When should I start my IB History IA to finish before winter break?

Start during the first or second week of September if you want a polished submission by the end of November. Use September to confirm the requirements, test possible questions, and build a source log. Complete most focused research and drafting during October. Produce a complete draft by the first week of November so feedback can still lead to substantial revision. Waiting until October is possible, but it reduces your buffer for unavailable sources, teacher feedback, and citation problems.

Can I complete an IB History IA in one month?

Completing the IA in one month is possible, but it requires a viable question and reliable access to sources from the beginning. A compressed plan should allocate one week to the question and evidence, two weeks to drafting, and one week to feedback and revision. The main risk is not typing speed but discovering too late that the question is broad or the evidence is inadequate. You must still follow your school's approval, feedback, and authenticity procedures. A 10-12 week schedule is safer because it allows research decisions and historical interpretations to develop.

How many hours per week should I spend on the History IA?

Plan approximately 2-4 focused hours per week from September through November, adjusting for class time and your school's schedule. Two medium-length work sessions are usually more productive than one large weekend session because you can reconsider evidence between sittings. Add a short weekly session for citations, bibliography entries, and file organization. Late October may require one longer block to assemble the main investigation and conclusion. Track completed outputs rather than time alone, since several hours of unfocused browsing may produce little usable evidence.

Should I finish my research before I start writing?

Do not wait until every possible source has been read before drafting. Begin with preliminary research, create an outline, and then write provisional claims while continuing targeted research. Drafting often reveals which claims lack evidence or which terms in the question remain unclear. Set a research stopping point in October once each major claim has credible evidence and an interpretation to evaluate. You may return to sources during revision, but new research should solve a defined problem rather than expand the topic.

What should I do if my teacher has not approved my History IA question by late September?

Keep researching provisionally, but avoid writing a full investigation around an unapproved question. Prepare two refined alternatives, a short source list, and one sentence explaining the possible argument for each. Ask your teacher which aspect is preventing approval, such as scope, source availability, wording, or excessive description. Use that diagnosis to revise one variable at a time instead of replacing the entire topic immediately. If approval is delayed, compress background reading rather than removing the November feedback and revision buffer.

Does the same History IA timeline work for students assessed from 2028?

The same September-to-November workflow works, but the required sections and criteria are different for first assessment in 2028. The revised IA uses historical inquiry question, sources and perspectives, and synthesis and evaluation rather than the earlier source evaluation, investigation, and reflection structure. It is marked out of 24 and permits a maximum of seven sources, according to the IB curriculum update. Students should therefore select their source set carefully and follow the revised criteria from the start. Confirm your assessment cohort with your teacher before using exemplars, rubrics, or section-specific advice.

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IB History IA Timeline: Finish Before Winter Break

IB History IA Timing IB IA

• 1 Oct 2026•10

IB History IA Timeline: Finish Before Winter Break

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IB History IA Timeline: Finish Before Winter Break | RevisionDojo

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IB History IA Timeline: Finish Before Winter Break

IB History IA Timing IB IA

• 1 Oct 2026•10

To finish your History IA before winter break, start in the first or second week of September. Confirm your question by late September, research and draft during October, complete a full draft by early November, and aim to submit by November 30.

This IB History IA timeline assumes 10-12 weeks and approximately 2-4 focused hours each week. Your school's internal deadline, checkpoints, and feedback policy take priority, so confirm them before adopting this schedule.

Confirm which History IA format applies

The IB is introducing a revised History course for first assessment in May 2028. The research process remains similar, but the structure and assessment criteria differ.

Assessment cohort	IA structure	Official details
Assessed through 2027	Identification and evaluation of sources, investigation, and reflection	Worth 25% at SL and 20% at HL
First assessment 2028 onward	Historical inquiry question, sources and perspectives, and synthesis and evaluation	24 marks, worth 30% at SL and 20% at HL, with a maximum of seven sources

The revised IA removes the separate reflection section and emphasizes question development, source selection, and synthesis. The official IB History curriculum update explains the changes, while the History subject brief confirms 20 teaching hours for the investigation.

Ask your teacher which guide applies before planning individual sections. The overall timeline below works for either course because it separates question development, research, analysis, drafting, feedback, and editing.

September-to-November IB History IA timeline

Period	Main objective	Required outcome
September 1-7	Explore suitable topics	Two or three feasible ideas
September 8-14	Test scope and source availability	Two possible questions and an initial source list
September 15-21	Consult your teacher	Approved or provisionally approved question
September 22-30	Organize the investigation	Source log, working thesis, and outline
October 1-12	Conduct focused research	Evidence and contrasting interpretations
October 13-19	Analyze key sources	Draft source-focused section
October 20-31	Write the main investigation	Analytical argument and conclusion
November 1-7	Assemble the full draft	Complete draft with citations
November 8-16	Process feedback	Prioritized revision plan
November 17-23	Revise against the criteria	Near-final IA
November 24-30	Proofread and submit	Verified citations and final formatting

This schedule protects November for meaningful revision. If drafting begins in late November, feedback can usually improve only presentation rather than the underlying argument.

September: develop a viable question

Begin by reading the criteria supplied by your teacher and examining annotated examples. RevisionDojo's IB History IA guide and History IA exemplars demonstrate how focused questions lead to evidence, analysis, and judgement.

Generate 2-3 possible topics, then test each for focus, argument, and accessible evidence. A topic such as “the Cold War” is too broad. A question assessing the significance of a defined policy, decision, or event within a specific place and period is more manageable.

Narrow the scope by changing one variable at a time:

Limit the dates or geographical area.
Focus on one actor, policy, decision, or turning point.
Define an outcome that evidence can assess.
Use “to what extent” only when comparison and judgement are possible.

The guide to focused History IA questions provides further scope tests. Once your direction is approved, use the History IA planning sheets to record citations, page numbers, perspectives, and relevant evidence.

Finish September with a provisional thesis and 3-4 analytical claims. The thesis may change, but an initial position prevents October from becoming an unfocused collection of quotations.

October: research selectively and draft

For each claim, find supporting evidence, evidence that complicates it, and at least one historical interpretation to evaluate. Keep contemporary primary evidence distinct from later historians' interpretations.

Set a stopping rule for research. Once every major claim has credible evidence and you can explain why interpretations differ, begin writing. Endless searching is rarely as valuable as careful analysis of the sources already collected.

Students following the established course should evaluate two important sources through their origin, purpose, value, and limitations. Students in the revised course should follow their teacher's instructions for sources and perspectives and observe the seven-source maximum. In either format, avoid dismissing a source merely as “biased.” Explain how its context affects what it reveals and what it cannot establish.

Draft the investigation by claim rather than narrating events or discussing one source at a time. A strong paragraph should make a claim, introduce precise evidence, explain its significance, compare a relevant interpretation, and connect the resulting judgement to the inquiry question.

Write the conclusion while the reasoning is fresh. It must answer the exact question and weigh the relative importance of the evidence. The guide to writing an outstanding History IA explains the difference between historical analysis and narrative description.

November: revise and verify

By November 7, assemble every required section, the conclusion, citations, and bibliography into one complete draft. A teacher can judge the coherence of your reasoning more effectively when the whole investigation is visible. Follow your school's feedback and academic integrity rules, and remember that final decisions and wording must remain yours.

Process feedback in this order:

Argument: thesis, judgement, evidence, and perspectives.
Criteria: source analysis, synthesis, and connection to the inquiry.
Presentation: wording, citations, formatting, and typographical errors.

Fix structural problems before polishing sentences. There is little value in perfecting a paragraph that should be reorganized or removed.

During the final week, complete a rubric pass using the criteria for your assessment cohort. The RevisionDojo History IA grader can support self-assessment, but it does not replace teacher guidance.

Then conduct a citation trace test. Select at least five quotations, paraphrases, statistics, or specific claims and verify that each citation leads to the correct source and page. The IB requires clear acknowledgment but does not prescribe one universal citation style. Consult the official effective citing and referencing guide and RevisionDojo's History IA referencing guide.

Common timeline mistakes

Choosing before checking sources: An interesting topic may still lack usable evidence.
Waiting for perfect wording: Test several questions through preliminary reading and teacher discussion.
Researching throughout November: Set an October stopping point so evidence becomes argument.
Leaving citations until the end: Missing page numbers can require hours of repeated searching.
Treating the first draft as final: Revision should strengthen reasoning, not merely correct grammar.
Submitting AI-generated analysis: Use Jojo AI to test scope or identify weaknesses, not to produce work presented as your own.

How much work should you schedule?

Plan three weekly sessions: two 45-60 minute research or writing blocks and one 20-30 minute session for citations and organization. Add a protected 90-minute drafting block in late October if necessary.

End every session with a visible output, such as three source-log entries, one analytical paragraph, or a revised outline. “Work on IA” is too vague because it does not define completion.

Conclusion

A reliable IB History IA timeline begins in September, completes research and drafting during October, and reserves November for feedback and revision. The key is to produce a full draft early enough for feedback to improve the argument.

RevisionDojo can support this schedule with History IA planning sheets, exemplars, coursework guidance, Jojo AI, and rubric-based feedback. Use the planning resources first, then compare your draft with exemplars and complete a final IA grader check before submission.