions from your region, so two from the same section are allowed.

Self-test

1. How many questions are on each regional Paper 3? 36 – two per section.
2. What is Paper 3 worth at HL? 35%.
3. How long is each essay? About 50 minutes.
4. How many sections does a student study? Three.
5. Which markbands are used? The five 15-mark essay bands shared with Paper 2.