Career upgrade: Learn practical AI skills for better jobs and higher pay.
Level up
PracticeVideosBlogFlashcardsEspañol
All Practice Exams

100+ Free Cambridge IAL History Practice Questions

Pass your Cambridge International A-Level History (9389) exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

✓ No registration✓ No credit card✓ No hidden fees✓ Start practicing immediately
100+ Questions
100% Free
1 / 100
Question 1
Score: 0/0

Under Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles (1919), Germany was required to:

A
B
C
D
to track
Same family resources

Explore More Cambridge International AS & A Level

Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.

Cambridge International A-Level Biology

Practice Questions

Cambridge International A-Level Business

Practice Questions

Cambridge International A-Level Chemistry

Practice Questions

Cambridge International A-Level Computer Science

Practice Questions

Cambridge International A-Level Economics

Practice Questions

Cambridge International A-Level English Language

Practice Questions
2026 Statistics

Key Facts: Cambridge IAL History Exam

9389

Cambridge syllabus code

CAIE

4 papers

Full A-Level assessment (2 AS + 2 A2)

CAIE 9389 syllabus

A*-E

Grading scale

CAIE

100

Free practice questions here

OpenExamPrep

Cambridge IAL History (9389) is a modular pre-university qualification covering Modern European, American, International, and World History from 1789 to 2000. Students sit 4 papers (2 AS + 2 A-Level), assessed through source analysis and extended essays, graded A*-E in the May/June and October/November exam series.

Sample Cambridge IAL History Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your Cambridge IAL History exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1What was the Ancien Régime in pre-revolutionary France?
A.The hierarchical social and political system of estates that governed France before 1789
B.The constitutional monarchy established after the Revolution
C.The dictatorship of Napoleon Bonaparte
D.The system of communes during the Reign of Terror
Explanation: The Ancien Régime referred to the social, political, and religious order in France before the Revolution of 1789. It divided society into three estates: the clergy (First Estate), nobility (Second Estate), and commoners (Third Estate), with the first two enjoying tax privileges. Its inequalities contributed directly to revolutionary grievances.
2Why did Louis XVI summon the Estates General in May 1789?
A.To resolve a severe financial crisis caused by debt, war costs, and tax-exempt privileged estates
B.To declare war on Austria and Prussia
C.To abolish feudalism and write a constitution
D.To respond to the storming of the Bastille
Explanation: By 1789 the French monarchy was bankrupt: deficits from American Revolutionary War aid, court spending, and the inability to tax the First and Second Estates left no fiscal solution. Louis XVI summoned the Estates General (first since 1614) to authorise new taxation. The meeting opened at Versailles on 5 May 1789.
3What happened on 14 July 1789 in Paris?
A.A Parisian crowd stormed the Bastille fortress, seeking gunpowder and freeing prisoners
B.Louis XVI was executed by guillotine
C.The Estates General first met at Versailles
D.The Tennis Court Oath was sworn by the Third Estate
Explanation: On 14 July 1789, a Parisian crowd attacked the Bastille — a royal fortress and prison symbolising arbitrary monarchy — in search of weapons and gunpowder. The fall of the Bastille became the iconic moment of the French Revolution and is celebrated as France's national day. Only seven prisoners were freed, but the symbolism was immense.
4Which document, adopted in August 1789, proclaimed natural rights such as liberty, property, and resistance to oppression?
A.The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
B.The Civil Constitution of the Clergy
C.The Napoleonic Code
D.The Constitution of 1791
Explanation: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was adopted by the National Constituent Assembly on 26 August 1789. Inspired by Enlightenment thought and the American Declaration of Independence, it asserted that men were born free and equal in rights, and listed natural rights including liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.
5What occurred during the women's march on Versailles in October 1789?
A.Market women marched to Versailles and forced the royal family to relocate to Paris
B.Women demanded the vote and equal civic rights
C.Women stormed the Bastille for a second time
D.Women petitioned for the abolition of slavery in the colonies
Explanation: On 5-6 October 1789, thousands of Parisian women — many market traders — marched on Versailles, angered by bread shortages and rumours of royal indifference. They invaded the palace and compelled Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and the National Assembly to move to the Tuileries Palace in Paris, placing the monarchy under popular surveillance.
6What was the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790)?
A.A law subordinating the Catholic Church in France to the state and requiring clergy to swear an oath of loyalty
B.A papal decree banning revolutionary activity
C.A declaration separating Church and state entirely
D.An agreement between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII
Explanation: The Civil Constitution of the Clergy, passed in July 1790, made the French Catholic Church a department of state. Bishops and priests were elected by citizens and paid by the government; all clergy had to swear an oath to the constitution. The oath split the clergy into 'jurors' and 'non-jurors' and alienated devout Catholics from the Revolution.
7What was the significance of the flight to Varennes (June 1791)?
A.Louis XVI's failed escape attempt destroyed public trust in the monarchy and accelerated republican demands
B.It marked Napoleon's first military victory
C.It triggered France's declaration of war on Austria
D.It led directly to the storming of the Bastille
Explanation: In June 1791 Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette tried to flee France in disguise, hoping to reach loyalist troops near the border and reverse the Revolution. They were recognised and arrested at Varennes. The episode shattered the fiction of a 'patriot king' and pushed many revolutionaries toward republicanism, undermining the constitutional monarchy.
8When was the French monarchy formally abolished and the First Republic proclaimed?
A.September 1792
B.July 1789
C.January 1793
D.November 1799
Explanation: The newly elected National Convention met on 20 September 1792 and on 21 September it abolished the monarchy, proclaiming the First French Republic the following day. Louis XVI had been suspended after the fall of the Tuileries on 10 August 1792. The Republic dated its calendar from Year I beginning in September 1792.
9On what date was Louis XVI executed?
A.21 January 1793
B.14 July 1789
C.10 August 1792
D.16 October 1793
Explanation: After being convicted of treason by the National Convention, Louis XVI was guillotined in the Place de la Révolution (now Place de la Concorde) on 21 January 1793. The execution shocked Europe and helped to trigger the formation of the First Coalition against revolutionary France.
10Which body, dominated by Robespierre from September 1793 to July 1794, drove the Reign of Terror?
A.The Committee of Public Safety
B.The Directory
C.The Council of Five Hundred
D.The Estates General
Explanation: The Committee of Public Safety, set up by the National Convention in April 1793, became the de facto executive of revolutionary France during the Terror. Under the influence of Maximilien Robespierre from summer 1793 until his fall on 9 Thermidor (27 July 1794), it directed military mobilisation, economic controls, and mass political repression.

About the Cambridge IAL History Exam

Cambridge International A-Level History (syllabus 9389) is a modular qualification offered by Cambridge Assessment International Education. AS candidates sit P1 Document Question and P2 Outline Study. Full A-Level candidates add P3 Interpretations Question and P4 Depth Study. The syllabus covers Modern European History 1789-1989, USA History 1820-1972, International History 1871-1991, and Modern World History 1900-2000.

Questions

100 scored questions

Time Limit

1 hour (P1, P3); 1 hour 30 minutes (P2, P4); roughly 5 hours total across 4 papers

Passing Score

Grade E is the minimum pass; A*-E count as passing grades on the A-Level certificate

Exam Fee

Set by exam centre; typical international entry fees £85-£130 per paper (Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE))

Cambridge IAL History Exam Content Outline

20%

European History 1789-1814: French Revolution and Napoleon

Ancien Régime, financial crisis, Estates General, Bastille, Declaration of Rights of Man, Reign of Terror, Directory, Napoleon's coup, Consulate and Empire, military campaigns, Continental System, Napoleonic Code, Waterloo

20%

European History 1815-1919: Unification of Germany and Italy

Congress of Vienna, 1848 revolutions, Italian unification (Mazzini, Cavour, Garibaldi), German unification (Zollverein, Bismarck, wars of unification), Kaiser Wilhelm II and Weltpolitik, alliances, road to WWI, Treaty of Versailles

20%

International History 1945-1991: The Cold War

Origins (Yalta/Potsdam), Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, Berlin Blockade, NATO, Korean War, Hungarian Uprising, Berlin Wall, Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, détente, Helsinki Accords, Afghanistan, Reagan, Gorbachev, fall of the USSR

25%

American History 1820-1972

Sectional crisis (Missouri Compromise, Kansas-Nebraska, Dred Scott), Civil War, Reconstruction, Gilded Age, Progressive Era, 1920s, Great Depression and New Deal, WWII, Truman, Civil Rights Movement, Watergate

10%

International History: League of Nations 1919-1946

Wilson's Fourteen Points, Covenant, structure (Assembly/Council/Secretariat/PCIJ/ILO), successes (Aaland, Upper Silesia, Bulgaria-Greece, refugees), failures (Corfu, Manchuria, Abyssinia), collapse, transition to United Nations

5%

Historical Skills

Source analysis (provenance, content, perspective, cross-referencing), historiographic interpretations, essay structure (argument, evidence, counter-argument, conclusion), integrating context with evidence

How to Pass the Cambridge IAL History Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: Grade E is the minimum pass; A*-E count as passing grades on the A-Level certificate
  • Exam length: 100 questions
  • Time limit: 1 hour (P1, P3); 1 hour 30 minutes (P2, P4); roughly 5 hours total across 4 papers
  • Exam fee: Set by exam centre; typical international entry fees £85-£130 per paper

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

Cambridge IAL History Study Tips from Top Performers

1Practise past papers from the official 9389 archive — document-question wording and mark schemes follow the same pattern year on year
2For P1/P3, always evaluate sources by provenance (author, date, audience, purpose), content, and perspective — not just summarise
3For P2/P4 essays, structure responses with a clear argument in the introduction, supporting evidence in body paragraphs, counter-arguments, and a substantiated conclusion
4Memorise key dates, treaties, and statistics — examiners reward specific factual evidence over generalisations

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Cambridge International A-Level History (9389)?

9389 is the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE) syllabus for AS and A-Level History. It is a modular qualification: AS students sit P1 Document Question and P2 Outline Study; full A-Level students add P3 Interpretations Question and P4 Depth Study.

Which topics does 9389 cover?

9389 covers Modern European History 1789-1989, USA History 1820-1972, International History 1871-1991 (including the Cold War), and Modern World History 1900-2000. Schools choose one topic cluster per paper from the syllabus options.

When are 9389 exams taken?

Cambridge IAL History exams are sat in the May/June and October/November series. A March series is also offered in India. Candidates can split AS and A2 across sessions to fit their school's two-year programme.

How is Cambridge IAL History assessed?

P1 and P3 are 1-hour source-based papers (40 marks each). P2 and P4 are 1.5-hour essay papers (60 marks each, two essays from a chosen topic). All assessment is by written exam — there is no coursework component on 9389.