Why Geography and History Feel Straightforward — Until They’re Marked
MYP Geography and History often feel familiar to students.
There are topics to learn.
Case studies to revise.
Events and processes to explain.
And yet, results frequently fall short of expectations.
In the IB Middle Years Programme, Geography and History are not assessed on recall alone. They assess explanation, interpretation, and judgement. Most lost marks come from the same small set of errors — repeated across year groups and schools.
Error 1: Writing Everything You Know Instead of Answering the Question
This is the single most common mistake.
Students often:
- Dump all relevant content
- Include background that isn’t needed
- Lose focus on what’s actually being asked
High-scoring responses are selective. Every paragraph exists to answer the question directly.
If a sentence doesn’t move the answer forward, it probably isn’t earning marks.
Error 2: Describing Instead of Explaining
Many Geography and History responses sound confident but remain descriptive.
For example:
- “The population increased.”
- “The government introduced a policy.”
High-level responses go further:
- Why did this happen?
- What caused it?
- What were the consequences?
Explanation — especially cause and consequence — is where most marks are earned.
Error 3: Weak Use of Case Studies
Students often lose marks not because they lack examples, but because they misuse them.
Common issues include:
- Over-describing events
- Including irrelevant detail
- Naming examples without explaining significance
Case studies only score when they are clearly used to support a point or judgement.
Error 4: Ignoring Command Terms
Command terms matter more than many students realise.
Words like:
- Describe
- Explain
- Analyse
- Evaluate
signal how deeply students are expected to think.
A response that explains when the question asks to evaluate will usually cap marks — no matter how accurate the content is.
Error 5: Unclear Structure and Paragraphing
Even strong ideas lose marks when they are poorly organised.
Common structural issues include:
- Long paragraphs with multiple ideas
- No clear topic sentences
- Jumping between points
High-scoring responses:
- Develop one idea per paragraph
- Follow a logical flow
- Make the argument easy to follow
Structure directly affects Criterion C (communication).
Error 6: Weak Evaluation and Judgement
In higher-level questions, students are expected to make judgements.
Many responses stop short by:
- Describing different perspectives
- Listing advantages and disadvantages
- Avoiding a clear conclusion
Strong responses:
- Weigh evidence
- Acknowledge limitations
- Reach a justified conclusion
Hesitation often costs more marks than being “wrong.”
Error 7: Not Using Feedback From Previous Tasks
Teachers often repeat the same comments:
- “Be more analytical”
- “Link to the question”
- “Develop evaluation”
Students plateau when feedback is read — but not applied.
Progress happens when students:
- Identify patterns in feedback
- Practise fixing one issue at a time
- Rewrite short sections with a clear goal
How Students Fix These Errors Faster
Grades improve quickest when students:
- Practise short, exam-style responses
- Focus on explanation over description
- Use criteria to shape answers
- Review and apply feedback deliberately
This is where structured, question-based practice helps most. Platforms like RevisionDojo support MYP Geography and History by giving students targeted questions, helping them practise explanation and evaluation, and aligning revision with how marks are actually awarded — not how students think they’re awarded.
The focus stays on precision, not volume.
Questions Students and Parents Often Ask
Do students need to memorise lots of case studies?
No. A few well-understood case studies used effectively score higher than many shallow ones.
Why do answers feel right but score low?
Usually because responses are descriptive, unfocused, or don’t match the command term.
Is writing more the solution?
Rarely. Clearer explanation and stronger structure matter more than length.
How quickly can students improve?
Many students see improvement within a few assessments once they fix structure and explanation.
The Pattern Behind Most Lost Marks
Students don’t lose marks in Geography and History because they don’t know enough.
They lose marks because they:
- Answer around the question
- Describe instead of explain
- Avoid judgement
Once those habits change, results usually follow faster than expected.
