IB · Diploma Programme · IBDP HL/SL History
History — Keywords & Key Terms — Definitions Glossary (2026)
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme History (SL/HL)
Topic-by-topic keywords, key terms and definitions for precise exam language—separate from our revision checklists (topic coverage) and formula sheets (equations).
Keywords & Key Terms — definitions
Examiner-style keywords and definitions organised by syllabus topic. Terms are tagged Essential (start here), Core (typical exam standard), and Advanced for harder distinctions — tick each row when you can recall it. Your progress is saved in this browser for this list.
IB Diploma Programme History (IBDP HL/SL History)
IB Diploma Programme History (IBDP HL/SL History)
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme History (SL/HL)
Topics map to the IB DP History course: Prescribed Subjects (Paper 1), World History Topics (Paper 2) and HL Regional Options (Paper 3). The Internal Assessment is a 2,200-word historical investigation.
Mark schemes: IB History mark schemes reward sustained, evidenced argument that addresses the command term (evaluate, examine, to what extent), engages with named historians and balances perspectives.
Active recall: 0 / 37 terms ticked
| Recalled | Topic | Level | Keyword | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Source Analysis (Paper 1 — OPVL) | Essential | Primary source | Document or artefact produced during the period under study. | |
| Source Analysis (Paper 1 — OPVL) | Essential | Secondary source | Account written after the events, typically by historians using primary evidence. | |
| Source Analysis (Paper 1 — OPVL) | Core | Origin | Who created the source, when and where; includes the author's identity and position. | |
| Source Analysis (Paper 1 — OPVL) | Core | Purpose | Why the source was created and the intended audience. | |
| Source Analysis (Paper 1 — OPVL) | Core | Value | Strengths of the source for a historian investigating a specific question. | |
| Source Analysis (Paper 1 — OPVL) | Core | Limitations | Weaknesses or restrictions on what the source can tell us. | |
| Source Analysis (Paper 1 — OPVL) | Advanced | Provenance | Origin and chain of custody of a source; affects reliability and authenticity. | |
| Source Analysis (Paper 1 — OPVL) | Advanced | Corroboration | Comparison of multiple sources to establish consistency and credibility. | |
| Historiography and Engagement with Historians | Essential | Historiography | Study of how history has been written and how historical interpretations have changed. | |
| Historiography and Engagement with Historians | Core | Eric Hobsbawm | British Marxist historian known for the 'short twentieth century' and Age of Extremes. | |
| Historiography and Engagement with Historians | Core | E. H. Carr | British historian whose What Is History? argued history is a dialogue between past and present. | |
| Historiography and Engagement with Historians | Core | Niall Ferguson | British historian writing on empire, finance and counterfactual history. | |
| Historiography and Engagement with Historians | Core | Revisionism | Re-evaluation of accepted historical interpretations using new evidence or perspectives. | |
| Historiography and Engagement with Historians | Advanced | Annales School | French historical movement emphasising long-term social and economic structures over events. | |
| Historiography and Engagement with Historians | Advanced | Postcolonial historiography | Approach centring the perspectives and agency of colonised peoples. | |
| Causation and Consequence | Essential | Cause | Factor that contributes to bringing about an event. | |
| Causation and Consequence | Essential | Consequence | Result or effect that follows from an event. | |
| Causation and Consequence | Core | Long-term cause | Underlying cause developing over years or decades before an event. | |
| Causation and Consequence | Core | Short-term cause | Immediate or precipitating factor occurring close to the event. | |
| Causation and Consequence | Core | Trigger | Specific incident that ignites pre-existing tensions to start an event. | |
| Causation and Consequence | Core | Immediate consequence | Effect occurring within days or weeks of an event. | |
| Causation and Consequence | Core | Medium-term consequence | Effect unfolding over months or a few years. | |
| Causation and Consequence | Advanced | Long-term consequence | Effect persisting for decades or shaping subsequent eras. | |
| Causation and Consequence | Advanced | Counterfactual | Hypothetical 'what if' analysis exploring how outcomes would differ if a cause were absent. | |
| Significance Frameworks | Core | Significance | Importance attributed to an event, person or development by historians and contemporaries. | |
| Significance Frameworks | Core | Remembered | How and why an event continues to be commemorated or recalled. | |
| Significance Frameworks | Core | Resonant | Extent to which an event echoes in cultural, political or social memory. | |
| Significance Frameworks | Core | Resulted in change | Degree to which an event produced lasting transformation. | |
| Significance Frameworks | Core | Revealing | What an event tells us about the period, society or actors involved. | |
| Significance Frameworks | Advanced | Remarkable | Quality of being unusual, striking or unprecedented at the time. | |
| Significance Frameworks | Advanced | Contingent significance | Significance that depends on subsequent events for its meaning. | |
| Essay Structure and Sustained Argument | Core | Thesis statement | Single sentence in the introduction stating the essay's overall argument. | |
| Essay Structure and Sustained Argument | Core | PEEL paragraph | Point, Evidence, Explanation, Link — structure for a focused analytical paragraph. | |
| Essay Structure and Sustained Argument | Core | Topic sentence | Opening sentence of a paragraph stating its main analytical point. | |
| Essay Structure and Sustained Argument | Core | Synthesis | Bringing together evidence and arguments to reach a reasoned overall judgement. | |
| Essay Structure and Sustained Argument | Advanced | Sustained argument | Coherent line of reasoning developed and maintained throughout an extended response. | |
| Essay Structure and Sustained Argument | Advanced | Counter-argument | Opposing interpretation acknowledged and addressed to strengthen one's own argument. |
Pair this with our revision checklists, formula sheets hub and past paper finder.
History (IBDP HL/SL History) — Keywords & Key Terms FAQ
- What is on this IB Diploma Programme History keywords and key terms list?
- It is a topic-organised glossary of important history terms with short, exam-style definitions aligned to International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme History (SL/HL) (IBDP HL/SL History). It is designed for “define”, “state”, “outline” and “explain” questions where precise vocabulary earns marks.
- How should I use this History glossary alongside past papers?
- Tick terms when you can recall them without reading the answer, then check your wording against mark schemes. Pair vocabulary practice with past papers for Diploma Programme History (IBDP HL/SL History) so you apply terms in context.
- Is this the same as a revision checklist or a formula sheet?
- No. Revision checklists help you track which syllabus topics you have covered and your confidence—separate pages on Tutopiya. Formula sheets summarise equations and quantitative relationships. This page is only a definitions and key-terms glossary for History.
- Can I download this History keywords and key terms list for free?
- Yes. After a quick free sign-up you can download a UTF-8 CSV (opens in Excel or Google Sheets) or open a print-friendly page and save as PDF. Browsing the list on the page is free.
- Is this History list aligned to the IBDP HL/SL History specification?
- Topic groupings and wording follow International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme History (SL/HL) for IB Diploma Programme. Always confirm final learning objectives and any regional options in your official specification and recent examiner reports for your exam session.
- Why focus on definitions instead of full notes?
- Mark schemes reward correct technical terms and clear links between ideas. A compact glossary lets you drill the exact language examiners expect for History at Diploma Programme, separate from longer notes or topic trackers.