the lanterna blog
Below you will find in-depth reports, thought pieces on modern education, as well as hundreds of tips on how to excel at the IB.
How to Prepare for the IB Maths Exams
The IB maths exams are intense. They are 3 to 5 hours of intense focus, confusion and tears. This year (2023), they start May 8th, which is about a month away at the time of writing. Yikes! This post is divided into the first parts. In the first half, I’ll share some tips and tricks…
EE Research Question: 5 Tips to get an A
Do you struggle with figuring out your EE research question? It is the backbone of your essay, after all. This one question will dictate everything else you will write. So, there is a lot of pressure to get it right! Like most other IB students, I struggled to articulate my research question. Finding the right…
Planning for exams: 5 common mistakes students make
An anonymous guest author wrote this post… Do you need some expert advice to help in the planning of your exam revision? Experience is one of the best teachers, but the rules don’t say you have to experience something to learn from it! Learning from other students’ mistakes is still extremely valuable. Understanding others’ failures…
Finding a Good Research Question for the History IA
Written by Jay Ayliffe, history tutor at Lanterna and author of Lanterna’s History IA GuideThe History Internal Assessment requires students to investigate a historical topic of their choice. This means you could write about potentially anything, as long as it’s not about an event from the last ten years. This gives you an incredible scope…
Study-Life Balance in the IB | An Honest Guide
There are many clichés when it comes to study-life balance. I imagine no one reading this would be surprised if I told them that to have a healthy study-life balance in the IB, they should limit screen time, sleep well and do 100 push-ups daily. This is all true, of course, but radical lifestyle changes…
5 Free Apps for Exam Revision
As much as teachers and parents like to tell you to stay away from your screens, particularly your phone, we mustn’t forget that they can be powerful revision tools. Making the most out of your electronic study buddies can be the difference between barely passing and comfortably cruising through the exams. Okay, I have yet…
4 Bio IA Tips to Get Started
This blog post about the bio IA is written by Asha, a prolific Lanterna tutor whom you might recognise from an earlier post, where I interviewed her on how she got 45 points! She is currently studying biochemistry at UCL. I remember thinking that completing and submitting my Internal Assessments and Extended Essay would be…
My Mocks Were Rough, What Now?
It’s tempting to mope and sulk about how the mocks went. However, some might be thinking: “how do I learn from my mocks?” Well, that’s a good question to ask! Mocks do serve a real purpose beyond inducing PMSD (post-mock stress disorder). You have a unique opportunity for growth in addition to having neologism as…
The Beginners Guide to the IB Program
The International Baccalaureate (IB) is an exciting program for students to be apart of. Here’s a guide to everything you need to know about the course and exactly to expect. What is the IB program? The International Baccalaureate is a program that forms part of secondary school studies. It can feel daunting to beginners, as…
The Ultimate Guide to Passing the IGCSE Test
High school students at Lanterna studying the IGCSE program are required to pass a test in order to attain their qualification. In this article, we’ll be guiding you through everything you need to know about the test to ensure you pass it well. What is the International General Certificate? The International General Certificate of Secondary…
