This comprehensive, classroom-ready guide is your complete solution for mastering the IB DP History Internal Assessment – the historical investigation. Covering all three assessment criteria (A–C) across 24 marks, it emphasises the concept-driven inquiry question and perspective-first source analysis that distinguish top-band work, with identical requirements at both SL and HL.

What’s inside?
PART I – FOUNDATIONS
• IA format, weighting and timeline – 2,200 words, 24 marks, 20 recommended hours
• SL vs HL distinction – identical criteria, different final-grade weighting only
• The three sections – Inquiry Question (6 marks), Sources & Perspectives (6 marks), Synthesis & Evaluation (12 marks)
• Word count and source rules – 2,200 words, maximum 7 sources

PART II – CONTENT MASTERY
• Topic selection principles – viability testing before committing
• The four specified concepts – cause/consequence, continuity/change, perspectives, significance
• Building a strong inquiry question – redrafting process from vague to conceptual
• Selecting and explaining diverse perspectives – organising by standpoint, not source-by-source
• Synthesis and evaluation technique – argument-stage structure, targeted evaluation

PART III – EVIDENCE AND PREDICTION
• Source-type and perspective-diversity requirements – what genuine diversity means
• Skills toolkit – questioning, selecting, synthesising
• Word and mark budget heatmap – where effort yields most marks
• Full worked exemplar – British counter-insurgency during the Mau Mau Uprising (complete Sections 1–3)

PART IV – DIAGNOSIS, TECHNIQUE AND APPLICATION
• Full markbands A–C – best-fit marking explained
• Section-by-section construction walkthrough – recommended drafting order
• Timeline and workflow budgeting – 20 hours across a full term
• Common misconceptions and moderator traps – 7 specific errors
• Self-diagnostic quiz – map your revision needs

PART V – REVISION, PLANNING AND PRACTICE
• Term-long IA production timeline – week-by-week plan
• Section and criterion coverage tracker – pre-submission checklist
• Quick-reference fact sheet – one-page pull-out
• Second worked exemplar – Solidarity movement underground publishing

Why this resource works:
• Aligned with the IB History syllabus (first assessment 2028)
• Save hours of planning – ready for IA supervision, revision, or independent study
• Topic freedom emphasis – no regional or date constraints, genuine student choice
• Concept focus – how to build an inquiry question around cause/consequence, continuity/change, perspectives or significance

Independently produced by Samata Reviews. Not endorsed by or affiliated with the International Baccalaureate Organization.

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