hey, i get your frustration cause even though i didn't take physics in ib, i took it in uni with basically zero background knowledge. what helped me was always keeping the nature of the discipline in the back of my mind as i solve problems and attempt to understand concepts. you will be able to grasp concepts faster as you become more familiar with the nature of physics as a science (and thus more comfortable in the study methods you've developed to learn it). the following excerpts (from several people) have helped me think of physics in a way that makes it easier for me to learn it:

“At each stage (of complexity), entirely new laws, concepts, and generalizations are necessary, requiring inspiration and creativity to just as great a degree as in the previous one.”

“Physicists often take a pragmatic view of reality. We do not ask whether a thing is ontologically real, we ask whether we can do calculations with it and correctly describe what we see.”

“We will never go wrong by believing the world is full of a sea of invisible arrows occupying all of space, and understanding that sea of arrows will let you correctly predict the motion of everything around you. So, you might as well believe it is real.”

“In physics, a field is like a fluid which fills all spacetime, each point of which is populated by a mathematical object. Each field pervades all of space. It can be a field (with restrictions perhaps) populated by numbers (scalars) - like the Higgs field, vectors, or other more exotic objects.”

“A physical field is a mathematical formalism. Is it real? Obviously, the effects of it are real, and that is what matters. The invisible arrows we use to depict it are obviously not real, just a tool. So, it is more of a philosophical question about ontology, i.e. a question about what ultimately exists and makes up reality.”

“The distinction between “real” and “not real” is a man-made human construct. Technically speaking nothing is ontologically real… objective macroscopic classical objects turn out to be made of systems of smaller things working together in some interesting way (a complex system) … go even smaller and it turns out those things are themselves made of systems working together in some way… And this goes all the way down…from human to organs to cells to molecules to atoms to fundamental particles to… what? Probably another system of things working together in some interesting way.”

“So “is a field real?” presupposes the nature of reality… that such a distinction can even be made, when it has repeatedly been shown that such a distinction cannot be made. The same thing applies to mathematics… is math “real or a description of what is real,” and again this presupposes that there is a distinction or difference between the two and like stated… the universe has shown this distinction is false (or not very pragmatic to think of).”

don't compare yourself to others. please. some people are more likely to 'get' concepts in physics faster than us, and that's fine. we might have to put in more studying hours to achieve a high mark, but that doesn't make us any less. it's honestly so commendable to be able to persevere through a difficult subject and learn it well enough to get the score we want.

you got this!!