The rise in popularity of the IB for independent schools in the UK continues apace. Below is a top 10 list for IB results in the UK:
It is worth noting that out of all these schools, only Sevenoaks exclusively does the IB. Nevertheless, more and more schools are giving students the option of sitting the IB. Luckily, we have a number of trained IB teachers here at Clarendon Tutors, so you are in safe hands.
For parents unfamiliar with the IB model, we sat down with Anna, Constantine and Nick to talk about what students could be doing over Easter.
English IB
Anna was Head of English for four years at a leading international school in Brazil, where she implemented the IB curriculum.
What should a student be doing over the Easter holidays to help prepare for English IB?
Whilst content is critical, students should remember that they are being assessed on four different elements of the criteria, and how well you know a text only affects two of these.
This is not to say students should not ensure they have a good recall of key thematic ideas, but at this point in the year a skills-based approach is the most effective means to prepare. I would encourage students to complete as many practice papers as possible under timed conditions. This will improve exam technique and build up their writing resilience; this is even more critical now most students are used to typing notes during lessons. Students should also remember that most teachers and tutors will be encouraging their efforts, and therefore asking them to mark and provide feedback on practice papers is often very welcome.
What are the key differences between HL and SL?
The skills students are being assessed on for HL and SL are the same: argument, analysis, structure and language. The key difference is the amount of content students will be assessed on e.g. HL students study considerably more texts for Paper 2. Additionally HL students should remember that for Language and Literature they must comment on BOTH texts for unseen Paper 1, whilst SL students have a choice between the two.
What are some of the common mistakes that students tend to make in the English IB?
The most common misconception students have is that they do not need to prepare for Paper 1. This opinion is held because the passages they are asked to comment on are unseen, and therefore students can not revise key quotes or themes. This is not the case. Students should revise steps for how to approach an unseen passage, review the different types of device and text types they will need to identify, and most importantly complete practice papers and engage in the mark scheme.
Students should also remember that Criteria D (Language) makes up 25% of their grade. Therefore leaving enough time at the end of a paper to proofread for technical accuracy is vital for success.
What should students who want a 7 be doing?
When a student reaches the level 7 criteria on the mark scheme they are achieving, what IB call, a “perceptive”, “convincing” and “insightful” argument.
In order to do this students should focus their arguments around authorial intent. For both Paper 1 and Paper 2 students must consider the impact the author wants to have on their audience. They should weave thoughtful analysis into their response to underpin their argument, exploring how the writer achieves this through their language and structural choices. To ensure it is “convincing” they must be making “thoughtful” links across the essay and back to the writer’s intended purpose.
Maths IB
Constantine was Head of Maths at a leading international school in Brazil, which ran the IB.
What should a student be doing over the Easter holidays to help prepare for Maths IB?
Focus your revision: Start by identifying areas for improvement by reviewing past exam results. This helps you target specific topics you need to work on.
Practise strategically: Use exam questions from Revision Village, SaveMyExams, or your textbook to practise those identified topics.
Test and refine: After covering these areas, attempt another past paper and repeat the process. This continuous practice based on performance ensures effective revision.
What are the key differences between HL and SL?
HL covers more: HL Maths includes everything in SL, plus additional challenging topics.
Time commitment: It takes significantly longer to cover HL material. Expect 240 hours of teaching time compared to 150 hours for SL.
Assessment structure: SL exams consist of two papers, while HL exams have three.
What are the common mistakes that students make on Maths IB?
Understanding the question: Many students struggle to grasp what an exam question truly asks.
Time management: The exam can be time-consuming. Practise answering past papers under timed conditions to improve your speed and efficiency.
What should students who want a 7 be doing consistently?
Aim high: Strive to consistently score around 75-80% in past paper assessments.
Target weaknesses: If your score falls below 75%, identify areas where you make mistakes and focus on targeted practice before attempting more papers.
Explore resources: Utilise resources like practice papers from SaveMyExams, mock exams from Revision Village, and prediction papers to further hone your skills.
Remember: With dedicated practice and a strategic approach, achieving a 7 in IB Maths is definitely within your reach!
Science IB
Nick has been a Head of Biology and Physics, and also teaches the ESS.
What should a student be doing over the Easter holidays to help prepare for Biology IB?
For DP2 students, your external exams are just around the corner, and with your IA’s and EE’s out of the way you have the one thing that most IB students don’t have…….TIME!
Use this golden opportunity to revise and understand by practising past papers, asking lots of questions of your teachers, and setting a study schedule for yourself.
What are the key differences between HL and SL?
The key difference between the HL and the SL is the amount of content. The HL course gives you the privilege to learn topics that are not in the SL, such as ‘Viruses’, ‘Muscles and Motility’, ‘Chemical Signalling’ and ‘Gene Expression’ to name a few. HL students will also learn some of the SL topics in more detail. And of course, the HL exams are a little bit longer than the SL.
What are the common mistakes that students make in Biology (Science) IB?
Many students don’t do the simplest thing well, and that is to read the question thoroughly. For MCQs, many times, the answer may lay in the question itself or give you a big hint. I say let the exam give you the answer! Another common mistake for longer response questions is to misunderstand command terms.
The most commonly misunderstood command terms are ‘outline and explain’, ‘describe’ and ‘distinguish’. When confronted with outline or explain, the IB is only looking for 4 different types of answers. These are ‘How’, ‘Example’, ‘Result’ and a ‘Definition’, or you can remember this by using the acronym ‘HERD’. When you need to ‘describe’, you need to describe the process to someone who has no idea how it works or looks like. It is just like describing the appearance of a suspect to a sketch artist as you will give lots of detail. And to ‘distinguish’ well between two processes or structures, you need to pick a feature and then say what are the differences between that feature. For example, ‘How to distinguish between Ironman and Captain America?’ You simply pick a feature such as clothing, and tell the differences between their clothes. Captain America has a large star on his chest and Ironman wears an iron suit. It’s that easy!
What should students who want a 7 be doing consistently?
The famous physicist Richard Feynman said, “If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t understand it”. To achieve consistent 7’s, it is important to practice explaining concepts and processes. Why not practice explaining what you learnt to your parents or a family member? This will help you to understand how the process works, and it will teach you how to write your answers in an exam.
Writing your short and long response answers doesn’t require the highest level of detail all of the time. It often requires you to be able to explain the basic information and the more detailed information. To help with this I recommend you revise using past papers as they explain the basics and the detailed information. And one other thing you need to do is to love what you learn! IB Biology is a large course whether it is SL or HL, and there is no way you will learn all of it if you don’t like it. Use your imagination and apply what you learn to the world around you. If you see a flower bending towards the light, let it remind you how phototropism works. The next time you see a drop of water holding itself together, let it remind you that water is polar. Let your imagination work for you and you will see yourself improving your results, and consistently scoring those cherished 7s!
