History IA Format and Structure

Do you have a topic for your history IA in mind but need some help on how to structure your essay? Don't worry, as Clastify is here to help guide you through the process! In this post, we will provide you with some tips to keep in mind when writing your History IA, based on our experience with IB. The guide below is just an example of how a good IA should be structured, however, keep in mind that many high-scoring IAs may also use other structures. For examples of some well-structured IAs, head to the Clastify website where you can read through multiple exemplar IAs!

History IA Format and Structure

The guide will be broken up by section to help you better understand what is required in each part of the IA and will have examples linked, as follows: 

Cover page:

1. Include the research question.
2. Include the session for which you will submit the IA (eg: May 2024).
3. Include the word count of the IA, which should be 2200 words or fewer.
4. Do not include your name, school name, or candidate/student number.
5. A good example of this can be found here. 

Table of contents:

1. Include the following: Section 1: Identification and evaluation of sources, Section 2: Investigation, Section 3: Reflection, and References.
2. Number each section with the relevant page numbers.
3. A good example of this can be found here. 

Identification and evaluation of sources:

1. Choose 2 sources that you will use to analyze your research question. 
2. These can be either primary or secondary sources. 
3. Clearly state the research question and discuss how the chosen sources have information that will help you answer the research question.
4. When stating sources, make sure to include the full name of the source and author/actor/poet, etc along with the date that the work was published or written.
5. Analyze the strengths and limitations of each source. What valuable information do they provide? What information is lacking?
6. This section should be within 500 words. 
7. A good example of this can be found here.

Investigation:

1. Provide a brief overview of the topic and why you chose it. What makes your chosen research question worth investigating? (eg: if you are discussing the government's role in the Great Depression, you should give a background as to what the Great Depression is and the government that was in power at the time)
2. Use information from the sources to thoroughly analyze the research question. 
3. Mention any policies that were implemented and how this affected the situation, if applicable.
4. If discussing war, you could talk about the ideologies presented by the source (eg: Do different sources have different biases? Consider the country of origin of the author of each source).
5. Provide a concluding paragraph that wraps up the main arguments presented in this section.
6. This section should be around 1200-1300 words.
7. A good example of this can be found here.

Check out our free History IA exemplars

View all exemplars on Clastify

Grade received: 7

To what extent was martial law imposed in Poland on 13th December 1981 to pre-empt the invasion of the USSR?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did World War II lead to women in the United States becoming permanent participants of the labour force?

Grade received: 7

To what extent was U.S. foreign policy successful in winning over the support of the American public for American involvement in the Vietnam war?

View hundreds of other History IA exemplars on Clastify

Click to view exemplars

Grade received: 7

To what extent was FDR governmental intervention responsible for the end of the Great Depression in the US?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did protofeminist movements during the French Revolution succeed in establishing sexual equality?

Grade received: 7

To what extent were the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary to end the Second World War

Grade received: 7

To what extent can patriarchal factors be considered to be the most significant cause for the marginalisation of the South Korean comfort women during and after the Pacific War?

View hundreds of other History IA exemplars on Clastify

Click to view exemplars

Grade received: 7

To what extent was the Black Power Movement responsible for the decline of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did the Mongol invasions of Eurasia from the years 1250-1345 lead to positive socio-economic developments in the region?

Grade received: 6

To what extent was NATO’s intervention in the Libyan Civil War of 2011 a humanitarian intervention?

Grade received: 7

To what extent was martial law imposed in Poland on 13th December 1981 to pre-empt the invasion of the USSR?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did World War II lead to women in the United States becoming permanent participants of the labour force?

Grade received: 7

To what extent was U.S. foreign policy successful in winning over the support of the American public for American involvement in the Vietnam war?

View hundreds of other History IA exemplars on Clastify

Click to view exemplars

Grade received: 7

To what extent was FDR governmental intervention responsible for the end of the Great Depression in the US?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did protofeminist movements during the French Revolution succeed in establishing sexual equality?

Grade received: 7

To what extent were the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary to end the Second World War

Grade received: 7

To what extent can patriarchal factors be considered to be the most significant cause for the marginalisation of the South Korean comfort women during and after the Pacific War?

View hundreds of other History IA exemplars on Clastify

Click to view exemplars

Grade received: 7

To what extent was the Black Power Movement responsible for the decline of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did the Mongol invasions of Eurasia from the years 1250-1345 lead to positive socio-economic developments in the region?

Grade received: 6

To what extent was NATO’s intervention in the Libyan Civil War of 2011 a humanitarian intervention?

Grade received: 7

To what extent was martial law imposed in Poland on 13th December 1981 to pre-empt the invasion of the USSR?

Grade received: 7

To what extent did World War II lead to women in the United States becoming permanent participants of the labour force?

Grade received: 7

To what extent was U.S. foreign policy successful in winning over the support of the American public for American involvement in the Vietnam war?

Reflection:

1. Discuss methods commonly used by historians.
2. Talk about obstacles you may have faced when conducting your investigation (eg: was it hard to collect data from that time period?).
3. Discuss the objectivity of the sources - is there any bias that could influence your analysis?
4. This section should be within 400 words. 
5. A good example of this can be found here.

Works cited:

1. Provide references to all external sources used in the IA. 
2. This includes both primary and secondary sources of information. 
3. A good example of this can be found here.

We hope this guide helps guide you in properly formatting and structuring your History IA! If you want to read some exemplary IAs before you start writing, we've got you covered too! Simply head to the Clastify website, where you will be able to find numerous History IA ideas and examples, so you can look for the ones that are the most relevant to your topic. Good luck!