IB History SL Extended Essay Example

The student's investigation has a clear and historically appropriate focus on a specific battle and a debatable cause of defeat.

The student keeps returning to the central research question rather than drifting into a general narrative of the Eastern Front.

The student's source base includes several relevant scholarly works and supporting material, which shows purposeful research.

Some sections become less precise by introducing broader background that is not always tightly tied to the question.

The student's source selection is not consistently rigorous, especially where quotation websites or less directly relevant material are used.

A few key terms and cause-and-effect links need to be defined more carefully so the line of argument stays fully focused.

The student shows solid factual knowledge of the battle, including the German advance, Soviet defence, Operation Uranus, and the importance of the flanks and supply lines.

The student uses several terms and concepts accurately, such as encirclement, counteroffensive, and overextension.

The student connects evidence from sources to the historical context in a way that generally supports their main line of argument.

Some historical statements are too broad or oversimplified and need more precise qualification.

A few terms are used loosely or inaccurately, which weakens the precision of the historical explanation.

Some source material is applied more as quotation support than as carefully analysed evidence.