IB History SL Internal Assessment Example

A sharply focused and clearly appropriate research question sets up a genuinely evaluative investigation.

The student selected two highly relevant sources, one primary and one historiographical secondary source, and explained their relevance well.

The student's source evaluation goes beyond description and discusses origin, purpose, content, value, and limitations in a sustained way.

Some limitations are a little generic and could be tied more precisely to what each source can and cannot prove for this specific question.

The evaluation of Shlaim would be stronger if the student distinguished more carefully between a historian's interpretive stance and a source's reliability.

A few limitation points need slightly more precise historical framing to avoid sounding overstated or under-explained.

The investigation is clear, logically structured, and easy to follow from introduction through competing explanations to conclusion.

The student uses relevant evidence from a range of historians and primary material rather than relying on unsupported assertion.

The argument shows real analytical intent by comparing the Partition Plan with other causal factors and attempting to weigh significance rather than merely narrating events.

Several causal claims are asserted too strongly, especially where fragmentation or policy choices are presented as making war inevitable.

The comparison of interpretations is present, but the differences between historians are not always evaluated with enough precision.

The conclusion is reasoned, but it would be stronger if the student explicitly stated the criterion they are using to judge one cause as more significant than another.