1st History essay

[Clockwork]

So I received my first ever written History essay this year, the question as I remembered were phrased as "What factors contributed to Hitler's rise to power in 1933". I didn't do as well as I expected myself to. I was expecting myself to get around 13-15/20 instead I got 11/20, is this a good or bad thing? 

[Vioh]

well, since nothing is completely black or white, i can't say if it's good or bad. It all depends on what your goal is. 11/20 is about a 4 on IB scale (which, for some people, is good; while it is not for others). All I can say is that your score is obviously worse than what you expected. So try to work harder and get a better score next time!

[artisticsoul8]

Well, I wouldn't worry so much considering it's your first paper and History is mostly about writing so you'll have time to do plenty of that    It's just the beginning so simply focus on becoming better at it and don't stress so much!

 

Your grade's not bad but I understand why you'd like to score higher. While writing History papers and assignments, try to mention dates, places and people (also try not to repeat what you've already mentioned; be concise) and use a lot of connectives (e.g. however, although, moreover etc.). It makes your work look more professional and proves you know what you're writing about. These are the advice we got from our teacher on writing History HL papers and exams so it might come in handy next time for you as well  

 

Good luck on your next paper and I bet you'll get just the grade you want!!!   

[Sceptyczka]

Well, I got 14/20 on my first written essay for History SL and was pretty pleased with the result. My teacher told me that it would be a 7 on IB scale so I guess 11/20 (=55%) could be even a 5. Not that bad for your first essay and you have still two years to improve. IMO, there is no reason to worry.

Edited September 17, 2014 by Sceptyczka

[Blackcurrant]

The main thing is that you understand why you got the grade you did -- if you want to improve. Personal "expectations" are one thing; meeting the IBO and assignment "expectations" are quite another.

 

You can take away something useful from this experience. That's how I see it anyway.

[Emmi]

As a personal anecdote, I got a 3 on my first IB history essay on the causes of the French Revolution. I scored a high 6 on the IB exam. You've still got two more years, and your essay writing will get better over time. You'll learn what questions are asking, and how to properly answer them.

 

Whether or not you consider 11/20 a good score is all relevant to you personally. I would have thought that wasn't so great, but some people in my class would have thought that was fine.

[sarahlouise]

Judging by the fact that your exams are in May 2016, you still have plenty of time to improve. Nobody from my school (including myself) was doing very well at the start of the course because they are still judging you based on where you should be by the very end, so don't stress. 

[flinquinnster]

I got 11/20 (or rather 22/40) on my final IB History Paper 2! I think 11/20 is a 6. And, very luckily, I still managed a 7 for the subject. So keep in mind that essays in Paper 2 are not the be all and end all of your score. Of course, the great thing is that you have still got time to improve - so take any feedback that you get and your personal experience of how the examination went to keep in mind what you could do better next time. I, for one, have learnt from the experience of my final Paper 2 that one should never change the question once they are more than 10 minutes through a 90 minute exam.