Cynthia Posted January 23, 2010 Report Share Posted January 23, 2010 I'm doing History HL and after my first 5 or so months in the IB, as well as my first mocks, I've started wondering how my scores in essays, especially in the paper 3 ones, could be improved. I tend to get 13-15/20 points, which is quite good but I would like to increase my odds of getting a 7 from history (as it is also what I would like to do in university). According to my teacher my evidence is fine but in my analysis I need to "go a bit deeper". However, I'm unsure of how this could actually be done - any potentially helpful tips? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SushiMonstar Posted January 27, 2010 Report Share Posted January 27, 2010 (edited) Be critical about the statement or question that you choose. You need to present both sides of the argument - even quote historians if possible. You need to put counter-claims etc. For example in Weimar Germany, you can conclude, "There are certainly many factors that contributed to the downfall of the Weimar Republic such as the, however it must be remembered that the WR also had a number of successes etc..." Challenge the question whenever possible. Edited January 27, 2010 by kimmiii 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
soadquake981 Posted April 30, 2010 Report Share Posted April 30, 2010 Make sure you include critical commentary where possible (i.e. comparisons, judgments as to whether something was more effective than the other, etc), and synthesize "your own" thesis instead of stating a commonplace thesis. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CommeDesEnfants Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 13-15/20 is a very good mark for the essays. I'm sure you're already doing something analytical to get those in the first place. In fact, assuming that you do reasonably well on your History IA and Paper 1 by getting 7s in both, then those kinds of essay marks on Papers 2 and 3 are probably the bare minimum of landing that 7 in History anyways. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
soadquake981 Posted May 1, 2010 Report Share Posted May 1, 2010 True - you only need to get an average of about 13/20 on each essay on the exams to get a 7 overall. However, keep in mind that the exam setting will be much more stressful and time-limited than the average classroom setting. Plus, you need to know all the history you've learned over two years! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mecamylamine Posted May 10, 2010 Report Share Posted May 10, 2010 Our teacher always tells us to include historians in there, and yea challenge the question whenever possible. It should be like general argument, then historians that support it and why, then historians that are against it and why then your own view...for each point. Good luck! 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ephika Posted July 18, 2010 Report Share Posted July 18, 2010 I got a 6 in History HL even though I had a 4 throughout most of IB. I slowly improved my analysis by learning some simple techniques like PEE (Point, Evidence, Explanation) which basically says that you should first make a point (e.g. The Depression radicalized the German people and led to the rise of extremist parties like the NSDAP), then give evidence for it (e.g. Mass unemployment made people open to radical solutions and membership in the NSDAP rose between 1930 and 1932), and finally explain how the evidence supports your point (e.g. This shows that the Depression was a crucial factor in the rise of the NSDAP). Then continue with another point and so on. Eventually you won't be thinking about it that much and your analysis will just flow naturally. I also think it's important to write clearly when you analyze. I studied Obama's speeches to improve the clarity of my writing because his speeches are usually written in a very clear way, even though they deal with complex problems, and I think that definitely contributed to the improvement of my essay-writing skills. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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