IB DP History (DP History): Prescribed subjects – Study Guide

Paper 1 is the source-based paper of IB History. It rests on one prescribed subject, chosen by your teacher from five, and it tests how well you can read, compare and use sources, not how much you can remember in general. This guide explains the five prescribed subjects at the level of themes and then focuses on the skills Paper 1 rewards.

Where this fits in the course

The prescribed subjects are military leaders, conquest and its impact, the move to global war, rights and protest, and conflict and intervention. Each has two specified case studies from different regions: Genghis Khan and Richard I (military leaders); the final stages of Muslim rule in Spain and the conquest of Mexico and Peru (conquest and its impact); Japanese expansion in East Asia 1931–1941 and German and Italian expansion 1933–1940 (the move to global war); the civil rights movement in the United States 1954–1965 and apartheid South Africa 1948–1964 (rights and protest); and Rwanda 1990–1998 and Kosovo 1989–2002 (conflict and intervention). Paper 1 sources are set on these case studies. You study only one prescribed subject, so use the section headings below to understand the type of thinking involved and then focus on your own subject’s case studies.

Paper 1 has four numbered questions. Question 1 has two parts worth 3 and 2 marks, and Questions 2, 3 and 4 are worth 4, 6 and 9 marks, so the paper totals 3 + 2 + 4 + 6 + 9 = 24 marks in one hour.

The five prescribed subjects

1. Military leaders. Themes include how leaders rose to command, their methods and tactics, the nature of their leadership and the impact of their campaigns. Look for factors such as organisation, logistics, propaganda, loyalty and the role of luck or opponents’ weakness. Expect to evaluate whether success rested on the leader personally or on wider conditions.

2. Conquest and its impact. Themes include the causes of conquest, how conquest happened, resistance and the consequences for conquered and conquering societies. Look at economic, social, cultural and political effects, and at contested interpretations of conquest.

3. The move to global war. Themes include the aims and ideology of expansionist states, the response of other powers and international organisations, and the diplomacy that preceded war. Questions often ask you to weigh long-term against short-term causes and the part played by appeasement and collective security.

4. Rights and protest. Themes include the origins and aims of movements, the methods used, the role of leaders and organisations, the response of governments and the extent of success. Compare peaceful and confrontational methods and consider the roles of legislation, courts and public opinion.

5. Conflict and intervention. Themes include the causes of conflict, the nature of intervention by outside powers or organisations, and the outcomes. Consider the motives of intervening parties, the effect on the people involved and the extent to which intervention ended or prolonged conflict.

The four question types

Question 1 (comprehension, 3 + 2 marks). Part (a) asks what a source says about a stated issue (three points). Part (b) asks for the message of a second source, often a cartoon or photograph (two points). Give the main points in your own words, using the source rather than your own knowledge. Do not evaluate; simply show you understand.

Question 2 (origin, purpose, value and limitations, 4 marks). Choose a source and consider who wrote or produced it (origin), why (purpose) and when. Then explain its value and its limitations for a historian studying a stated topic. Use the content of the source as well as its provenance, and link each point to the topic.

Question 3 (compare and contrast, 6 marks). Set the two sources side by side. Identify points of similarity and difference with specific references to both sources throughout. A source-by-source description earns little; a point-by-point comparison earns more.

Question 4 (synthesis, 9 marks). Using the sources (normally four, A to D) together with your own knowledge, answer the question in a short, argued response; the top markband expects effective use of the sources and accurate own knowledge. Integrate the sources into the argument, evaluate them where it helps and reach a conclusion. The question will be based on a claim or theme, not on a single source.

Worked example: handling Question 2

Take an invented source for practice. It is a 1936 government newspaper editorial praising a new law as a protection for ordinary citizens.

Origin. A government newspaper in 1936, written by an editor loyal to the state. Purpose. To persuade readers to support the law and to present the government as protective. Value. It shows how the government wanted the law to be understood and the arguments it used. It is valuable to a historian studying official justifications. Limitations. As propaganda it is unlikely to mention costs or opposition, so it cannot show how the law operated in practice or how people reacted.

A full answer combines these in a short, connected paragraph that explicitly links origin and purpose to value and limitations for the stated topic. Timing: with 24 marks in 60 minutes you have 2.5 minutes per mark, so a 4 mark question deserves about 4 x 2.5 = 10 minutes.

Timing across the paper. Using the same rate, Question 1 (5 marks) is about 12.5 minutes, Question 2 (4 marks) 10, Question 3 (6 marks) 15, Question 4 (9 marks) 22 or 23. These total 12.5 + 10 + 15 + 22.5 = 60 minutes.

Revising the case studies

For each case study in your prescribed subject, build a one-page summary with five headings: background, key events with dates, key people, causes and consequences, and historiography or debates. Practise reading unseen sources and identifying message, origin and purpose. Practise Question 4 by writing an answer using sources from past papers under timed conditions.

Common mistakes

• Using outside knowledge in Question 1, which asks for the message of the source.
• Judging provenance without linking it to the topic in Question 2.
• Comparing in two separate halves in Question 3, with no direct links.
• Listing sources one after another in Question 4 instead of building an argument.
• Leaving most of the sources out of Question 4, or using them without own knowledge.
• Running out of time because of a long answer to an early question.

Exam technique

Learn the command terms: compare and contrast needs both similarities and differences; evaluate needs value and limitations; analyse means break down and examine; to what extent needs a judgement. Underline names, dates and the key word in the question. For Question 4, plan your argument in two or three lines before writing.

Check your understanding

1. How many marks is Paper 1 out of in total? 24.
2. What does Question 1 test? Understanding of the message of the sources, without outside knowledge.
3. What do origin and purpose refer to in Question 2? Who produced the source and when, and why it was produced.
4. What is the weakness of comparing the sources one after the other in Question 3? It does not make direct links between the sources.
5. What should Question 4 be based on? The sources provided (use them all where relevant), together with own knowledge.
6. Why is a government newspaper editorial limited as evidence of how a law operated? It is likely to be propaganda and unlikely to show opposition or costs.
7. At the 2.5 minutes per mark rate, how long should a 9 mark question take? 22.5 minutes.
8. How many prescribed subjects does a student study? One.

Frequently asked questions

How many prescribed subjects do I study for Paper 1? One of the five, chosen by your school, through its two case studies from different regions.

How is Paper 1 structured? Four questions on four sources, worth 3 + 2, 4, 6 and 9 marks, for 24 marks in one hour.

When can I use my own knowledge in Paper 1? Only in Question 4, which asks you to use the sources and your own knowledge; Questions 1 to 3 are answered from the sources.

How long should Question 4 take? About 22 to 23 minutes, at 2.5 minutes per mark for its 9 marks.