IB History SL Extended Essay Example

The student's topic is clearly framed and the title, introduction, and research question keep the investigation focused on a specific historical problem.

The student uses a relevant range of sources and shows awareness of why different source types matter for historical explanation.

The student's line of argument stays coherent across the essay and they return to the question throughout.

The student could define their key terms more precisely at the start, especially what they mean by labour-market inequality.

The student's methodology would be stronger if they explained more clearly why each source type was selected and how each contributes to the argument.

The investigation is broad, so some sections need a tighter comparative frame to keep the causal focus sharper.

The student uses source material that is mostly relevant and appropriate to the question.

The student's understanding of apartheid education, spatial control, and labour-market segmentation is clear and usually accurate.

The student uses subject-specific terminology well and generally applies it in a coherent way.

At times the student makes causal claims more quickly than the evidence fully supports.

Some statistics and examples are not contextualized enough against alternative explanations or later developments.

A few historical distinctions, especially around policy legacy versus policy continuity, need to be stated more precisely.