1. History Internal Assessment 101
Subtitle

2. What is the History Internal Assessment (IA)
The Internal Assessment is an individual project of 2,200 words maximum.
It is a chance to study a topic that interests you which is not covered by the syllabus.
It can cover any historical topic of your choice.
Cannot be on an event that has happened in the last 10 years.
The mark awarded for the study accounts for 20% of the final grade for Higher Level students. (THAT’S YOU)
The investigation is an opportunity for students to demonstrate the application of their skills and knowledge
to a historical topic of their choice.
It is marked by the history teacher within the school but is subject to moderation by the IB board.

3. History IA Requirements.
It should take up to about 20 hours teaching time which includes the setting up of the assignment, time in class to work on it and also one-on-one tutorials.
It is internally assessed according to a rubric
Teachers can look at and provided feedback on one draft of the IA.
The final assignment must not be more than 2,200 words.
There must be consistent referencing throughout and a bibliography

4. History IA Timetable Due Date Item Jan. 8, 2019
Finalized IA Topic Question
Turn in the Initial Proposal sheet
Late January
IA One-on- Ones
Feb. 18, 2019
History IA Draft
You may turn it in early
Feb. 25, 2019
Final IA Due

5. What is the structure of the IA?
Section A 6
State your question and identify and evaluate 2 of the sources you have used
State why these sources are relevant to investigation
Section B 15
The main body
Investigation and evaluation of different perspectives
Section C 4
This is a reflection NOT a narrative
Reflect on what they learned about the methods of historians and the problems that historians face in dealing with evidence
Criterion A: Identification and evaluation
Criterion B: Investigation
Criterion C: Reflection

6. Choosing a topic
Start by considering if there is a period / place / person / issue in history that would like to investigate further. Maybe this is something you have read a little about, watched a film about or are interested in from your other studies / hobbies. The only strict rule is that anything that happened in the past 20 years is not allowed.
The three main focuses of study tend to be focused on
EITHER Causes of an event / situation;
OR Consequences of an event / situation
OR Relevance of particular evidence about an event / situation (e.g. a painting, novel, film, biography).

7. Helpful Resources Online archives:
History Today Archive (searchable - if you find an article, ask your teacher to obtain it using their password required)
ActiveHistory Podcast Archive (thousands of history podcasts available here!)
BBC History Magazine Archive
Other resources:
History Department Magazine collection
History Department DVD collection
Google Books for Student Research

8. Formatting a Question

9. Identifying your Sources
You will be required to identify THREE articles/books and TWO websites that will form the basis of your study. To help you find the books/articles, use these
Google Books Search (I have also produced useful video: "Google Books for Student Research: 3 minute guide")
Amazon Search
History Today Archive (searchable - if you find an article, ask your teacher to obtain it using their password required)
BBC History Magazine Search
ActiveHistory Podcast Archive (thousands of history podcasts available here!)

10. Submitting your Proposal
You are now ready to complete the Initial Proposal Sheet and hand it to your teacher.
Make sure that this is a detailed, considered proposal. A superficial proposal could lead to the proposal being declined and the teacher imposing a title of their choice upon you instead.

11. The Rubric- MarkSchema
It makes a lot of sense to tackle each section separately.
Stick carefully to the word count!

12. Add a Slide Title - 5