Currently, thousands of students are enrolled in the IB DP History course, which is a pre-university programme that aims to engage students with the past. Per usual, the IB is working on developing its courses to ensure that relevant information is included in them. This includes updates for IB History, which is going to be taught starting from 2026. Let’s take a look at the updated course and see how it differs from the current one!
The Curriculum Model
Firstly, the IB has redefined its History curriculum model by introducing new concepts: cause and consequence, continuity and change, perspectives, and significance. They have introduced a flowchart to ensure that students are not only acquiring theoretical knowledge, but are utilizing it in a number of ways.
Source: IB History Subject Brief
The new flowchart interconnects historical inquiry, concepts, context, and content. At the centre of the flowchart is Historical Inquiry, which allows students to delve into a study that allows them to build meaning about the past. Concepts, which we mentioned above, focus on the persuasive and debatable ideas of history. Content provides details and examples of the historical inquiry, and finally, Contexts situate the content in different environments. The course includes four contexts: focused study, thematic study, regional study, and historical investigation. All of these elements are linked by Skills, which exist facilitate the course for students and aid them in their historical studies.
The main differences between the current and the updated course
The central ideas of this curriculum model don’t greatly differ from what was envisioned for the current IB History course. However, the current assessment model does not offer a detailed overview, and does not emphasize the application of theoretical knowledge like the new one.
Instead, the curriculum model simply states what the students are going to learn throughout their course and what the recommended teaching hours are for each component. The components include Prescribed subjects (such as military leaders, conflict, intervention, etc.), from which only one has to be studied. This component requires a total of 40 teaching hours.
Next, the IB specified World history topics such as Dynasty and Rulers, from which only two need to be studied and which again provide a more comprehensive, global view of history. Since this component is the largest in the course, its recommended teaching hours are 90 hours. Finally, the Internal Assessment / Historical Investigation is the last component and needs 20 teaching hours.
From the comparison above, we can clearly see how the IB is trying to divert the course away from solely theoretical knowledge. It incorporates elements to focus on skills that will enable students to apply their knowledge to real-world situations. As a result, we can also see changes in the assessment model, which is going to be discussed in the next section.
The Assessment Model
Maintaining their focus on developing students’ skills and not only theoretical knowledge, the IB decided to change the ways in which DP History students are going to be tested. The differences in all assessments between the current and the new History course are going to be outlined in a table below. The first assessment for the updated History course is going to take place in 2028.
| Type of assessment | Current model (Last assessment 2027) | Updated Model (First assessment 2028) |
| Paper 1 | Paper 1 is a source-based paper that includes a question about the five prescribed subjects (from which only one is studied). This may be: military leaders, conquest and its impact, the move to global war, rights and protest, or conflict and intervention. SL Weighing: 30% HL Weighing: 20% | The IB describes the updated paper 1 as the “more authentic, less mechanistic Paper 1”. It remains a source-based paper regarding paired case studies (or prescribed subjects in the previous syllabus), however it now includes a question that is more open-ended. SL Weighing: 30% HL Weighing: 20% |
| Paper 2 | Paper 2 is an essay about the 12 world history topics (out of which only two are studied). Students must answer 2 questions, each regarding different topics. SL Weighing: 45% HL Weighing: 25% | The IB has divided Paper 2 into two sections. Section A includes a question on one specified concept. Section B is a question about a global theme (previously world history topic), which requires a shorter response. Paper 2 now includes shorter and more conceptual questions. SL Weighing: 40% HL Weighing: 25% |
| Paper 3 (HL) | The HL Paper 3 is an essay paper that is based on one of the four regional topics. Students must complete 3 questions, each worth 15 points. HL weighing: 35% | Paper 3 still remains as an essay-based paper on a regional topic (previously in-depth studies), however, now, students have to respond to two questions instead of three. HL Weighing: 35% |
| Internal Assessment | The internal assessment is a historical study conducted by students about a topic of their choice. It includes three sections. Section A is the research question, and two sources that have been used to research it. Section B acts as the main body wherein most of the research and investigation is carried out. Finally, Section C is a reflection about what a student has learned throughout the investigation. SL Weighing: 25% HL Weighing: 20% | The internal assessment remains as a historical study; however, the reflection section has been removed. This leaves the assessment with three sections: historical inquiry question, sources and perspectives, and synthesis and evaluation. The updated assessment focuses more on the students’ explanations and their ability to develop their research questions. Students can include a maximum of seven sources in the updated internal assessment. SL Weighing: 30% HL Weighing: 20% |
By working on improving each subject, the IB hopes to offer courses that will help students gain more than just theoretical knowledge in their chosen field. As seen in the DP History course, the updates aid students in focusing on their application skills rather than solely on what is offered in the textbook. To view more details about the updated history course, feel free to consult the IBO website !