IB History Paper 1 Guide: 2027 Structure & Source Skills

Quick answer: First confirm the examination session. In the course with final assessment in 2027, History Paper 1 is a one-hour, 24-mark source paper with four questions worth 5, 4, 6 and 9 marks. The redesigned course first assessed in 2028 uses a one-hour-15-minute paper with three different questions, so its structure should not be practised with the old template.

Which IB History Paper 1 applies?

Feature	Final assessment 2027	First assessment 2028
Duration	1 hour	1 hour 15 minutes
Maximum mark	24	24
Question structure	Four structured questions	Three static questions
Content context	One prescribed subject and its case studies	One focused study linked by an overarching inquiry question
SL weighting	30%	30%
HL weighting	20%	20%

Students sitting examinations in 2026 or 2027 use the earlier structure below. Students sitting in 2028 or later should skip to the redesigned-paper section and use the current school course plan and official guidance.

Final-2027 Paper 1 structure

The paper contains five sections corresponding to the five prescribed subjects. Students answer all four questions from the one prescribed subject studied at school, using the relevant sources in the source booklet.

Question	Marks	Core demand
1(a) and 1(b)	3 + 2	Extract source content and interpret a message
2	4	Analyse one source's value and limitations using its origin, purpose and content
3	6	Compare and contrast what two sources reveal
4	9	Evaluate a historical claim using the sources and relevant own knowledge

This corrects a common online error: Question 4 is worth 9 marks, not a variable 6–8 marks.

Question 1: evidence from the named source

Question 1(a) asks for information according to a source. Credit comes from distinct, relevant points found in that source; unrelated own knowledge does not answer the task.

Question 1(b) often asks for the message of a visual or written source. A message is not just an object visible in an image. State the overall point and connect it to specific source details that support the interpretation.

Before writing:

1. underline the exact focus in the question;
2. identify only relevant source evidence;
3. separate distinct points rather than repeating one idea;
4. check whether the task asks for content, message, reason or another relationship.

Question 2: value and limitations in context

The final-2027 specimen wording requires value and limitations with reference to origin, purpose and content. OPVL is a memory aid, not a paragraph formula.

Use this reasoning chain:

feature of the source → what it enables or restricts → why that matters for the historian and investigation in the question

For example, identifying that a source was a public speech is only description. Analysis explains how its audience and purpose affect what it can reveal, what it may omit or frame and how that changes its usefulness for the stated investigation.

Avoid universal claims such as “primary sources are reliable”, “propaganda is useless” or “bias makes a source invalid”. A source can be valuable evidence of perspective or purpose while limited for a different historical claim.

Question 3: compare and contrast through paired claims

The six-mark question asks what two sources reveal about a defined issue. Build paired comparisons rather than writing one source summary followed by the other.

A clear unit of comparison contains:

• a direct similarity or difference;
• evidence from both sources;
• precise explanation of how the evidence supports the comparison.

Use both similarities and differences when the command asks to “compare and contrast”. Organise by issue—motives, consequences, degree, perspective or another question-relevant category—rather than by source letter.

Question 4: sources plus own knowledge

The nine-mark response is not a generic full-length essay, but it still requires a coherent evaluation of the exact claim. Source quotation alone is insufficient, and memorised own knowledge that never addresses the question is also insufficient.

Use a five-part process:

1. Interpret the command and scope. Identify the factor, judgement, dates and actors being tested.
2. Set a provisional answer. Decide what is convincing, incomplete or conditional about the claim.
3. Group evidence by argument. Combine relevant sources and own knowledge under analytical points.
4. Weigh alternatives or limits. Explain why one factor or interpretation matters more, less or only under certain conditions.
5. Reach a supported judgement. Answer the wording and reflect the evidence actually discussed.

Do not add a source merely to mention every letter. Select and use source material purposefully, and make the relationship between source evidence and contextual knowledge explicit.

Time management without a rigid minute formula

The IB specifies the total duration, not one universal minute allocation per question. Use marks and personal practice data to set checkpoints.

• Complete shorter source-content tasks efficiently, but read their wording carefully.
• Protect enough time for the six-mark comparison and nine-mark evaluation.
• Practise full papers, then record where time was lost: rereading, planning, searching for own knowledge, overwriting or correcting unclear comparisons.
• Adjust the next practice allocation from that evidence rather than copying another student's timetable.

Use the official History Paper 1 specimen to practise the actual final-2027 question wording.

Redesigned Paper 1 first assessed in 2028

The new paper is still worth 24 marks but uses three static questions and an overarching inquiry question. According to the official subject brief, students:

1. explain how the content of two sources can be used to answer the inquiry question;
2. analyse how the context of another source influences how it can be used;
3. examine how perspectives across all sources can be used to answer the inquiry question.

Knowledge from the relevant focused study is applied throughout. This is not the old 5–4–6–9 progression, and the old Question 4 template does not transfer directly.

Practice and review checklist

After each response, check:

• Did every point answer the exact inquiry or question focus?
• Was source content distinguished from contextual own knowledge?
• Did value and limitation statements explain usefulness for the named investigation?
• Did comparisons pair both sources under the same issue?
• Did the evaluation integrate sources and own knowledge into a judgement?
• Was the practice paper from the correct course and examination session?

Continue through the IB History SL study guide or IB History HL study guide, then use the matching History Question Bank or HL History Question Bank for topic-based retrieval and source practice.

For broader exam review, see how to self-mark IB past papers and how IB marking works.

StudyIB is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the International Baccalaureate Organization. Confirm the examination session and current school guidance before using a paper structure.