Essay Question Practice for History
Welcome to the Revision Village IB History Essay Question Practice (EQP) feature. These EQP modules are designed to support students in their preparation for both the content and skills of the IB History examinations.
What is in the Essay Question Practice Collection?
The IB History Essay Question Practice (EQP) feature is a collection of targeted, topic-specific modules comprising curated historical sources and accompanying questions. Each EQP, regardless of length or difficulty, is designed to address specific content from a topic in Papers 1, 2, and 3 while simultaneously helping students practice relevant skills.
For each EQP, the final question is designed to emulate an exam-style extended-response question (ERQ). For EQPs based on Paper 1 topics, the final question will be similar to the 9-mark question associated with each Prescribed Subject on the exam. For EQPs based on Paper 2 and Paper 3 topics, the final question will be in the style of standard 15-mark essays found on the IB History exam.
The short-answer questions (SAQs) and source-based questions (SBQs) that precede the final exam-style question within each EQP are designed to support both knowledge acquisition about the given topic as well as help students practice historical thinking and writing skills.
How should the Essay Question Practice resource be best used?
IB History students will find the EQPs useful in different ways, depending on when they use them. For example, a student early in their studies of a given topic may find working through the sources and questions useful for acquiring new knowledge to supplement their classroom activities. In contrast, a student later in their studies of a given topic may find an EQP useful for reviewing material prior to an in-class quiz or exam. In both cases, the student will find the markschemes, video solutions, and Newton AI very useful as they work.
For a student preparing for the official IB History Examination session in November or May, they may choose to skip the SAQ and SBQ questions and instead use the final ERQ as realistic exam practice. In this case, they should choose “Examination Mode,” give themselves 5 minutes of reading time, and complete their response to the ERQ within the exam time limits. Suggested times for each type of ERQ are as follows:
- Paper 1, 9-mark ERQ - 5 minutes reading + 25 minutes writing
- Paper 2, 15-mark ERQ - 5 minutes reading + 40 minutes writing
- Paper 3, 15-mark ERQ - 5 minutes reading + 45 minutes writing
In this case, students can still submit their ERQ response and get immediate, useful feedback from Newton AI even if the SAQs and SBQs are left blank.
What is the difference between Open Study and Examination Mode?
This feature can be attempted in either Open Study or Examination Mode. The Open Study Mode will allow you to answer and review each question at your own pace. You can receive carefully tailored AI feedback and consult the written markscheme and video for each question at each step.
The Examination Mode is a simulation of exam conditions. Under this mode, you submit all your answers when finished. You may choose to answer questions in any order you wish and go back to change answers before you submit. After completion, you will have access to all markschemes and video solutions, and you will receive AI feedback and an overall 1 - 7 mark on your submitted work. To best simulate exam conditions, we advise that you time yourself using the duration indicated.
In Examination Mode, your answers will be saved so you can always return to them. In Open Study Mode, you can attempt each question anew.
How are the EQPs organised? Should I go in order?
The EQPs are organised by paper, topic, and difficulty. Because they are designed to target specific content elements for each topic, there is no specific order in which they should be completed or used. Instead, each student should choose the topic most relevant to their studies at the time. Some students may even elect to complete EQPs on unfamiliar topics to practice Paper 1 skills or acquire new knowledge, so in this case, all EQPs may be useful and used at any time, in any order.
How long are the EQPs?
In general, there are two lengths of EQP available for IB History: full-length and half-length.
Full-length EQPs have more sources (usually 6 to 8) and more questions (usually 9 to 11, including the final ERQ). These will take between 75 and 90 minutes to complete. It is not recommended that students try to complete an entire full-length EQP in one sitting, though completing everything eventually is best practice, as it provides a more comprehensive coverage of the topic. Still, students will likely find them more manageable if they complete them a few questions at a time. Half-length EQPs (also known as Mini-EQPs) usually have a maximum of 3 to 4 sources and 4 to 5 questions. These are designed to be completed in 40 to 50 minutes, but can also be split into shorter study sessions based on the students’ needs.
How hard is each Essay Question Practice?
All EQPs include questions of various difficulties, but, as a whole, range from medium to hard in difficulty. Each EQP includes easy- and medium-difficulty SAQs and SBQs, which typically range from 2 to 4 marks and 5 to 7 marks, respectively. However, each one ends with a more difficult 9- or 15-mark question that requires greater knowledge and skill to complete at a high level.