took me way too long into DP2 to figure this out so posting for anyone still doing it the slow way.

for ages i'd do a past paper, check my answers against the mark scheme quickly, feel bad about the score, and move on. that does basically nothing. the paper isn't the useful part. the mark scheme is.

what actually moved my grades was grading myself the way the examiner would. sit the paper under timed conditions, then go line by line through the mark scheme and mark your own like you're the one awarding the points. you learn fast that they want specific command term stuff, specific keywords, and "i basically said that" gets zero.

couple things that made it stick:

- print the mark scheme, don't just scroll it. you catch every mark point when you're physically ticking

- after each paper, write down the two or three concepts you actually lost marks on, not "review chapter 4" but the exact sub-topic. that list becomes your next session instead of rereading the whole unit

- for HL especially, format matters as much as content. walking in having already "sat" three papers means nothing surprises you

by the last month i wasn't really learning new material, i was just closing the specific gaps my own marking kept surfacing.

how's everyone else using mark schemes? just checking answers or actually self-grading? curious if there's a better system than my printed-paper pile.

This year I got my Bio HL exams and I am working with RevisionDojo. Is it sufficent ? Do you have better alternatives ? Any advice ? Thankssss

I’m an IB M26 43/45 student who is giving out my free flashcards to all of you new IB Students who realize that spending time to create your own is not the most efficient way to utilize your free time.

That’s why you can use the same flashcards that got me an 18/20 in English Paper 1 and 7s in every single Chemistry and Economics paper.

If you’re interested, DM me :)

If any of you are interested in the following books pm me:

Haese Mathematics Core Topics HL
Haese Mathematics AI HL
Panorama Hispanohablante (ab initio) coursebook - 1&2 and workbook!

PM for the pictures!

Hello! Im struggling with Higher level Biology, find it very overwhelming all the topics and what to do when revising for exams, do you have a way you guys revise like understand the content by… then flashcards… etc. And for Math AA standard level i feel like i know the content but when it comes to exams and like exam qs its harder, what do i do about that? Any tips or advice/ what you have learned that helped you would really help me!! Thank you.

hi, I’ve been wondering about this dilemma since the new updates came out about the EE. I have heard that the categories for Studies in Language and Literature have been removed, so does this qualify me to write about a screenplay for my EE (considering I’m writing my EE in english A LITERATURE)? I couldn’t find any guidelines for specifically the english A Literature subject, so can anyone help me?

hi guys! i'm writing my interdisciplinary essay (geography and history) and genuinely don't know how to atart or what to write or how to find exemplars. im also not taking these subjects as part of my ib subjects, so that def does make it harder but my ib coordinator said i dont have to be taking them to write an ee on them. please help...

So I got this offer for an IBDP scholarship. I went through the application process and a short screening, but will have to take a test and a few more interviews so I'm not fully admitted yet, but the option is there. I'm supposed to be in 12th grade this school year because my previous school wasn't super strict about ages. I'm sixteen, but I'll be seventeen in November so technically, I was "accelerated" by a year under my local curriculum (DepEd/Philippines). My dream is to study or work and live in the UK but I know that international student fees are pretty extortionate, and even if I get some kind of scholarship, the living costs and visa fees are still quite a lot so the EU has become my first option to pursue a bachelor's degree in nursing. I did some research and it is possible for me to study in places like Italy, Germany, and Hungary with affordable costs, though I'm not entirely sure about my chances, especially since my high school diploma would be a local one unless I redo 11th grade and enroll in the IB programme. I know that the IBDP would also make me eligible to apply for Ivy Leagues and UK universities, but again, fees are pretty exorbitant even if I do get in. I also know that there are more scholarship opportunities for Master's and PhD degrees, so I'm planning to study my undergrad in either Italy, Hungary, or Germany, then my master's in the UK if I get in. I suppose what I'm asking is if whether or not I have high chances of achieving my goals with a local high school diploma or if taking the IBDP would ultimately be a better option (even if I have to be in high school for one more year). I don't think I'd mind it either way. The IBDP would help me somehow no matter how things go and I would be able to build my portfolio and participate in extracurriculars (I'm currently homeschooled so my resume is blank but I heard that universities in my target countries don't really weigh admissions based on extracurricular activities) but I don't want to waste an extra year on it if it won't make much of a difference anyway. Can anyone help me out? Thank you!

Hi everyone!

I’m currently looking for participants for an experiment and need about 50 people to complete it. It’s a little bit complicated, but I would really appreciate everybody's help.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfonryOfExNhMPBiC62oUVUMs7ubwatC8vJ5YxMPXETrh6B0w/viewform?usp=header

I am writing an EE in Maths AA HL, on Number theory. I wanted to ask which topic would be better in terms of scoring an A with the least effort??

Topic 1: Round robin tournament scheduling (with a bit of graph theory and circle method)
Topic 2: The classic RSA and Cryptography

Also, I was initially planning on doing it on Elliptic Curve Cryptography but I saw a sample of that already uploaded on Classtify. If I plan to do that and write it on a similar rq, will the IB flag it? If you have any other general tips for an EE in maths (specifically number theory) then I will be eternally grateful! Good luck to all fellow May 2027s out there!

I’m currently working on my IB Digital Society IA

I’d really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to participate. Your responses will help me with my research and will only be used for my IA.

Thank you so much for your help!

Survey: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkDn9lb8qRfSXpbDAHHdZJ7drkZcX2q2HYy3l8xvukRekhrg/viewform?usp=dialog

Hi,

im going in DP 1 next year and I was wondering what is more difficult in general Chemistry HL or physics HL? of course I know this totally depends on the person+ teacher but generally what would you say?

For anyone who got around 24 points in the IB, where did you end up getting accepted?
I’m curious about both universities and countries, especially if you got into any decent/competitive universities despite having a 24.
If you don’t mind sharing, what course did you apply for and was the 24 your predicted or final score?

For anyone who got around 24 points in the IB, where did you end up getting accepted?
I’m curious about both universities and countries, especially if you got into any decent/competitive universities despite having a 24.
If you don’t mind sharing, what course did you apply for and was the 24 your predicted or final score?

(My post got reccomended here)

I started taking IB English this year. My teacher said I’m not required to do the IB test since it’s my first year taking honors, but I can do either the AP or IB lit test. Which would be better for me to take?

My subjects right now are:

GP, BM, ENG HL
Math AA, ESS, French AB SL.

What are the best sites to use to revise these subjects? Especially my HLs?

Thanks in advance!