From first assessment 2028, IB DP History follows a redesigned curriculum model. While the subject may look familiar on the surface, the way it is structured — and the way students are assessed — is now much more explicit, intentional, and skills-driven.
Many students struggle early in IB History not because the content is too hard, but because they do not understand how the course is built. Without that understanding, revision becomes unfocused and essays become descriptive.
This article explains the new IB DP History curriculum structure, showing how contexts, concepts, content, and skills fit together — and how students should use this structure to succeed.
Quick Start Checklist
- How the new IB History course is structured
- What “contexts, concepts, content, and skills” actually mean
- Why understanding structure matters for exams
- How this structure affects revision and essay writing
- What students should prioritise from the start
The Big Idea Behind the New IB History Curriculum
Under the first assessment 2028 specification, IB History is designed as a concept-led, inquiry-based course.
Instead of treating content as the goal, the curriculum treats content as a tool used to explore historical questions. Everything students study feeds into this central purpose.
The curriculum is organised around four connected elements:
- Contexts
- Concepts
- Content
- Skills
Understanding how these interact is essential.
Contexts: The Historical Settings You Study
Contexts refer to the historical situations in which events take place.
In IB History, contexts help students:
- Place events in time and place
- Understand conditions shaping decisions
- Avoid oversimplified explanations
- Recognise long-term developments
Contexts prevent students from treating events in isolation. Instead, they encourage explanation grounded in historical circumstances.
Concepts: The Lens for Historical Thinking
Concepts are the analytical tools students must apply across all topics.
Under the new IB History course, students consistently work with four key concepts:
- Cause and consequence
- Continuity and change
- Perspectives
- Significance
These concepts guide:
- Essay questions
- Source analysis
- Comparison across case studies
- Evaluation in higher-mark responses
Students are expected to apply concepts actively, not define them.
Content: What Students Actually Learn
Content refers to the specific case studies, themes, and historical material selected by schools.
Importantly, content is not the endpoint.
Students are not rewarded for knowing everything about a topic. They are rewarded for:
- Selecting relevant evidence
- Using it to support arguments
- Linking it to concepts
- Applying it to the question
This is one of the biggest mindset shifts in the new course.
Skills: What IB History Is Really Assessing
Skills sit at the heart of the curriculum.
Across the course, students are expected to develop:
- Analytical writing
- Evidence selection
- Evaluation of sources and perspectives
- Comparative thinking
- Structured argumentation
These skills are assessed repeatedly across exams and the Internal Assessment. Weak skills cannot be hidden behind memorised content.
How These Elements Work Together
The new IB History structure is not four separate parts — it is one system.
In practice:
- Contexts ground explanations
- Concepts shape analysis
- Content provides evidence
- Skills determine how effectively ideas are communicated
Strong responses integrate all four seamlessly.
Why Understanding the Structure Improves Exam Performance
Students who understand the curriculum structure:
- Answer questions more directly
- Avoid descriptive writing
- Select evidence more effectively
- Structure essays with purpose
- Meet assessment criteria consistently
Students who do not often revise large amounts of content without knowing how to use it.
Common Mistakes Students Make With the New Structure
Under the FA 2028 course, common mistakes include:
- Revising content without concepts
- Writing essays without a clear argument
- Listing facts instead of analysing them
- Ignoring the question focus
- Treating skills as secondary
These mistakes cost marks across all papers.
How RevisionDojo Helps Students Use the Curriculum Structure
RevisionDojo is built around the exact structure of the new IB DP History course.
RevisionDojo helps students:
- Understand how concepts drive questions
- Practise applying content analytically
- Build strong, repeatable essay structures
- Develop skills consistently over time
- Align revision directly with assessment criteria
This removes guesswork and replaces it with clarity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to memorise less content in the new course?
You still need strong content knowledge, but you need to use it selectively. Depth and relevance matter more than volume.
Are concepts more important than facts?
They are equally important, but concepts determine how facts are used. Without concepts, facts earn very few marks.
Does this structure apply to all assessment papers?
Yes. The same structure underpins source analysis, essays, and the Internal Assessment.
Final Thoughts
The new IB DP History curriculum (first assessment 2028) is carefully structured to reward thinking, not memorisation. Students who understand how contexts, concepts, content, and skills fit together gain a major advantage across the course.
Once this structure is clear, IB History becomes far more manageable — and far more rewarding. With the right guidance and practice, students can turn complexity into clarity.
That is exactly what RevisionDojo is designed to do.
