Key Idea: Paper 1 is 100% source-based. You answer four questions on four sources about one topic. This summary shows exactly what each question wants and how to score — the skills matter more than any single fact.
🧭 The four questions
Every Paper 1 has the same shape. Q1 tests comprehension — what a source says (worth about 5 marks in two parts). Q2 is {{OPVL|Origin, Purpose, Value and Limitation of a source}} — the value and limitations of one source (4 marks). Q3 is cross-referencing — compare and contrast two sources (6 marks). Q4 is a judgement using the sources and your own knowledge (9 marks). Learn the mark values, because they tell you how much to write.
- OPVL — Origin, Purpose, Value, Limitation: the tool for judging a source.
- Provenance — where a source comes from (its origin and purpose).
- Cross-reference — compare/contrast what two sources say.
- Comprehension — showing you understand what a source means.
Spend time in line with the marks: don't write a huge answer for the 3-mark Q1, and save your best effort for the 9-mark Q4.
🔎 How to score each one
The Paper 1 skill ladder
- Q1 — Understand (≈5) — Just report what the source says, in your own words. Make separate points; you do not need your own knowledge here.
- Q2 — OPVL (4) — Link the source's Origin and Purpose to its Value and its Limitation. Always give at least one value AND one limitation — a one-sided answer caps low.
- Q3 — Compare (6) — Give a running comparison: say what the two sources agree on, then how they differ, referring to both throughout. Both a similarity and a difference are needed for top marks.
- Q4 — Judge (9) — Argue a clear view using the sources and your own knowledge. Group the sources by side, weave in facts, and reach a reasoned judgement.
Understand → judge → compare → decide
✍️ IB-style question
With reference to its origin, purpose and content, analyse the value and limitations of the source below for a historian studying this topic.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
✅ Quick self-check
What does OPVL stand for? Origin, Purpose, Value, Limitation — the tool for judging a source in Q2.
How many marks is the judgement question? Q4 is 9 marks — the biggest. It needs the sources and your own knowledge, plus a clear judgement.
What does Q3 need for top marks? A running comparison of two sources — both a similarity and a difference, referring to both throughout.
Do you need own knowledge for Q1? No — Q1 is comprehension (what the source says). Save your own knowledge for Q4.