Whether you are finishing the current IB History course for May 2027 or have just begun the new one, first examined in May 2028, a Lanterna tutor can coach you on source questions, timed essays and the historical investigation. Lessons are live and online with IB History teachers and specialists who have examiner experience, from £58 (~65 CHF) an hour on Central European Time, wherever you study, from Basel to Geneva.
Tell us which course you follow and which paper costs you marks, and we suggest a tutor who reads essays line by line and has free hours in your week.
IB History Tutor15+ years' IB teaching
I'm Beth with IB teaching experience in international schools in Europe and the United States of over 15 years. I am also an examiner for the IB (since 2015) in History and Extended Essay.
IB History Tutor30 years' IB teaching
Since 1995 I have been teaching IB History at Malmö Borgarskola. I have also worked as an IB Examiner, and furthermore given IB Exam preparatory courses for the Oxford Study Courses in Oxford and Cambridge, UK and in Boston, USA. Both at my school and working for the OSC I have all along been tutoring History students (Extended Essays, Internal Assessments).
IB History Tutor35+ years' IB teaching
I’m Ann, an IB History and ToK tutor. I have taught IB for over 35 years, which I know makes me sound old, but I promise you that I am young at heart. I was also an IB examiner last year. I have a flexible tutoring style and try to adapt this to the needs of the tutee. I focus on breaking down questions to help students see how command and key terms affect the type of response that scores well. I also practice the skill of choosing the right question in exams and planning and writing under pressure of time, as this can often be the difference between performing moderately or at a high level. I have a lot of experience taking students through the History IA and EE as well as theToK exhibition and essay. Outside of tutoring I love to travel as I have spent the last 30 years living and teaching in some really exciting countries such as Cambodia, Japan, Sri Lanka and Angola. I also love to paint and go hiking around Andalusia where I currently live. I hope that if you meet me you will find me to be positive, relaxed and knowledgable.
IB History Tutor20+ years' teaching
I am a qualified and experienced IB MYP/DP History and Theory of Knowledge teacher. I have 20 years of teaching experience. I am also an IB History Extended Essay and Paper 2 examiner since 2010.
IB History Tutor5+ years' tutoring41/45 IB graduateUniversity of Oxford
I’m Makena, an IB graduate with 41 points currently studying Medicine at the University of Oxford. Before this, I completed a BSc in Medical Sciences at the University of Exeter and completed a year of research at the Francis Crick Institute in James Briscoe’s Developmental Dynamics Lab. I achieved 7s in HL Chemistry, Biology, and History, and I have been tutoring students for over 5 years. Throughout this time, I have worked with a wide range of students and understand how to adapt lessons to different learning styles, goals and levels of confidence. My tutoring approach focuses on making difficult concepts clear, manageable, and memorable. I aim to help students not only improve grades, but also genuinely understand the material and develop effective revision and exam strategies. I see tutoring as a collaborative process where students feel supported, challenged, and motivated. Outside of academics, I am a scuba diving instructor and love sailing, travelling, and spending time outdoors.
IB History Tutor13+ years' teaching
I am also a seasoned IB History examiner for the last 5 years and a Pearson Edexcel examiner for the last 3 years. I hold a Bachelor of Education degree in teaching History and a master of arts degree on the same subject.
This school year, IB History runs on two guides at once: DP2 takes the May 2027 exams on the current guide, while DP1 began a new course in August 2026, with its first exams in May 2028. The IB's summary of the History changes describes a course built around concepts and paired case studies.
For tutoring, the difference is practical. DP2 students can drill on years of past papers for the current Papers 1, 2 and 3; DP1 students have none yet for the new course, so their lessons rest on source analysis and essay technique applied to class topics. Tell us which course you follow, and your tutor will be someone who teaches it.
History is one of three subjects that fill the humanities category on swissuniversities' IB list, beside Geography and Economics or Business Management, under the rule explained on our home page. It is also among the SL subjects ETH and EPFL accept beside their science HLs, which our Geography page sets out.
At some state Gymnasien with an IB stream, History is one of the subjects taught in English: the Literargymnasium Rämibühl in Zurich teaches maths, biology and history in English, and Gymnasium Bäumlihof in Basel does the same for biology, maths, history and TOK. For a student schooled in German, a History essay in English is a test of language as well as of argument.
Paper 1 is a source paper at both levels. Our History IA guide also covers how to find and judge primary sources, a skill the exam rewards too.
Of the five group 3 subjects on this site, History had the lowest HL mean in May 2025: 4.4, against 4.8 in Psychology, 5.0 in Business Management, 5.2 in Economics and 5.3 in Geography. Only 2.7% of graded HL candidates reached a 7, and fewer than one in five candidates across both levels scored a 6 or 7. Lanterna's History students average 6.3 at their final exams, from 5.0 before lessons.
| IB grade | Share of candidates |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.6% |
| 2 | 5.7% |
| 3 | 13.4% |
| 4 | 28.6% |
| 5 | 32% |
| 6 | 16.9% |
| 7 | 2.9% |
From a 5.0 average before tutoring to a 6.3 after tutoring with Lanterna.
Paper 3 is the largest single component at HL, two and a half hours of essays on one region, so HL students spend more of their revision on extended writing. The investigation, up to 2,200 words, counts for a quarter of the SL grade.
This table describes the course examined in May 2027. The new course's papers apply from May 2028.
“She was very engaged within our classes, responded extremely quickly, and feedback for IA was very helpful in achieving Thomas top bands”
“My Tutor Filip was the smartest and nicest person I’ve ever met. I got behind more mathematical concepts in my 7 sessions than I did in 2 years at school!!”
“I have completed various past papers for Math AA HL and Mr Akintoye and I went through almost all of them and graded them from an examiner perspective. I already had a strong foundation in Math AA HL with an average grade of 6. However my time with Mr Akintoye might have single handedly pushed my grade up to a 7.”
Every review here is from a student or parent we taught; there are many more in the Lanterna review library.
Master the IB History exam & IA with expert revision techniques (dates/themes) and investigation steps. Overcome exam anxiety and coursework struggle in one guide.
Read the guide: IB History Ultimate GuideMaster your IB History IA with 5 top tips from an expert tutor. Learn how to choose a strong topic, analyze sources, and structure your essay for top marks.
Read the guide: 5 Top Tips for Success with the IB History IAYes. Mention in the free consultation that your child began the new course in August 2026, and we propose a History tutor already teaching its structure. There are no past papers for the new course before its first exams in May 2028, so lessons build source work and essay practice around the topics your class is studying.
Yes. At a state Gymnasium with an IB stream, History may be taught in English while most other lessons are in German, so the hard part is often expressing an argument precisely in a second language. A tutor works on essay plans, paragraph structure and the vocabulary of historical judgement, using questions from your own syllabus.
The earlier the better for an essay subject. The May 2027 papers run from late April to mid-May, and starting in the winter term leaves time for several marked timed essays before the spring holidays, whose dates depend on your canton and school. Lessons are booked on Central European Time, evenings and weekends included.
Yes, provided the tutor teaches rather than writes. A tutor can explain the criteria, help you test whether a question is answerable with the sources you can reach, and practise evaluating a source's origin and purpose. The question, the research and the writing belong to you, and the IB reserves draft feedback for your teacher; see our IA page for the detail.
From £58 (~65 CHF). The rate depends on the tutor type and the size of the package, and larger packages bring the hourly price down; the tiers are listed under prices on our home page.
Lanterna's History students worldwide average 5.0 before tutoring and 6.3 at their final exams. It is an average across many students, so your own progress depends on where you start and how regularly you write and get feedback.
Prefer a different time? Every open time is listed below, week by week.
None of these work? Email us the times that suit you and we'll find one.
Our team replies within one working day, on Central European Time.
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