- Where Topic: Prescribed subjects sits under the official 2026 IB History syllabus
- The 5 subtopics beneath it, each on its own page
- A direct route to the free History past papers — every session, question paper and markscheme
- Free to browse, free to link — no signup, no paywall
- Cross-linked to Topical Solved, the paid version that groups this topic's questions and works each one through
IB Diploma · Higher Level (HL) · History
1 Prescribed subjects Topical Past Papers
IB Diploma Higher Level (HL) History — where "Prescribed subjects" sits in the official 2026 IBO subject guide, and the free past papers that examine it.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Higher Level (HL) History topical past papers — Topic: Prescribed subjects — free, no signup. The official syllabus entry for this topic — the questions that examine it are in the free History past papers, linked from this page. This topic breaks into 5 subtopics under the official syllabus numbering. A free syllabus map for this topic, with the History past papers it is examined in one click away. No signup, no paywall.
What this History topic page covers
This is the IB Higher Level (HL) History syllabus entry for Topic: Prescribed subjects — where the topic sits under the official 2026 syllabus numbering, and what falls under it. It is a map of the topic, free to browse and free to link.
The questions themselves are in the History past papers, and those are free here too — the full archive, session by session, each paper with its official markscheme. This page does not reproduce them; it points you at the subject's archive so you can work the sessions that cover this topic.
Where to find the History questions on this topic
Every question IB has ever set on this topic is inside the History past papers themselves — and the complete IB Higher Level (HL) History archive is free on this site. Each session gives you the question paper and its official markscheme, so you can attempt a question and mark yourself without paying for anything.
Working from the raw sessions means opening several papers to cover one topic. If you would rather have this topic's questions already pulled together, with the method shown step by step instead of only an acceptable answer, that is what Topical Solved is — the paid version of this same topic.
- Open the free History past-paper archive — every session, question paper and markscheme.
- Work the sessions that cover this topic, then mark yourself against the official markscheme.
- Want this topic's questions collected and worked through? Topical Solved does exactly that.
- Nothing on this page is behind a signup or a paywall.
Kept current with the 2026 syllabus
IB releases new History sessions every year, and every one of them lands in the free History past-paper archive on this site — question paper and official markscheme together, usually within days of release. Nothing about that is gated.
This topic map is rebuilt against the official 2026 IB History syllabus, so the numbering and the topic titles here match the specification a student is actually sitting rather than a retired version of it. Stale topic mapping is one of the biggest hidden quality problems with free past-paper sites, and it is the thing this page is here to get right.
History topical past papers — what students search for
Students search for "History topical past papers", "History topic-wise questions", "History chapter-wise past papers", "History questions by topic", "free IB History past papers by topic", and dozens more variations every day. What almost all of them are really asking is a syllabus question first: which topic is this, and which papers examine it. That is what this page answers, and it links straight to the free papers.
Common searches — "History 2026 paper", "History recent past papers", "History latest questions by topic" — are all served by the free IB History past-paper archive, which carries every session with its official markscheme at no cost.
Some students search specifically for "History questions only no solutions" or "History past papers without answers" — the free session archive is exactly that. If you want "History worked solutions" or "History step-by-step", Topical Solved collects this topic's questions and shows a teacher-verified working for each one.
Subtopics within Prescribed subjects
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the questions for this topic on this page?
No — this page is the syllabus map for the topic: its official numbering, its subtopics, and a route to the papers that examine it. The questions live in the IB History past papers, which are free on this site with the official markscheme beside every session. If you want this topic's questions collected in one place and worked through step by step, that is the paid Topical Solved product.
What's the difference between this and Topical Solved?
This page is free and it maps the topic: where it sits in the official syllabus, what falls under it, and where to find the papers that examine it. Topical Solved is the paid product that does the collecting for you — this topic's past-paper questions pulled together with a teacher-verified, step-by-step worked solution for each one, so you can see exactly how the marks are earned.
Is the markscheme included?
Yes, in the free History past-paper archive this page links to: every session there carries its official markscheme alongside the question paper, free to open, so you can attempt a question and mark your own answer.
How up to date is the History archive?
New IB History sessions are added to the free past-paper archive as they are released, and this topic map is rebuilt against the official 2026 syllabus so its numbering matches the specification being sat — not a retired version of it.