From first assessment 2028, IB History is explicitly concept-driven. This means students are no longer assessed primarily on how much history they can remember, but on how effectively they can use key historical concepts to explain the past.
Many students struggle in IB History not because they lack knowledge, but because they do not understand how these concepts shape questions, essays, and marking. When concepts are misunderstood or ignored, even factually accurate answers can score poorly.
This article explains the four key concepts in IB History, what they really mean, and — most importantly — how students must use them to succeed under the new course.
Quick Start Checklist
- The four key concepts in IB History
- What each concept actually means
- How concepts appear in exam questions
- Common student mistakes with concepts
- How to apply concepts effectively in essays
Why Concepts Matter More Than Ever
Under the new IB History course (FA 2028), concepts are not optional background ideas. They are the framework through which all historical content is analysed.
Concepts:
- Shape exam questions
- Guide essay arguments
- Determine how marks are awarded
- Distinguish strong analysis from description
Students who write without conceptual focus often appear knowledgeable but unfocused — and lose marks as a result.
Concept 1: Cause and Consequence
Cause and consequence focuses on why events happened and what resulted from them.
In IB History, this means:
- Identifying short-term and long-term causes
- Explaining interactions between causes
- Distinguishing causes from triggers
- Analysing intended and unintended consequences
Strong responses do not list causes. They explain relationships, prioritise significance, and show how causes lead logically to outcomes.
Common mistake
Listing multiple causes without explaining how or why they mattered.
Concept 2: Continuity and Change
Continuity and change asks students to analyse what stayed the same and what changed over time.
This concept requires students to:
- Identify patterns over a defined period
- Recognise gradual vs sudden change
- Avoid assuming change is always dominant
- Support claims with precise evidence
Under FA 2028, students are rewarded for balanced analysis, not for exaggerating transformation.
Common mistake
Focusing only on change and ignoring elements of continuity.
Concept 3: Perspectives
Perspectives focuses on how different individuals or groups experienced and interpreted events.
In IB History, this involves:
- Recognising differing viewpoints
- Understanding historical context
- Avoiding present-day judgment
- Evaluating reliability and bias
Perspectives are central to source analysis and essay evaluation. Students must show awareness that history is not experienced or recorded in a single way.
Common mistake
Mentioning perspectives without explaining why they differed or why they matter.
Concept 4: Significance
Significance asks why an event, individual, or development matters historically.
This involves:
- Assessing impact over time
- Explaining scale and depth of influence
- Considering different criteria for importance
- Avoiding simplistic judgments
In strong responses, students justify significance rather than assume it.
Common mistake
Declaring something “important” without explaining according to clear criteria.
How Concepts Appear in Exam Questions
Under the new course, exam questions are implicitly or explicitly conceptual.
They often ask students to:
- Assess causes
- Evaluate change over time
- Compare perspectives
- Judge significance
Even when a concept is not named, it is still being tested. Recognising this helps students structure answers effectively.
How to Use Concepts in Essays
Successful IB History essays:
- Use concepts to shape the argument
- Link each paragraph to a conceptual focus
- Integrate evidence into analysis
- Return to the concept in conclusions
Concepts are not definitions to memorise. They are thinking tools.
Why Students Often Misuse Concepts
Many students misuse concepts because they:
- Treat them as vocabulary terms
- Add them superficially to essays
- Define them instead of applying them
- Focus on content first and concepts last
Under FA 2028, this approach is heavily penalised.
How RevisionDojo Helps Students Master Concepts
RevisionDojo is designed around concept-led historical thinking, exactly as required by the new IB History course.
RevisionDojo helps students:
- Recognise concepts in questions
- Apply concepts consistently in essays
- Avoid descriptive writing
- Practise concept-driven arguments
- Understand how examiners reward conceptual clarity
This allows students to move from memorisation to mastery.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to memorise definitions of the concepts?
No. Examiners reward application, not memorised definitions. Concepts must shape analysis.
Are all four concepts tested equally?
They appear across the course, but emphasis varies by question and paper. Students must be confident using all four.
Can I score well without explicitly naming concepts?
Yes, but only if your analysis clearly demonstrates them. Explicit use often improves clarity and focus.
Final Thoughts
The four key concepts — cause and consequence, continuity and change, perspectives, and significance — sit at the heart of the new IB History course (first assessment 2028).
Students who understand and apply these concepts consistently gain a major advantage across all assessments. Those who ignore them often struggle despite strong content knowledge.
IB History rewards how you think, not just what you know. With the right guidance and practice, these concepts become powerful tools rather than obstacles — and that is exactly what RevisionDojo is designed to support.
