The IA in History

Also known as the HI (just to make life confusing…)

SOME THOUGHTS ON WRITING…

SO, WHAT IS THIS THING YOU CALL THE IA?

THE IA IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT WRITING ASSIGNMENTS IN IB HISTORY

25% of your history grade at SL20% of your history grade at HL

RequirementsCandidates will be required to: • undertake a historical investigation • provide a title for the historical investigation which, in

order to give focus and direction, may be framed as a question

• produce a written account, of no more than 2200 words for HL and SL, which must consist of:– An identification and evaluation of sources– An investigation– A reflection– A bibliography

The historical investigation will be internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by the IBO.

Written Account

A: Identification and evaluation of sources

• State your research question clearly• Identify your appropriate and relevant sources• Clearly explain the relevance of the sources to

your investigation

This section must also…

• Provide a detailed analysis and evaluation of two sources

• Explicitly discuss the values & limitations of the two sources for the investigation, with reference to origins, purpose, and content

Things to discuss…

• How did these two sources help you in your research. Your explanation should include:– Origin – who, or what, is responsible for the document– Purpose – why was this document produced– Value – what makes this document useful for someone

interested in your subject? How did this document help you?

– Limitation – what about this document needs to be questioned? Why should someone use caution when looking at this document for evidence and analysis?

– Content – What subject information, specifically, does this source contribute to your investigation?

• This part should be 500 words• This part is worth 6 marks• Hint: The narrower the question, the easier

that it will be to do well on the investigation

B. Investigation

• Must be clear, coherent, and effectively organized• Must contain critical analysis focused clearly on

the question being investigated• Evidence from a range of sources should be used

to support the argument• Evaluation of different perspectives• Must contain a reasoned conclusion that draws

from the analysis & is consistent with the evidence

• This is the main portion of your internal assessment

• This section is 1,300 words• This section is worth 15 marks

C. Reflection

• Discusses what the investigation highlighted to the student about the methods used by the historian

• Demonstrates clear awareness of challenges facing historians

• May discuss limitations of the methods used by historians

• Connects to the investigation

You might address things such as…

• What constitutes a historical event?• How can the reliability of sources be evaluated?• What is the Is it possible to describe historical

events in an unbiased way?• What methods used by historians did you use in

your investigation?• What did your investigation highlight to you

about the limitations of those methods?

• You will be keeping a writing log with direct and open-ended prompts to help with this section.

• This section is 400 words• It is worth 4 marks

Bibliography

• You must include a list of your sources.• List of sources are all of the works that you

have used in the investigation, even if you have not referenced them directly.

• These sources should be organized according to the Chicago Manual of Style.

• This part is not included in the word count

This might happen…