How do you best structure an IB history essay?

First of all, it is very important to have strong introduction, so that the reader knows exactly how you plan to answer the question. The most important thing to keep in mind that you have to explain what your argument is. Make sure to keep the introduction short and to the point by defining any key terms and then moving on to describe how the essay will be structured. There is no extra information needed in the introduction.

Moving on to the body of the essay, the structure will vary depending on the question. Often you will receive broad questions such as having to explain Hitlers rise to power or how successful a single party state leader (such as Lenin or Mussolini) was in solving the problems he faced. It is always good to approach questions like these with SPE, or the social political and economic. If you organize the essay into these three sections, you will be able to cover the question in a very clear and straightforward manner.

For questions that are more specific, such as “ What were Stalin’s aims in his economic and social policies” it is important to look at exactly what the question is asking for. In this instance, you would give a short account of what Stalins aims actually were in the first paragraph. Then you can move on to looking at each of these aims in more detail, making sure not just to describe but to analyze as well. So in this case you would look at how successful or not each of his aims were. It is very important to keep this balance of being descriptive and analytical in all of your essays! Also don’t forget to always refer back your argument in each paragraph so that you don’t lose focus.

The conclusion should be as short as possible. Restate what you have argued and give a very short summary of the main points you mentioned. Do not add any new information!