Here it is – part 2 of how to get 45 in IB from those that did it!
Tutor 8: Laura – University of Bath & Harvard University / Biology and Psychology Tutor
#24 Believe in yourself! How long did you believe in Santa for? You can believe in your self for a few months!
#25 Have a clock nearby! Make sure you know how long you’re working and take regular breaks. There are diminishing returns to studying for long periods continuously!
#26 Don’t split off ‘time’ to do work, split off ‘tasks’! Avoid falling into the habit of sitting infron of some French for an hour thinking that you’ve made any progress!
#27 Know everything about your exam logistics! Know the questions to answer and how many marks each are work. Make sure you keep your eyes on the time.
Tutor 9: Ed – University of Oxford PhD Student / Biology, Geography and TOK Tutor
#28 Be organised! It will make your life so much easier. Unsure what that means? Check out our blog on…
#29 Ask questions! If you don’t understand something at the time, press your teachers until you do. Ask for extra help and don’t stop until you understand. Try to understand as much as you can as you go along. Asking for help will drive success.
#30 Keep your eyes on the prize! Know what you’re working towards and keep that in your mind at all times! Staying driven can really help you push for that 45 in IB.
Missed part 1? Find more tips on how to score high in the IB here!
Tutor 10: Ellen – University of Oxford Graduate / English and History Tutor
#31 Experiment with your learning styles! Try out mindmaps, podcasts and other wild techniques – sometimes the stranger strategies help information stick better!
#32 Keep your desk tidy! Make it a nice experience to sit down and study – it has a bigger psychological effect than you might think!
#33 Try out Forest! It’s this super cool app that rewards you with virtual trees for staying off those apps we spend too much time on!
#34 If your laptop is driving distraction, check out self control. This is a downloadable program that can ‘blacklist’ all of those websites that you find yourself clicking on when procrastinating!
#35 Track your sleep! There are so many great apps that can help us check how we sleep. Ensuring we get good quality rest is so important for your IB journey!
#36 Keep your notes in order! This will save so much unnecessary effort when it’s time to get down and revise!
Tutor 11: Jocelyn – University of Toronto Student / Biology, Chemistry and Psychology Tutor
#37 Find a planner that works for you! Having a place to keep track of my to do list helped me keep a clear head when deadlines and revision started to pile up. There are tons of planners out there, whether they be apps or paper journals, and not all of them will have what you need.
#38 Study guides! The Oxford IB study guides were a game changer, particularly for my Group 4 courses. I would describe the study guides as distilled textbooks. They explain concepts in a wonderfully simple and compact way which make them great to learn and revise from.
#39 Have fun with your Language B! When learning a new language, I would always default to drilling flash cards or writing out vocabulary lists which, while they may work, take some resolve to get though. One of the best things I did was to gather up some of my French speaking friends and have regular conversations with them in the language. I learned without realizing it and dramatically improved my fluency and confidence.
#40 The above goes for other subjects! Try stuff out – you have the time to figure out what works for you! Getting 45 in IB doesn’t happen by using the same techniques!
Tutor 12: Olivia – University of Oxford Student / English and History Tutor
#41 Stay on top of your coursework deadlines! Start working on them early so you aren’t left having to do 5 IAs in one week!!
#42 Read the mark schemes of past papers when making your notes- particularly for Science subjects. Often they set out the key points you will want to remember! The key is to know what the examiners are going to be looking for in your answers.
#43 Look into what things are internally vs externally moderated so you know when to get help from your teachers!
#44 Pick a subject for the EE which you are genuinely interested in! It will be come obvious very quickly if you are faking interest and won’t impress the examiners!
#45 The best way to cram the IB course content into your memory is through active recall- test yourself, go through flash cards, try and explain a concept to your friends who don’t do the subject… there’s loads of ways to do this so find one that works for you!
And there we have it! 45 tips from those elite graduates that managed to get 45 in IB! Fancy one of them as your personal tutor? Check out our online tuition service…
