1-on-1 Mastery-Based IB History · Taipei

IB History, from chronology to causation.

IB History rewards multi-causal historical analysis, not chronological narration. Lessons build from the historical narrative students bring toward the source analysis, comparative reasoning, and Historical Investigation the IB Paper questions, and university coursework, will demand.

Audience
IB History HL and SL content, international school students
Format
1-on-1, 1 to 1.5 hours per lesson
Duration
Typically across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence
Begin
Complimentary consultation & assessment class

What Students Learn

Mastery-based IB History at the level your child's school actually requires.

IB History is for students working through the IB Diploma Programme who want to move past historical narration toward the multi-causal analysis, source-based argument, and Historical Investigation the IB assessment tests. The program covers the full IB History Subject Guide for HL and SL. Reasoning from primary and secondary sources to claims about historical events the IB assessment can validate. Working through the source-evaluation skills the IB Paper 1 distinctively tests, including the Origin, Purpose, Value, and Limitations of historical sources. Tracing multi-causal explanations of historical change, including political, economic, social, cultural, and ideological factors that shape outcomes. Analyzing comparative historical questions, including the side-by-side examination of cases the Paper 2 essay requires. Building reasoning across continuity and change over time, including the long-arc historical thinking the IB rubric expects. Engaging with historiography, including how different historians have interpreted the same events and why. Designing and writing the Historical Investigation the IB assessment requires. These are the skills the IB Paper 1, Paper 2, and Paper 3 questions test, and the foundation any university history, law, political science, international relations, journalism, or public policy course will assume.

IB History is not advanced narration. The shift is from chronology to causation. Students move from describing what happened in sequence to explaining why events unfolded as they did, supported by multi-causal analysis and evidence drawn from primary and secondary sources. A student who can list the events leading to World War One is doing the chronological work. A student who can argue why those events together produced war, evaluate which causes were more decisive than others, and ground the argument in primary sources is doing the causation the IB assessment rewards across periods and themes. The program closes the gap between the two.

Lessons follow Harland's IB History curriculum, built to bring students to mastery of IB History content as defined by the IB Diploma Programme Subject Guide. The program runs ten units across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence, with each unit closing in an assessment that mirrors IB Paper formats and includes the analytical work the Historical Investigation requires. SL students complete the SL core covering the prescribed subject and world history topics. HL students complete the SL core plus the HL regional depth study Paper 3 examines. Lessons calibrate to your child's individual gaps and the periods their school program covers. If a student is working through the Cold War at school, the teacher works through it with the student, applying the unit's analytical structure to the questions their Paper 2 will eventually ask.

Progress shows up in places parents can see. Where your child once memorized the sequence of events leading to a war, they now reason from political, economic, and social conditions to explain why war emerged when it did. Where your child once treated historical sources as factual records, they now evaluate Origin, Purpose, Value, and Limitations to determine what each source can and cannot tell us. Where the Historical Investigation once felt like an open-ended task, it now feels like a structured argument your child can plan, research, and write against the IB rubric.

How We Teach It

IB History taught for understanding, with the score arriving as a consequence.

Harland's pedagogy is content-based learning. Multi-causal analysis, source evaluation, and the analytical depth the IB Paper 1, Paper 2, and Paper 3 questions reward develop through the periods, sources, and past papers your child is already working with. Assessments check whether the thinking holds up when the student moves to new material alone.

A student working through twentieth-century conflict works on it with their teacher, building the reasoning that connects political instability, economic conditions, and ideological currents to the causal explanations Paper 2 requires. A student moving into source analysis works on it with their teacher, applying the unit's analytical structure to the Origin, Purpose, Value, and Limitations the IB Paper 1 distinctively tests. A student working through historiographical interpretation works on it with their teacher, building the scaffolding that lets them weigh different historians' arguments, identify the evidence each interpretation rests on, and form their own argued position with the rigor the IB rubric expects.

IB History students arrive with two layers under the surface. The score pressure is real. The May or November exam matters for university plans, particularly for students aiming at history, law, political science, international relations, journalism, or public policy paths, and most students know it. But beneath the score pressure is a specific cognitive challenge that defines the IB History assessment. Historical recall is not the hard part. The hard part is reading a source, evaluating what it can and cannot tell us about the past, integrating multiple causes into an argued explanation, and defending the explanation with the causation the IB rubric expects. The 1-on-1 format gives teachers room to slow down where the source-analysis ground is unfamiliar, and to keep the work rigorous without losing the student's engagement with history itself. Skill and causation develop together. Neither moves far in isolation.

The format also lets teachers calibrate within the program's structure. A student fluent with historical narrative but uncomfortable with IB source-analysis questions gets pushed toward the Paper 1-style scenarios the assessment will ask. What is this source. Who produced it and why. What does its perspective allow it to see and what does it obscure. A student strong on source analysis but weak on the comparative essay Paper 2 requires gets work calibrated to the rubric's expectations. That means refining causal argument structure, integrating evidence from across periods, organizing analysis around shared themes or contrasting cases, and writing against the criteria the IB assessment uses.

History also has an investigative dimension. The IB History Diploma Programme requires every student to complete the Historical Investigation as Internal Assessment, worth around 25 percent of the SL final grade and around 20 percent of the HL final grade. The Investigation is an independent research paper of up to 2,200 words where students choose a historical question of personal interest and analyze it across three sections: source identification and evaluation, sustained investigation, and methodological reflection. Harland's 1-on-1 IB History program supports the Investigation through every stage. Teachers help students choose a question that fits both the rubric criteria and the student's actual historical interests, identify and evaluate primary and secondary sources, work through the multi-causal analysis the rubric expects, and structure the writing against the IB assessment criteria. The Investigation matters as much as exam preparation, and the program treats it accordingly.

Curriculum and Alignment

A structured curriculum keyed to the IB History Subject Guide.

IB History at Harland follows a structured curriculum keyed to the IB History Diploma Programme Subject Guide for HL and SL. A student who completes the program has demonstrated mastery of IB History content as the IB Subject Guide defines it.

Harland's IB History runs ten units across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence, with Historical Investigation preparation integrated rather than appended. Most school IB History courses spread the same content across more class time, with Investigation work happening alongside or after class. 1-on-1 lessons don't lose time to group pacing or mixed-ability instruction, so the same core content fits in more substantive units. The time saved goes into the causation the IB Diploma assessment rewards.

Standards
IB History Diploma Programme Subject Guide (HL and SL), with the Historical Investigation rubric as the cross-cutting skill framework
Materials
Harland curriculum materials, the prescribed subject and world history topics your child's school program covers, and past IB papers and Historical Investigation exemplars integrated as ongoing input
Assessment
End-of-unit assessments aligned with IB Paper 1 (source-based analysis), Paper 2 (comparative essay), Paper 3 (HL regional depth study), and the Historical Investigation rubric
Reporting
Skill-level tracking against Harland's internal rubrics, mapped to IB assessment criteria

Prerequisites and What Comes Next

Where IB History fits in your child's learning.

Before starting

IB History assumes prior coursework in history, typically built through pre-IB or MYP humanities, and the foundational close-reading and essay-writing skills those courses develop. IB History is reading- and writing-intensive across both papers and the Historical Investigation, and comfort with extended academic English is essential. Students arriving from a different curriculum or with uneven foundations work through gaps in foundational analytical reading before or alongside IB History proper.

One thing to know about scope. The IB History Internal Assessment, the Historical Investigation, is an independent research paper worth around 25 percent of the SL final grade and around 20 percent of the HL final grade. IB schools provide formal supervision for the Investigation, including checkpoint deadlines and final submission. Harland's 1-on-1 tutoring focuses on the historical content, the research question development, the source analysis, and the writing the IB rubric directly tests. The Investigation itself is submitted at school under supervisor oversight per IB requirements, and Harland's role is the planning, analytical, and writing work that turns a question into a strong Investigation.

The consultation and assessment class establishes whether IB History is the right starting point and whether parallel work in foundational analytical reading or Academic English would help. Some students arrive needing both English-foundation reinforcement and IB-specific support, and the lesson plan covers what's most urgent first.

What comes after

Most students complete IB History across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence, sitting either the May or November exam. Cadence varies by entry point and exam timing, with most students attending one to three sessions per week.

IB History does not have a direct successor course in the IB sequence. After the exam, the causation and source analysis the course develops carries directly into university history, law, political science, international relations, journalism, public policy, and any field that requires source-based argument and causal explanation. Students choosing History as their Extended Essay subject work with their primary teacher across the research-question, methodology, and writing stages on the Extended Essay program.

The longer-term aim of IB History is to make itself unnecessary. The program brings students to mastery of IB History content. Students sit the May or November exam, submit their IA, and the program's role ends. A parent who's no longer worried about their child's IB History work is the point of all of it.

Common Questions

Common questions about IB History at Harland.

Who is IB History at Harland for? +
IB History at Harland is for high school students working through the IB Diploma Programme. Most of our students fall into one of two patterns. Some are taking IB History at school and come to us for support alongside the school program, building the source analysis and the multi-causal argument the IB assessment tests differently from typical history coursework. Some are preparing for the May or November exam in an intensive run-up, working through past papers, IA refinement, and targeted weakness review in the weeks or months before the assessment. Students whose situation falls outside these two patterns, including students transitioning curricula mid-DP, students at schools without strong IB programs, or students who need a more flexible curriculum than the standard IB History program provides, work with us through Harland's Academic Coaching framework, where the curriculum is calibrated to the individual situation rather than the IB Subject Guide alone.
My child can describe what happened in a historical event but struggles with the source analysis Paper 1 requires. Can the program help with that kind of thinking? +
This is a familiar situation. The IB History assessment tests a kind of thinking that the textbook doesn't always practice directly. Reading a source and recognizing what its Origin, Purpose, Value, and Limitations allow it to tell us. Predicting how a source's context shapes what it shows and what it obscures. Constructing arguments grounded in source evidence, with the causation the IB rubric rewards. We work directly on these skills, slowing down on the source-analysis work the Paper 1 questions require, on the comparative essay the Paper 2 tests, and on the rubric criteria that distinguish a strong response from a vague one. Most students who come to us strong on historical narration but struggling on the source-analysis prompts close that gap by working through the rubric explicitly, with sample questions and practice under time constraint.
What does the IB History program cover? +
The program follows the IB History Diploma Programme Subject Guide for HL and SL. Content covers the prescribed subject the school selects for Paper 1, the world history topics the school covers for Paper 2, and the HL regional depth study Paper 3 examines for HL students. The program prepares students for IB Paper 1 (source-based analysis), Paper 2 (comparative essay on world history topics), Paper 3 (regional depth study at HL), and the Historical Investigation. The Historical Investigation, worth around 25 percent of the SL final grade and around 20 percent of the HL final grade, is supported through every stage from research question to final submission. Harland's program runs ten units across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence, calibrated to the framework your child's specific course route requires.
How long is each lesson and how often does my child attend? +
Lessons are 1-on-1 sessions of 1 to 1.5 hours, in person at our head office in Da'an or online. Most students attend one to three lessons per week. Harland's IB History program runs ten units across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence. At one or two lessons per week alongside a school IB course, the program runs through the DP cycle and concludes with the May or November exam. At three lessons per week, the program covers the same content at faster pace. For students preparing in an intensive run-up to the exam, the cadence increases as the test approaches, typically two to four months at higher frequency. The Student Coordinator helps you choose the cadence that fits.
How are lessons scheduled, and what if we need to reschedule? +
Lessons happen on a fixed weekly slot reserved with your child's primary teacher. This protects the teacher's time and keeps a consistent rhythm for your child. If you need to reschedule, give us at least 24 hours of notice and we'll find another time when your teacher is available. Many families add classes during summer or winter vacation, either to accelerate progress or to make up for a slower term. Once a unit has started, it should be completed within a defined window. The Student Coordinator walks through the details when you enroll.
Can my child begin IB History over the summer? +
Yes. Summer enrollment is available across Harland's IB Diploma programs, with two patterns. Students preparing for the upcoming May or November exam in an intensive run-up sometimes begin or accelerate in summer at higher cadence (typically two to three sessions per week), particularly when their school IB course pacing has fallen behind, when their Internal Assessment is at draft stage, or when the run-up to the exam needs concentrated time. Students preparing for an exam sitting further out (i.e., entering or partway through the 2-year DP) often use summer for a head-start block, working through current-year content or building the prerequisite foundation before the next school year begins. The Student Coordinator helps you choose the right summer pattern based on which exam sitting your child is preparing for and where their IA work currently stands.
How do you measure progress? +
Progress is measured through unit assessments aligned with the IB History Subject Guide. Harland's IB History program is organized into ten units across the 2-year IB Diploma cadence. Each unit closes with an assessment that mirrors IB Paper formats, including the source-based items of Paper 1, the comparative essay of Paper 2, and the Internal Assessment rubric, and measures conceptual understanding, source-analysis attention, comparative analysis, and the causation that connects evidence to argued historical explanation across the unit's content. Parents receive updates after every lesson and formal progress reports when each unit ends. Skill-level tracking uses Harland's internal rubrics, which map to IB assessment criteria. Where helpful, the Student Coordinator translates this into the expectations of your child's school.
How do we begin? +
Every Harland relationship begins with a consultation, followed by a 1-on-1 assessment class. The consultation is about your goals and your child's situation. The assessment class is about how your child works in the subject. Together they tell us where to start and what kind of teacher will fit best.

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