im new to IB and it seems so daunting
hey,
im so glad that there are ex-IB students ready to speak!
i understand that it can be stressful to talk or help others as you guys proceed to unis and other ambitions you have in your lives. so this is great!
anyway, i have just started IB and its my first year.
im so conflicted with the subject im doing:
i do
chem HL
Bio HL
History HL
French SL
English SL
Math SL
so my question is do you guys have for Bio(cause the content is soooo much and the teachers at my school teach so slow and inaccurately(kinda)) and also what advice do you have for chem HL students and any available resources?
finally, for my uni i am still confused because i really like psychology (no, my school doesn't offer IB psychology) and criminology or philosophy so i would like a joint honors in psych and criminology or psych and politics and i would like to know if the subjects I have are good to go for these courses
im so glad that there are ex-IB students ready to speak!
i understand that it can be stressful to talk or help others as you guys proceed to unis and other ambitions you have in your lives. so this is great!
anyway, i have just started IB and its my first year.
im so conflicted with the subject im doing:
i do
chem HL
Bio HL
History HL
French SL
English SL
Math SL
so my question is do you guys have for Bio(cause the content is soooo much and the teachers at my school teach so slow and inaccurately(kinda)) and also what advice do you have for chem HL students and any available resources?
finally, for my uni i am still confused because i really like psychology (no, my school doesn't offer IB psychology) and criminology or philosophy so i would like a joint honors in psych and criminology or psych and politics and i would like to know if the subjects I have are good to go for these courses
Your subjects are quite science oriented, but TOK is always great for philosophy, and if you'd like to apply for some kind of a combination of criminology and forensic science, chemistry would be enough for that. Don't worry about bio too much, it's one of those subjects where self-studying is the key, just find the books and study materials that suit you. F.ex. if you're a visual learner, the Hodder bio book is amazing. I have exactly the same subject selection except for Physics HL instead of History. It will be difficult but as long as you START EARLY (*cough*) you'll be fine. Good luck!
Original post by harshitha
@medreams
Thank you so much for the advice and yeah, i will make sure i start early. You do all sciences!! And that earns you huge respect from me dude!! I have friends doing all 3 but none doing all HL, but anyway, hustle hard and best of luck to you too!
Thank you so much for the advice and yeah, i will make sure i start early. You do all sciences!! And that earns you huge respect from me dude!! I have friends doing all 3 but none doing all HL, but anyway, hustle hard and best of luck to you too!
Haha no problem and thanks! I have deadlines for both physics and bio IA:s in a week so it's needed
Original post by harshitha
hey,
im so glad that there are ex-IB students ready to speak!
i understand that it can be stressful to talk or help others as you guys proceed to unis and other ambitions you have in your lives. so this is great!
anyway, i have just started IB and its my first year.
im so conflicted with the subject im doing:
i do
chem HL
Bio HL
History HL
French SL
English SL
Math SL
so my question is do you guys have for Bio(cause the content is soooo much and the teachers at my school teach so slow and inaccurately(kinda)) and also what advice do you have for chem HL students and any available resources?
finally, for my uni i am still confused because i really like psychology (no, my school doesn't offer IB psychology) and criminology or philosophy so i would like a joint honors in psych and criminology or psych and politics and i would like to know if the subjects I have are good to go for these courses
im so glad that there are ex-IB students ready to speak!
i understand that it can be stressful to talk or help others as you guys proceed to unis and other ambitions you have in your lives. so this is great!
anyway, i have just started IB and its my first year.
im so conflicted with the subject im doing:
i do
chem HL
Bio HL
History HL
French SL
English SL
Math SL
so my question is do you guys have for Bio(cause the content is soooo much and the teachers at my school teach so slow and inaccurately(kinda)) and also what advice do you have for chem HL students and any available resources?
finally, for my uni i am still confused because i really like psychology (no, my school doesn't offer IB psychology) and criminology or philosophy so i would like a joint honors in psych and criminology or psych and politics and i would like to know if the subjects I have are good to go for these courses
Honestly, IB Bio is not that much content and if you feel as if your teacher is incompetent, head on to bioninja HAHA. As for Chem HL, I'm not going to lie, it's probably one of the hardest courses IB offers. If your maths isn't strong enough, you'll have to learn to adapt to it as there's a lot of maths in chem as compared to bio. I take both bio and chem Hl and my bio scores have always been higher than my chem. Chem resources? Just head over to the IB reddit thread, they have a discord server where you can ask many ex-students on subject-based questions. It's very helpful.
Original post by gpmers
Honestly, IB Bio is not that much content and if you feel as if your teacher is incompetent, head on to bioninja HAHA. As for Chem HL, I'm not going to lie, it's probably one of the hardest courses IB offers. If your maths isn't strong enough, you'll have to learn to adapt to it as there's a lot of maths in chem as compared to bio. I take both bio and chem Hl and my bio scores have always been higher than my chem. Chem resources? Just head over to the IB reddit thread, they have a discord server where you can ask many ex-students on subject-based questions. It's very helpful.
Thank you soo much for the help!
Hope IB does you well too🤗
Good luck in the IB! I did quite similar subjects to you except with Spanish and Psychology and got 41 with 766 at HL 
For Biology, it does feel like there is a lot of content but so much of it is just memorising it and regurgitating it in the exam. The best way for me was making really colourful and memorable notes and doing past papers and using the mark-schemes to make sure I was getting the wording they wanted. Chemistry was a bit of a rollercoaster but Richard Thornley's videos on YouTube were such a lifesaver!! A lot of the concepts are quite difficult but once you've got your head around them, there isn't that much content in Chem. Make sure you look up the specification to make it seem less overwhelming, it's literally just a list of everything you need to know and will be a lifesaver when you're coming to study
For Biology, it does feel like there is a lot of content but so much of it is just memorising it and regurgitating it in the exam. The best way for me was making really colourful and memorable notes and doing past papers and using the mark-schemes to make sure I was getting the wording they wanted. Chemistry was a bit of a rollercoaster but Richard Thornley's videos on YouTube were such a lifesaver!! A lot of the concepts are quite difficult but once you've got your head around them, there isn't that much content in Chem. Make sure you look up the specification to make it seem less overwhelming, it's literally just a list of everything you need to know and will be a lifesaver when you're coming to study
Original post by notablestrumpet
Good luck in the IB! I did quite similar subjects to you except with Spanish and Psychology and got 41 with 766 at HL
For Biology, it does feel like there is a lot of content but so much of it is just memorising it and regurgitating it in the exam. The best way for me was making really colourful and memorable notes and doing past papers and using the mark-schemes to make sure I was getting the wording they wanted. Chemistry was a bit of a rollercoaster but Richard Thornley's videos on YouTube were such a lifesaver!! A lot of the concepts are quite difficult but once you've got your head around them, there isn't that much content in Chem. Make sure you look up the specification to make it seem less overwhelming, it's literally just a list of everything you need to know and will be a lifesaver when you're coming to study
For Biology, it does feel like there is a lot of content but so much of it is just memorising it and regurgitating it in the exam. The best way for me was making really colourful and memorable notes and doing past papers and using the mark-schemes to make sure I was getting the wording they wanted. Chemistry was a bit of a rollercoaster but Richard Thornley's videos on YouTube were such a lifesaver!! A lot of the concepts are quite difficult but once you've got your head around them, there isn't that much content in Chem. Make sure you look up the specification to make it seem less overwhelming, it's literally just a list of everything you need to know and will be a lifesaver when you're coming to study
Thank you soo much for the help! And yeah, chemistry does look like a hustle but I hope I will be okay. 41 sounds amazing! Congratulations and hope you succeed in your future plans🤗
Hi there!
I did IB (graduated this May) and scored 43 with 777 in my HLs (Bio, Chem, German).
To be fair, I did not enjoy my IB journey. The diploma wasn't for me, I think, as I had to do some subjects I had little interest in. My teachers were helpful and made it more interesting, but in hindsight I think I would have preferred A-levels. So that's hopefully giving you an idea on how I found it all
For Bio: (got 88% in my exams)
- Flashcards from unit 1. You'll thank me later. Use bio ninja, your book, and the powerpoints your teacher might use in order to condense your notes as you go through the topic. I always tried to add my flashcards weekly or the weekend before my exam. It saved my life.
- Past papers. Your teacher will have them, just ask. You have to be able to apply your knowledge, memorisation is helpful (especially for section B!), but won't be enough.
- Space repetition. Revise a topic in 3 days, then 7 days, then two weeks, then a month etc. This will help you remember SOOOO much more! In 2nd year I had much less stress with the revision.
For Chem: (got 81% in my exams)
- Past papers. Again.
- Understanding the concepts. Unlike in bio, you won't get away with memorisation. The questions require a full understanding in order to score full marks.
- hNMR - Topics 11/21 are overlooked quite a bit by the teachers. But please study hard for these. My exam had like almost 20 marks just on topics related to that part of the syllabus.
- Use your teachers and online resources. Seems obvious but seriously, go and ask after class if you have any issues/don't understand things.
Also, the IA can make or break your grade. It's 20% of your grade, so try and aim for 23-24/24. I was much less stressed knowing roughly what score I got (our only draft got graded, obv. not the final one).
Good luck
I did IB (graduated this May) and scored 43 with 777 in my HLs (Bio, Chem, German).
To be fair, I did not enjoy my IB journey. The diploma wasn't for me, I think, as I had to do some subjects I had little interest in. My teachers were helpful and made it more interesting, but in hindsight I think I would have preferred A-levels. So that's hopefully giving you an idea on how I found it all
For Bio: (got 88% in my exams)
- Flashcards from unit 1. You'll thank me later. Use bio ninja, your book, and the powerpoints your teacher might use in order to condense your notes as you go through the topic. I always tried to add my flashcards weekly or the weekend before my exam. It saved my life.
- Past papers. Your teacher will have them, just ask. You have to be able to apply your knowledge, memorisation is helpful (especially for section B!), but won't be enough.
- Space repetition. Revise a topic in 3 days, then 7 days, then two weeks, then a month etc. This will help you remember SOOOO much more! In 2nd year I had much less stress with the revision.
For Chem: (got 81% in my exams)
- Past papers. Again.
- Understanding the concepts. Unlike in bio, you won't get away with memorisation. The questions require a full understanding in order to score full marks.
- hNMR - Topics 11/21 are overlooked quite a bit by the teachers. But please study hard for these. My exam had like almost 20 marks just on topics related to that part of the syllabus.
- Use your teachers and online resources. Seems obvious but seriously, go and ask after class if you have any issues/don't understand things.
Also, the IA can make or break your grade. It's 20% of your grade, so try and aim for 23-24/24. I was much less stressed knowing roughly what score I got (our only draft got graded, obv. not the final one).
Good luck
@MagicalMedic
Thank you so much for this. It helps a lot and is a lot of reaasurance that there is enough help to get through IB.
Wish you success in your future plans!
Thank you so much for this. It helps a lot and is a lot of reaasurance that there is enough help to get through IB.
Wish you success in your future plans!
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