IB DP History (DP History): HL options: Depth studies – Study Guide

The HL options are the depth part of Higher Level History. Where the world history topics ask for comparison across regions, the depth studies ask you to know one region well over a long period. Your school chooses one of four regional options and three of its eighteen sections, which you study in detail. The paper then tests your ability to write sustained, evidence-rich essays across the period.

Where this fits in the course

Higher Level students take an additional paper, Paper 3, on a regional option. The four regions are the history of Africa and the Middle East, the history of the Americas, the history of Asia and Oceania, and the history of Europe. Each option is divided into eighteen sections, and your school chooses three of them. Paper 3 sets two questions on each section, 36 in all, and you answer any three. Paper 3 asks for three essays in 2 hours 30 minutes. Each essay is marked out of 15, so 45 marks in 150 minutes, or about 3.3 minutes per mark, and 50 minutes per essay.

Check: 150 / 3 = 50 minutes per essay, and 50 / 15 is about 3.3 minutes per mark.

Because the section titles and the periods differ by region, use this guide for the skills and approach, and follow your teacher’s list for the content.

What depth means in practice

Long-run knowledge. Sections typically cover a span of several decades or more. You need a secure chronology and the ability to identify turning points.

Several themes at once. Typical themes include political change, economic development, social structures, the role of religion and ideology, external influences and conflict. A good essay selects the relevant themes and does not narrate everything.

Significance and change. You are expected to say what changed, what stayed the same, why, and how much it mattered.

The four regions

History of Africa and the Middle East

Study of this region involves distinct areas with different histories, so expect questions to cover themes such as the impact of external powers, the rise of nationalism, state formation, economic change and the role of religion and trade. Use specific examples from the countries and rulers your teacher selected.

History of the Americas

Typical themes include colonial and national development, reform and political change, economic growth and inequality, social movements and relations between states. Questions frequently ask about the extent of change or the reasons for a policy’s success or failure.

History of Asia and Oceania

Themes may include imperial influence, modernisation, nationalism, revolution, the role of ideology and the effects of war. Expect to compare factors within the period, such as internal weakness and external pressure.

History of Europe

Themes include the political and social effects of revolution and reform, nationalism and the creation of states, industrial change, ideologies and conflict. Questions often invite assessment of long-term against short-term causes.

Skills Paper 3 rewards

Selection. Choose evidence that supports the argument. A deliberate selection of five or six well-developed examples is stronger than a long list.

Structure. Begin with a thesis, develop it in thematic or chronological paragraphs, and end with a conclusion that answers the question.

Historiography. Show awareness that historians disagree, where this is relevant and where you are certain of the view and its author. If you cannot recall the name accurately, describe the position without attributing it.

Evaluation of significance. Distinguish causes by importance, and identify which factors were necessary and which were sufficient.

Worked example: allocating time and marks

Suppose a Paper 3 question asks: “To what extent was external pressure the main cause of political change in the region in the period you have studied?”

Plan (5 minutes):

• Thesis: external pressure triggered change, but internal factors determined its form.
• Paragraph 1: external pressure (wars, trade, imperial or foreign influence).
• Paragraph 2: internal political weakness or reform movements.
• Paragraph 3: economic and social change.
• Conclusion: weigh the three and justify the main cause.

Time budget (50 minutes):

• Plan: 5 minutes.
• Introduction: 5 minutes.
• Three body paragraphs: 3 x 10 = 30 minutes.
• Conclusion: 5 minutes.
• Check: 5 + 5 + 30 + 5 = 45 minutes, leaving 5 minutes for review and for adding detail.

Mark logic: each Paper 3 essay is marked out of 15 using the same five holistic markbands as Paper 2, which reward focus on the question, accurate and relevant knowledge, analysis, evaluation of perspectives and a reasoned conclusion. A response that stays on the question, uses accurate examples and reaches a sustained judgement will gain more marks than a response with more detail and no judgement.

Revision strategy

Build a timeline for each section, with dates for major events and turning points. Create a summary card for each key leader, event and policy, with causes and consequences. Practise writing introductions and conclusions in isolation, then full essays against the clock. Revisit essay plans on the main themes: the same evidence can answer different questions if you adapt the argument.

Common mistakes

• Telling the story of a period instead of answering the question set.
• Writing about the wrong part of the period or beyond the date limits.
• Learning one section thoroughly and neglecting the others, which limits choice in the exam.
• Treating the essay as a list of facts, with no judgement.
• Naming historians without being sure of their views.
• Spending too long on the first essay and rushing the last.

Exam technique

Read each question carefully and underline the command term and the date range. Common command terms are to what extent, evaluate, discuss, examine and compare and contrast. Choose questions on the basis of the evidence you can offer, not just the topic. Plan briefly, begin with a thesis and keep each paragraph tied to the question.

Check your understanding

1. How many essays are written in Paper 3? Three.
2. How many minutes are available for each Paper 3 essay if time is divided equally? 50 minutes.
3. What are the four regional options? Africa and the Middle East, the Americas, Asia and Oceania, and Europe.
4. Why is a selected set of well-developed examples better than a long list? It allows analysis and argument rather than description.
5. What should you do if you cannot recall a historian’s name accurately? Describe the position without attributing it to a named person.
6. In the worked time budget, how many minutes are used by the plan, introduction, three body paragraphs and conclusion? 45 minutes.
7. What is the difference between a cause being necessary and being sufficient? A necessary cause had to be present; a sufficient cause was enough on its own to produce the result.
8. Why should you avoid neglecting some sections in revision? It reduces your choice of questions in the exam.

Frequently asked questions

How many HL sections do I study? Three of the eighteen sections in your school’s regional option.

How many questions are on Paper 3? Thirty-six for each region, two on each of the eighteen sections; you answer any three.

How long is each Paper 3 essay? About 50 minutes: the paper lasts 2 hours 30 minutes for three essays of 15 marks each.

What is Paper 3 worth? 35% of the HL grade, more than any other single component.