Grade 12 just completed their first proper Paper 1–the source work exam in Diploma History. Looking at a collection of five unseen sources–excerpts from textbooks, speeches, news reports, political cartoons, to name a few–students are asked to
-explain the meaning
-compare and contrast
-analyze the value and limitations of the sources for historical research
-synthesize the sources into a short essay that evaluates a particular issue
…all in one hour (too be honest, I’m not sure what transferable life skill the IB is assessing by giving the students an hour. Historians don’t work in short, stressful bursts, so why would we ask young historians to do so?)
Working with primary and secondary sources is incredibly difficult and it’s where the rubber really meets the road as a historian. Thus far our Grade 12 students have shown really high proficiency in this area. Now it’s about doing it on an exam.