International Baccalaureate tips? 2017/18

Hey there- I just sat my exams during the May 2017 sessions and got a decently high score, so I can tell you a little bit about the IB. Working hard is pretty relative in the IB. I worked hard from the fall of my junior year until the very end, but the amount of work you do will increase and therefore so does your work ethic. You need to have a strong junior year (year 12?) so that you have high predictions which will help you get into your chosen unis. While I worked very hard junior year, inevitably senior year you will work harder as you have mocks and deadlines of IAs and EEs. To prevent yourself from burning out senior year, you need to work hard your junior year to begin your IAs and EE (and perhaps finish during the summer. Your subjects look good for what you want to study, so don't worry about that. Just make sure to keep up with your work throughout the whole two years!

Alright, thank you very much! If you don't mind me asking, what score did you end up getting?

I don't mind - I got a 42/45

Wow thats amazing, well done!

Also, did you finish all your CAS in your junior year? I've heard its good to try and do that

Thank you!! I did do that as well. I was lucky as I participated in a wide range of clubs so I was able to hit action, creativity, and service pretty early one. I was also starting up a club that year which knocked out one of the requirements for a 3-month (?) long project. I would def advice you to aim to finish your CAS junior year. Reflections are tedious, but can be done so quickly.

Also, are 6s and 7s really hard to get?

Yes they are very difficult to get - 7s obviously more so than 6s. I know friends who got 6s and 7s consistently in junior and senior year get 5s on the exam. Don't think it will be so easy getting a 6 and 7 and be aware that IB exams are most likely harder than your average coursework. But if you work and study hard, you can def get 6s and 7s!

Ooh alright, I thought so
What subjects did you do?

Hi! I did the IB and I'm now in my second year studying International Development. The IB workload is quite intense but then I was only comparing it to what my friends etc were doing.

I would 100% recommend working as hard as you can from the get go. I lazily scraped through the first year knowing my exams were ages away and just had to relearn all of that stuff when it came to revision - my grades suffered as a result. My school had only just introduced the IB so you should be confident about the school you're going to, they sound like they know what they're doing. I definitely would have benefited from working hard consistently and being better organised by the teachers. The workload was most intense in the middle of the second year when all of my coursework was due in.

Your choices sound perfect for those courses. From my experience, the IB really helped with the all-round interdisciplinary knowledge you get from studying 6 subjects. Most unis regard the IB highly and to do a course like those mentioned they should value your range of subjects. I hope this helps!

Hi,
So like I'm also starting the IB this September 2017.

I'm really excited and nervous at the same time because I know it will be a challenge.

I'll be doing:
HL - Biology, Chemistry, Spanish, Geography.

SL- Maths, English.

I have 4 higher levels because I wasn't sure whether I should do my language at standard or not. I didn't feel like standard level would challenge me enough.

Am I overloading myself?

Can anyone who's done a language higher level tell me what it was like?

Thank you very much.

Are you doing Spanish A or ab?

I'm starting the IB diploma in September 2017 and I'm nervous (although a bit excited loool) about the workload.

The school I'm hoping to go to is one of the best in the country (approximately 37 points average for the 2017 results) so I know I'll be in good hands.

However, as said before I am slightly nervous about the workload and many existing sixth formers have just told me to work hard from September - is this true? Do I need to work my hardest? I'm worried I'll overwork myself which would be unnecessary and would burn me out too early!

Also, people who have done the IB or are currently doing it, when during the course did you have the heaviest amount of workload?

The subjects I hope to study are:
HL - Global Politics, Economics, English Literature
SL - French Ab, Maths Standard, Sports Science

I'm not 100% sure with what I would like to study at university but I aspire to go a Russel Group uni and do a course such as International Relations/Politics maybe with Economics, PPE etc. Are my subjects suitable for this?

If there are any other general tips you have for doing well in the IB, feel free to mention!

Thank you