45 Tips from 45-Point Scorers: Part 1

All IB students dream of getting those 45 points. But, how? Are all 45 scorers robots? Do they go outside? In this part of the blog, we’ve contacted a couple of our incredible Lanterna tutors who all achieved the amazing top score! Over the next two weeks we’re going to reveal 45 tips from these 45-point scorers that you can incorporate into your lives to boost your diploma score!

Tutor 1: Emily – University of Cambridge Graduate / English, Economics and ESS Tutor

#1 Know the criteria for your IAs – don’t hand in an internal assessment unless it’s as good as it can be!

#2 Treat your mocks as if they were your finals! The effort will pay off.

#3 Don’t make your exams your life – balance is key!

Tutor 2: Anna – University of Bristol Student / Biology and TOK Tutor

#4 Do as many past papers as you can and mark them yourself using the mark schemes. Often similar questions come up!

#5 Stay active! I was the fittest I’ve ever been during my IB exams because exercise was a great way to wind down and get rid of stress

#6 Don’t aim for a particular grade, just try to focus on doing your absolute best. Don’t get bogged down in grade boundaries, just focus on what you need to do to get as many marks as you can!

Tutor 3: Cecilia – University of Oxford Student / Biology and TOK Tutor

#7 Know the markschemes for past papers inside out. Write them out, use them as your notes, and practice the questions before comparing your answers to the markscheme.

#8 Organise your time effectively. Don’t spend hours re-writing things you already know. If it’s easy, then you probably already know it. Spend more time on subjects you dislike and don’t take the easy options when revising!

#9 Don’t skip over the stuff you got wrong. When you get a test or practice test back, go through the mistakes and make sure you know what you did wrong!

Tutor 4: Sofia – University of Cambridge Graduate / Chemistry, Physics and Maths Tutor

#10 Tailor your revision! One of the biggest mistakes people can make when revising is applying the same strategy across subjects!

#11 Start working early and be consistent: it’s very tempting to leave all the work until second year, but as cliché as it sounds, consistency is key

#12 Don’t underestimate the importance of coursework: whilst exam performance can be hugely influenced by stress, illness or other unavoidable issues that emerge on the day, coursework acts as an opportunity to get some marks in the bag

Tutor 5: Zixuan – University of Oslo Student / Chemistry, Physics, Economics and Maths Tutor

#13 Make sure to take notes according to the syllabus

#14 Past papers and mark schemes are your best friend! Use these in combination with your notes!

#15 Switch up your working environment – it will trick your brain into thinking you’re doing something fun! E.g. try a café, a friend’s house, a library etc. I even went on a trip with my friend to London right before the exams

Tutor 6: Rachael – King’s College London Student / Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Maths Tutor

#16 Studying with friends can be an amazing way of understanding new information

#17 Take breaks doing something you love that clears your mind, bonus if it keeps you super fit

#18 Choose subjects you love – this will shine through in your work!

#19 An hour more sleep is often more valuable than an hour of late night studying

Tutor 7: Erlend – University of Manchester Student / Physics and Maths Tutor

#20 Use online resources! There are so many amazing videos and websites for IB students!

#21 Get a wall planner! Stay motivated by seeing what you’re working towards.

#22 Find true motivation. Is it impressing your teachers, making your parents proud or going to university that makes you work? Find this information and let it push you on!

#23 Find out all the info about your exams! How much time, which questions etc. Failing to know this can really cost you!