IB History Extended Essay: Structure, Sources and Research Questions
A History EE builds an argument about a specific past event or development from evidence and historians' views. Here is how to frame the question, handle sources and organise the essay.
Velocity Tuition Academy · IB Diploma · Extended Essay
Published October 2026·Written by Ahmed Raees, Founder·Reviewed by experienced IB Diploma tutors
Quick answer: An IB History Extended Essay is a 4,000-word argument about a specific, well-defined question in the past, built from primary sources and the views of historians. From May 2027 it is marked out of 30 against five criteria; Discussion and evaluation is worth 8 marks, so judging the reliability of evidence and weighing interpretations matters more than narrating events.
This guide applies the general advice in our IB Extended Essay guide to History. It focuses on what examiners look for in a historical argument: a precise question, careful use of sources, engagement with historians and a conclusion that follows from the evidence. You do not need to have studied your exact topic in class, but you do need to think like a historian about it.
What makes a good History EE research question?
History questions work best when they are tightly limited in time, place and focus, and when they invite a judgement. "Why did the Cold War start?" is far too big. "How significant was the 1948 currency reform in causing the Berlin Blockade?" gives a clear event, a cause to weigh and a debate among historians to engage with.
Narrow dates and a defined place so the essay can go deep.
Command words that demand judgement: "to what extent", "how significant", "how far".
Available evidence: primary sources you can read (in translation if needed) and published historians to engage with.
A genuinely historical question: about the past and its causes, consequences or significance. Check your school's subject guidance on how recent a topic can be.
Example History EE research questions
Original examples to show the form; find your own topic in a period you know or want to explore.
How significant was the role of radio propaganda in sustaining public support for the government of one country between 1939 and 1942?
To what extent was the failure of a specific land reform programme in the 1950s caused by local resistance rather than central planning?
How far did the 1973 oil crisis change the economic policy of one industrialised country by 1976?
To what extent was a named independence leader's strategy of non-violence the main reason for the success of the movement in one colony?
How accurate are the memoirs of one wartime minister as a source for the decisions taken in a single crisis?
To what extent did a nineteenth-century railway line transform trade in the region it served within twenty years of opening?
IB History Extended Essay structure
A History EE is an argued essay rather than a report, so the structure should follow your line of argument.
Introduction: the question, its context and why it matters, the main interpretations and your approach to the sources.
Argument sections: each one develops a factor, theme or phase, combining evidence with analysis and historians' views.
Counter-argument and evaluation: weigh competing explanations and the reliability of the key sources.
Conclusion: a clear answer to the question, consistent with the argument and honest about uncertainty.
Bibliography: primary and secondary sources, referenced consistently, often with footnotes.
Avoid a chronological narrative with analysis tacked on at the end. Each paragraph should open with a point that answers the question.
How the 2027 criteria apply to History
Criterion (marks)
What it looks like in History
A: Framework for the essay (6)
A sharply defined question, a sensible choice of sources and a structure that follows the argument, with accurate referencing.
B: Knowledge and understanding (6)
Secure knowledge of the period and accurate use of historical terms and context.
C: Analysis and line of argument (6)
Evidence and analysis woven into one sustained argument instead of a narrative of events.
D: Discussion and evaluation (8)
Assessing the origin, purpose and limitations of sources, weighing historians' interpretations and reaching a supported judgement.
E: Reflection (4)
Reflection on your research decisions and how your understanding developed.
Discussion and evaluation (8 marks) is the natural home of source criticism in History. Ask of every important source who produced it, when, why and for whom, and what that means for how far you can trust it on your specific question.
Sources for a History EE
Primary sources: documents, speeches, letters, newspapers, photographs and official records from the period. Many archives publish digitised collections.
Secondary sources: books and articles by historians. Identify where they disagree, because that disagreement is your opportunity to evaluate.
Range and balance: avoid relying on one historian or one type of source; include different perspectives where they exist.
Accurate referencing: footnotes make it easy to show exactly where each piece of evidence comes from.
Strong reading habits from TOK help here too: questions about how we know the past are central to Theory of Knowledge.
Managing the 4,000 words
History essays often spend too long setting the scene. Keep background to what the reader needs, quote sources briefly and precisely, and use the words for analysis. Material beyond 4,000 words is not assessed. Check your school's EE guide for how footnotes and the bibliography are treated in the count.
Common History EE mistakes
Narrative instead of argument: telling the story rather than answering the question.
Too broad a question covering decades or whole countries.
Sources used as facts without considering their origin or purpose.
Historians name-dropped rather than engaged with; say why you agree or disagree.
Reliance on websites of uncertain authority instead of books, articles and archives.
A conclusion that introduces new points or does not answer the question asked.
A History EE timeline
Early DP1: pick a period you find interesting and read an overview to spot debates.
Mid DP1: narrow to a question and test that sources exist before your first reflection session.
Summer: read the main historians and gather primary sources, taking referenced notes.
Early DP2: write the full draft around a clear argument and discuss it at the second reflection session.
Final stage: sharpen source evaluation, check every reference, and complete the final reflection session (viva voce).
Want feedback on your Extended Essay plan?
Our 1-on-1 IB tutors help students sharpen a research question, plan the structure and understand the criteria. The essay must be your own work: we coach the skills, we do not write it. Free diagnostic consultation.
History essays train exactly the skills universities value in humanities and law applicants: handling evidence, weighing interpretations and writing a sustained argument. Use that in Question 2 of the UCAS personal statement. If History is one of your Diploma subjects, using IB past papers builds the same habits under exam conditions, and the hardest IB subjects and what happens below 24 points help you plan the workload realistically. If you are applying abroad, UK vs US applications explains how each system reads written work, and the IB retake guide covers a second attempt at a subject. Students who completed the MYP Personal Project already have some practice with independent research; how the MYP prepares you for the Diploma explains the link.
History or an interdisciplinary EE?
Some historical questions touch economics, politics or literature. If your question is about explaining the past using historical evidence, write a subject-focused History essay. If it truly depends on another discipline's methods, for example economic data alongside archival sources, discuss the interdisciplinary route with your supervisor, and see how our Economics EE guide approaches evidence.
A good History question is limited in time and place, focuses on one event or development, and asks for a judgement, for example how significant one cause was. It should be answerable with primary sources and historians you can actually read.
Use an introduction that sets out the question and interpretations, argument sections that each develop one factor or theme with evidence, a section weighing competing views and source reliability, and a conclusion that answers the question.
There is no set number. Use a balanced range of primary sources and historians' work, enough to build and test your argument, and evaluate the key sources rather than just quoting them.
From May 2027 it is marked out of 30 on five criteria: Framework for the essay (6), Knowledge and understanding (6), Analysis and line of argument (6), Discussion and evaluation (8) and Reflection (4). The total converts to a grade from A to E.
Check your school's copy of the subject-specific guidance and ask your supervisor. A History EE must be a genuinely historical investigation with enough distance and evidence for a balanced judgement.
