Let us first understand the IB (International Baccalaureate) education system structure. This system offers four different programs at different levels for students between the ages of 3 and 19 years.
The Primary Years Program (PYP) includes the following subjects:
The IB MYP is a 5-year program and requires a teaching of at least 50 hours/year for each of the following eight subjects covered during the program.
Students in the DP program choose one subject from each of the six ‘Subject Groups’ listed below:
Additionally, all DP students must complete a two-year Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course, work on an Extended Essay (EE), and participate in Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS).
The IB Diploma examinations are demanding and stressful, intense, and challenging. Owing to the difficulty of the program, the drop out rate is as high as 50% though it varies from school to school. Furthermore, some students drop out from the first year of the IB Diploma program and opt for the standard secondary diploma instead.
In spite of the alarming number in dropouts, the statistics for the recent years have been overwhelming. According to the statistics recorded, 87,307 took the IB Diploma examinations in May 2021 as against 86,657 in May 2020 and the students achieving scores between 40-45 is 15,513, up from 9701 as in May 2020.
The Diploma pass rate is 88.96% up from 85.18% in May 2020.
So, the statistics clearly show that the score of 45 is definitely achievable, provided a proper process and study style coupled with focus, hard work and determination is in place and is sincerely implemented.
Let us explore the fundamentals needed to achieve the perfect score of 45 in the IB Diploma examinations.
Each subject has a syllabus, and you will get to access this from your school at the beginning of the term and to the relevant books. Use the syllabus to understand how much theory you have to study and how you get graded in the examinations. Once you are aware of the basic principles, you are in a better position to approach the exams. This ensures that you adopt to a study style comfortable to you. Each one has a unique study style. Some of us are visual learners and understand better through maps, presentations and other visually preceptive methods. Others are auditory leaners who find comfortable in learning through lectures, or a podcast. Identifying your study style help in keeping up with subject syllabus.
A routine schedule for study is extremely important and the benefits are overwhelming indeed.
Of course, the timetable should tailor to suit your body clock, like considering – time needed for easier and challenging subjects, whether you are an early morning or a late-night person. Of course, do not forget to include some small breaks in the schedule as well.
The best way to ensure success is by becoming a proactive student. Being proactive student means
As soon as the school year starts, you need to make sure that you are not lagging behind in terms of your syllabus. Make sure you are on top of the game.
The holiday break in between the year 1 and the year 2 of the Diploma course can be utilized effectively to catch up on everything that you learned in the year 1 by revising everything and look ahead to see which topics you will be covering in the upcoming months. This is the best time to deduce which subjects you score best in and which ones you need improvement on and organize accordingly. This in turn would enable to allocate the time properly for each subject. Early preparation is always rewarding as it reduces the stress and anxiety, and you are not running around in the last moment to fix your grades.
These few steps will help you stay ahead in class and learn the new content on time
It is very important to make use of time maximum for the study, yet to take breaks is equally important especially during the examinations. It will ensure that you stay calm and increase your productivity in the long run. Either visiting a friend or going for a walk are sure stress busters.
While you are in the Diploma program year 1, you would have already been well informed about the Theory of Knowledge assessments. The TOK assessments are important – if you do them well, you earn a 3 ‘bonus points’. Apart from the bonus points, you are enhancing your critical thinking skills. Plus, what you write in your EE, you get a first-hand experience of writing a full, decent academic paper. And you can attach that to your university applications as well.
Unlike the three core components of the IB curriculum – TOK, CAS and EE, the Internal Assessment of each subject adds to your grades. For the science subjects, IA contributes 20% of your overall score of 7, while for English and other subjects, the IA contributes 25% or even higher of your overall score of 7.So, the emphasis is to focus on the marking criteria and work on building those skills and meet the requirements. Thus, your preparation varies as per the needs and requirements of the IA’s.
Learner portfolio is the individual collection of your work compiled during the two-year course. The portfolio in itself forms the basis for the assessment preparation though it will not be directly assessed or moderated by the IB. You can use the portfolio to make decisions about the most appropriate and productive connections between the works you have studied and the assessment components. Going through your own notes is much easier to understand when the examinations approach.
Sometimes regardless of how structured you are, you might find yourself struggling to score well in the subjects or certain topics in the syllabus. This is the time you need to put your hesitations away and get help. Help can be in the form of understanding a concept, getting other perspectives for your work, or getting feedback for your work for any improvements. It can be any one you feel comfortable to converse and get help
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Book your Free Counselling Session now!Getting the exact 45 is undoubtedly difficult. Less than 1% of applicants, according to IB, actually receive a full score.
It may sound difficult to achieve more than 40 IBDP points, but it is possible with careful organization and planning. You have already taken the first step towards success if you are self-driven, multitask well, and have solid time management skills.
An ATAR of 99.95 is equal to a complete score of 45 points. The global average IB score is 30 points, which equates to an ATAR of 84.65.
84% of IB diploma graduates complete four years of college.
Tips for IBDP-TOK and a Sample Essay
