How to Excel in IB Biology
IB Biology is an intensive and challenging course. Whether you are taking HL or SL, achieving high marks in the coursework and exam takes a significant amount of preparation and practice. Today, BartyED’s expert IB Biology tutors will take a look at some essential tips to help you excel in your studies.
IB Biology is well-known for its overwhelming amount of course content, and to consolidate all of this information is a tall order for anyone. Needless to say, reading over your IB textbook and taking minor notes will not bear fruit when it comes to sitting the exam. To score top marks, students must engage in productive note taking. This involves formulating different mnemonic devices to help recall key information, and producing flashcards to effectively memorise important concepts. The IB Biology exam also requires students to draw diagrams, and do so confidently. It is important, therefore, to practise these diagrams so that when it comes to exam time, these marks will be almost a guarantee. It is a good idea to refer to past paper mark schemes and model your diagrams on those found within, to ensure your accuracy. Put simply, a strong set of IB Biology notes are truly invaluable, and a must for any student wishing to reach the highest mark band.
It is essential to go back and study the basics. Time and again, our IB Biology tutors have seen students who neglect those topics learnt at the beginning of the course because they are somewhat easier than those that comes later. This attitude leads to candidates losing out on easy marks in their IB Biology exam. Additionally, students must not shy away from topics about which they feel less confident. As it is extremely difficult to predict what topics may appear on the Biology exam, students are running a risk of losing out on marks by foregoing more ‘difficult’ topics. Although it is challenging to revise everything covered in the IB Biology course, it is better to do so and forget the guesswork. Develop your note taking abilities and be dedicated. Every topic is there for a reason and students should, in turn, become familiar with and confident in each one.
The International Baccalaureate is notoriously rigorous. Consequently, IB Biology students cannot leave exam revision to the last minute. The Biology course covers a wide range of topics across two years and, even with the help of an experienced tutor, consolidating all required knowledge two or three weeks before the exam is an impossible task. Candidates must plan out their revision carefully, ensuring that all aspects of the course are covered. The sooner this is done the better, as time has a habit of slipping away as coursework deadlines begin to mount. Students should take care to check the IB Biology syllabus and spread out each topic uniformly throughout the year, giving equal attention to foundational knowledge and more challenging content. By structuring revision in such a way as this, you will be able to avoid the last-minute scramble and panic that results from procrastination. There is ample time to revise over the two year period, so make sure to use it.
A keystone of all IB exam preparation is working through past papers. While it is vital to carefully structure revision, never forgo the basics, and take effective notes, without engaging with past papers, all that work may be for nought. Students must become familiar with the layout and question types that appear on the IB Biology exam, paying close attention to command terms. Although briefly mentioned earlier, students should also take care to examine the mark scheme for past IB Biology exam papers. By doing so, students can gain valuable insight into what is expected of them and how best to achieve high marks in the exam.
Hopefully you found these tips useful. The IB Biology course is a challenge, but, with careful planning and effective revision, exam stress and deadline anxiety can be reduced. Additionally, the guidance of an experienced IB Biology tutor is indispensable in helping to build confidence. With a BartyED tutor, students will be able to consolidate their knowledge and learn how best to approach their exam so as to obtain top marks.
If you feel that you could benefit from extra support, check out our website here for more information on our IB Biology teaching programmes, or reach out today at (852) 2882 1017 or via our email address enquiries@bartyed.com.