This is an HL-only Paper 3 regional option. Paper 3 is the depth-study essay paper: from 18 sections in your region you study three in detail.
Here we cover how Paper 3 works and the sweep of the Africa and the Middle East option — the scramble for Africa, apartheid, Nasser’s Egypt and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Collect ⭐ stars, then press Start.
Paper 3 is sat by HL only. It lasts 2 hours 30 minutes, and you answer three essays, each marked out of 15 (total 45). It demands greater depth than Paper 2 — detailed knowledge of specific times and places.
The Africa and the Middle East option is divided into 18 sections spanning from the early medieval period to c. 2005. Your class selects three for depth study — you then answer three essays in the exam.
The Berlin Conference (1884-1885) set rules for the European partition of Africa. By 1914 almost the whole continent was under European control, transforming economies, borders and societies and sowing later conflicts.
South Africa’s system of racial segregation, apartheid, was entrenched from 1948. Resistance grew after the Sharpeville massacre (21 March 1960); Nelson Mandela was imprisoned in 1964. Apartheid ended when Mandela was elected president in 1994.
Sort each topic under its area within the option.
Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal, provoking the Suez Crisis (1956), and pursued Arab nationalism and modernisation, including the Aswan High Dam (built 1960-1970). Egypt became a leading regional power.
Tap an item on the left, then its match on the right.
The State of Israel was created in 1948, followed by successive wars including the Six-Day War (1967). The conflict over land, refugees and statehood remains central to the region’s modern history.
Paper 3 rewards precise, detailed knowledge: exact events, figures and dates, and the ability to weigh causes and consequences in one place. Superficial coverage that would pass Paper 2 will not score at HL depth.
Tap the events in sequence, earliest first.
Read the command term, plan a thesis and three or four analytical points, and support each with specific, dated evidence and, where possible, historiography. Reach a clear, evidence-based judgement. Budget about 50 minutes per essay.
Paper 3: HL only; 2h30; three 15-mark depth essays
Option: 18 sections across Africa and the Middle East; choose three
Africa: scramble (1884-85 Berlin Conference); apartheid (1948-1994)
Middle East: creation of Israel (1948); Six-Day War (1967); Nasser and Suez (1956)
Depth skill: precise dated evidence and historiography, not general coverage
You now know how Paper 3 works and the shape of the Africa and Middle East option. Press Finish to see your score.
You’ve worked through HL Option: Africa & the Middle East for IB Diploma History HL. 🎉
Your stars: 0 / 0
Next: test yourself in the Evaluate stage, then lock it in with Verify.