Skills

Skills

The same five skills run from your first year of history to the final exams. Each step builds on the last. The step for your course is highlighted.

The five lead skills

Toolkit

OPVL · analysing a source

Source analysis

PEEL · writing an analytical paragraph

Time & causation

PIES · sorting causes and consequences

Time & causation
PoliticalPower and government: rulers, elections, laws, wars, coups.
IdeologicalIdeas and beliefs: nationalism, liberalism, socialism, religion.
EconomicMoney, land and work: trade, debt, prices, ownership.
SocialPeople and groups: classes, living conditions, education, health.

Most causes fit more than one category. Tagging them helps you compare events: on the Compare page, causes are lined up by PIES.

Command terms

What the question is asking you to do. Definitions follow the IB's command-term glossary, in brief.

TermWhat to doFrom