The IB is akin to a marathon, not a sprint. Students have many deadlines to contend with, both internal and external in nature, and many of them may feel overwhelmed with the different nature of the tasks they need to prepare for. The continuous requirement of some activities like undertaking research or the need to compile your CAS portfolio may stress students out. At the end of the IB Diploma, students have their final external exams.
Students need to realise that they need to be strategic during this time and not overload themselves. Being too ambitious in what you want to achieve and not tampering your expectations may lead to burnout and stress. Many students feel like their workload is too heavy and that they have too many commitments. However, students should simply focus on the things that they can control and leave the things that they cannot control.
Here is how you should not overload yourself:
Do not take subjects in the IB that you are not familiar with
Students may think that the IB is a time of exploration and intellectual curiosity. Students should still be smart and not take subjects in the IB (especially at Higher Level) that they are not familiar with. Students should try to take subjects that they were already good at in secondary school because it increases the chances of scoring higher in them.
Furthermore, taking subjects that you like will help you during your Internal Assessment because students will be interested enough to find topics to research about, which will be obvious in their research. Examiners and markers can tell when students have genuine passion for their research, and in future interviews, students will be able to talk about their research in an animated way which shows potential universities or employers their calibre.
Try to stay on top of your deadlines and do not procrastinate
There are many deadlines for all the different things the student has to do in the IB, and students should write them all down on a big calendar to see how they can plan their schedule. Time management is a vital skill all students will need to develop during the IB, and students who fail to avoid procrastination and succumbing to various distractions will pay the price when deadlines come rolling around and they are not ready for them.
Always plan in advance, especially for major submissions and external deadlines. Remember – you cannot miss external deadlines – although internal deadlines are more flexible, you should still meet them as much as possible and seek help if you feel like you cannot meet them.
If you don’t know how to do something, find out sooner rather than later
Leaving things to the last minute is generally a big no-no in the IB. Many students will find that academic writing does not come naturally to them. They may feel confused about how to cite their sources or structure their EE. If students do not know how to do this, they should ask someone they trust or their teacher for resources on how to do this. It is important to be proactive in finding out what not to do and what to do, because leaving it for much later will not be beneficial for the student’s overall performance on all the IB diploma’s requirements.
Get a 7 for IB Chemistry (HL/SL) with the IB Chemistry Clinic today!
As the name suggests, the IB Chemistry Clinic does not only fix a student’s grades - it helps students with critical components of the IB Programme, namely the Internal Assessment (IA) which is worth at least 20% of a student’s grade and their Extended Essay (EE) in Chemistry.
The IA and EE are a non-negotiable part of the Chemistry curriculum - without them, students will not be able to graduate with an IB Diploma. However, there are many difficulties associated with conducting experiments for the IA and EE - many replications are required and the standard for the final deliverable - the research report - is high. Students need to undertake statistical testing and present their final results coherently and concisely.
Although the IB school provides mentors for the EE and teachers at school can guide students through their IA, attention to each student is often limited in a classroom setting and many students are left to figure things out by themselves. This results in difficulty completing internal deadlines on time, especially when a student needs to juggle all their 6 subjects and the additional components of the IB, along with their CCAs and other commitments.
The IB Chemistry Clinic is here to answer all your questions - whether it is about content knowledge or fixing errors in your experimental setup as you undertake your IA journey, our skilled tutors with a strong background in Chemistry research and 30 years of experience teaching Chemistry are here to help!
Contact us at +65 9616 1651 to book your slot today!
Frequently Asked Questions
How to study for IB Chemistry?
Firstly, knowing the syllabus for IB Chemistry (either HL or SL) will help the student revise. Next, try practising with past year IB papers to get used to the exam format. If there are questions students do not know how to answer, they can revise the concepts regarding the question to help them answer them or clarify with a tutor or teacher.
Comments