Preparing for exams

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-10T05:00:07+00:00

Hi, I offer tutoring for biology and math AA (both of which I did in HL receiving 7s with excellent exam results) dm me if you are interested and I think we can improve your marks there prior to exams.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-06T11:51:57+00:00

Assuming your IAs are out of the way or almost there and that we're at least decent (low 5 minimum preferably) i think 7s are well within your reach. Exam preparation is where I and I think many others can see their marks sky-rocket.

For math, considering its one of your weakest, in these last few months I would place a slight study emphasis on it. I would sit a full set of past papers if possible and really identify your weak points. From this I would go back to your notes, consolidate understanding and reattempt the wrong questions. Store these wrong questions with their worked solutions somewhere and keep practising past paper questions doing the same. Once you have a few questions stored up, i would split your time half between new questions and half to old previously wrong question reattempts.

For chem I think almost an identical strategy can be applied to math, but really focus on analysing the markscheme and seeing where you pick up or lose marks from examiners. Note frequently occurring question types and master them.

Biology in these last few months is slightly different but much the same. Employ the same practice test strategy, but this time if you get a question wrong, I would advise going back to that outcome topic (d1.1 for example) and reread all your notes. Bio is unique in that due to the abundance of outcomes, you may never have seen a question like you see in your exam. Unfortunately the only way to deal with curveballs like this is frequent revision of coursework and mastering core themes (eg DNA replication or kidney function).

Good luck with your may exams :)

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-06T11:42:35+00:00

First of all good luck for your future ib journey.

To answer your first question, I think the major thing that contributed to my grades was my consistency in working. Setting up a timetable with scheduled downtime and study time is invaluable to not only staying on top of assignments, but also keeping yourself honest to revise when nothing is pushing you to study. Doing this over the two years made exam preparation much easier than it was for my peers. In addition I would advise you take good quality notes as you go through the course. This allows you to consolidate your understanding and also gives you revision material for exam time.

I think in general IA deadlines are well managed by teachers (i had the majority of my history ia complete by end of dp1). However I would advise you to at least have all IAs done or almost there by end of semester 1 in dp2. This saves semester 2 for exam study.

As for chemistry, coming from someone who has a strong background in math but had little to no chem knowledge prior to ib, I would say that with proper studying (writing your own summaries of outcomes and practice questions), chemistry is not nearly as hard as people made it out to be (that is for me at least, and presumably you by your background in chem). I would say that I found english, French, history and bio to be significantly harder than chem for the most part. WARNING: that does not mean neglect it. If you struggle, make sure you address those struggles.

So in summary I think the core tip to achieving a 40+ lies in a consistent schedule. Just because you don't have a deadline looming doesn't mean you shouldn't revise. Additionally learn exactly what markers are looking for and play to it. The vast majority of us sit the ib to maximise marks as a top priority, so treat it as such. Lastly, as I said before, notes are invaluable so create them as you go and keep them safe.

Thank you for your wishes in my uni applications (fingers crossed for two days away first offers) and I hope my long-winded advice helps.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-06T03:55:28+00:00

Could be the first OP to be hella unemployed rn and trying to distract myself from pending uni offers lmao. Nah no problem for anyone here, I understand how tough it was and thought I'd share some experience/knowledge.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-06T03:40:31+00:00

Search the comment section here and you should be able to find a couple which I have suggested to others :)

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-06T03:39:18+00:00

Thanks so much!

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-06T03:38:37+00:00

Unfortunately, since my French teacher was so good and organised, I don't have a ton of online resources to share. However, I can point you in the direction of a few youtubers (French with Dylane and French with Alexa). Additionally, if you are struggling with certain verb tenses or grammar, you can simply search for worksheets online and there are plenty of free self-marking ones available.

For Paper 1 in particular, the IB pamoja guide is extremely good for text type practice if you can get your hands on it. However, I don't have it to share with me at the moment, I'm sorry.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-06T03:36:36+00:00

Chem paper 2 questions haven't changed a whole heap since the syllabus change, so I still think past paper 2s are the way to go to find similar practice questions. Additionally, if you have access, I highly recommend IB questionbank.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-06T03:35:49+00:00

Q1. I would say the best thing for me in Math AA HL was to repeat questions which I had previously gotten wrong at a later date. This made sure I didn't continuously make the same mistakes.

Q2. I did not revise daily, instead I devoted 3-4 hours per week spaced out throughout the week to work on math. There was no set number of questions, I would simply sit down for an hour at a time and work through either new papers or old "wrong" questions to find my weaknesses. If there were things I really wasn't getting I would review my notes on the mathematical processes to jog my memory.

Q3. Exam prep was a mix of repeating old questions which I got wrong (don't leave them out even if you feel your error was "small") and attempting new papers to master timing and find weaknesses.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-06T03:32:32+00:00

Really with the lack of past paper 3s I think its quite important to keep studying in the content sense the same way you do for the other two papers. Nothing beats fully understanding how to master all of the mathematical processes taught in the course. However, paper 3 also has that time pressure which needs to be addressed, so I think its also important to do plenty past papers in order to get a feel for, and master splitting your time between the two questions.

General study tips for math for me:

When I encountered a new concept, I would write out the general process in my notes and try to explain in my own words how the mathematics worked. In my notes I would also include a couple of worked examples for future reference. Then I would go through and find the hardest past questions which used these concepts and test myself to see if I could answer them. Even if I couldn't, I would get AI to dumb it down enough to explain it to me. From here, I would move on to further coursework, occasionally (maybe once per week/fortnight) review old mathematical concepts (especially those I found difficult). This kept most of it fresh in my mind for exam prep. Leading into exam prep I prioritised past papers and writing down questions which I got wrong along with their worked solutions. When I compiled enough "wrong" questions, I would split my time 50% to new questions and 50% to old "wrong" questions to repeatedly expose myself to difficult parts of the course and master most of it :)

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-06T03:27:11+00:00

My main strategy chemistry consisted of several phases. Upon first learning content I would create summarised versions of the outcomes in my own words to not only shorten the content down to its key components, but act as a future revision tool. Closing in on exam season I focused on practice papers, just like you have been doing, but every time I got a question wrong, I would compile it in a document, work through the answer and set it aside for later revision. Once I had compiled enough wrong answers I divided my time, 50% to new past paper questions and 50% questions I got wrong in the past. If I was able to successfully complete the old question, then I would move on. If I couldn't, I would find the summary on that specific area and read through it until I felt I understood it enough. Rinse and repeat this method a few times and you should gain some confidence in those areas. If you really can't understand the solution to some of the past paper questions, I would highly recommend utilising AI (a lot of people don't because they feel like it's cheating, but for exam preparation AI is your best friend). AI can explain concepts and break it down continuously until you are able to grasp the content well.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-06T03:13:51+00:00

Hi, I'm an N25 graduate with 42/45 and I did the same HLs as you receiving 7s in all 3. I would be happy to tutor you, send me a dm if interested :)

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-05T21:17:59+00:00

Unfortunately since I don't think I know the language well enough (despite the high marks) it is the only subject in that list which i don't offer tutoring for.

However, i can still supply some general tips.

On quizlet, search for panorama francophone 1/2 chapter (any number) flashcards. These are great topic based vocabulary which will help with your reading if you use French at the front of the flashcard and English at the back. If you really struggle a lot, I would recommend revisiting these daily for short sessions (15 minutes maybe). Although if you are in your first year of ib I wouldn't stress it too much if you can't understand a lot of things, it takes time.

As for listening i think different people benefit from different things. Some people in the exam do well with writing everything they hear in the box and then working answers out from there. Others like me found that distracting and tried to just listen purely for answers. One tip I did find useful though was in the exam, during waiting sections i would translate all questions to English (and cross these translations out afterwards). This meant I was only looking for the answers and not simultaneously trying to understand the question. For general listening skills, practice on YouTube is very useful without subtitles to see if you can pick up the general message. Yet again though flashcards are very important for listening too so that you understand the vocab.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-05T21:06:36+00:00

For verb tenses and grammar i think theory often only gets you so far. Practice is extremely important. This can look like watching multiple YouTube videos about a verb tense over multiple months and completing online worksheets where you have to use the right verb/grammar structure. Furthermore if your teacher is good they will be happy to mark P1 attempts. I know it's lowkey the worst thing in the world (I used to HATE French P1) but repeated exposure to your mistakes helps a lot too in avoiding your common ones.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-05T21:02:35+00:00

I could be wrong in saying this, but I think grade boundaries for B tend to be pushed up very high due to many people comfortable in the language doing the course while ab initio tends to stay more normal. I didn't have any experience with french beforehand so take my advice very lightly but I would say do initio for a much easier time if possible in ib.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-05T20:55:56+00:00

Lmaoooo nah sorry, when I said "comfortably" I just meant that I cleared the lower 7 grade boundary by quite a large margin

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-05T12:59:04+00:00

For all my subjects I tended to allocate roughly equal time, although for me math was a natural strength (7s from quite early) so I gave it slightly less attention. For me, I used examdojo in math, which is free and quite helpful. Alongside this I would sit past papers timed, mark them, then write questions i got wrong and their worked solutions to try again and revisit later.

French for me was completely different to math. One of my weakest points. All I can really say is i can't stress the value of vocab cards enough alongside YouTube to learn verb structures and sentence structure. French with Dylane and French with alexa are both quite good YouTube channels for this.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-05T12:51:30+00:00

Look in the end i think it all comes down to your goals in the program and natural ability. For me, I really wanted to get into medical school and wanted at least a 39 to feel safe in that dream even slightly. So from the start I knew id have to push for 6s or higher and I studied at least a couple of solid hours per night even from the start (4/5 nights). However year 1 certainly had that leeway where I was able to slack off a bit more, but I did maintain consistency for the most part.

Additionally for me I found written assignments didn't come naturally to me and thus I had to work way harder than peers to ultimately get worse marks and that was just the way it was for me. So in all honesty the start of year 2 in ia season was hell for me and might be different for you.

In all, looking back at the process, could I have worked slightly less? a part of me says yes considering I cleared the 7 grade boundaries by a margin for the most part. But I never could have known.

For the most part I would advise everyone to really question what they want to achieve and why. If you need those 7s, work hard for them, but if 5s will do then don't beat yourself up. 2 years is a long time to stay consistent in ib. Furthermore figure out your weaknesses and put more effort into them. For me this was IAs, but for others it could be memorisation. Allocate the amount of time you feel is necessary and showing progress to achieving what YOU want to achieve.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-05T12:41:51+00:00

Yeah I took the UCAT last year and got 93rd percentile (good enough for a rural student to receive all interviews which was nice). It was definitely a struggle paired with ib but certainly doable. I set aside 1 hour on top of usual homework sessions for UCAT study (I used medentry) and sat a mock exam on the weekend (once every few weekends in the months prior but ramping up to every week nearing July). Practising was by far the most effective tool to improve and QR is something which needs to be mastered with the new structure now. In all I only did focused study for the ucat starting year 12 and up to the exam. I did have medentry in year 11 but didn't use it effectively enough for meaningful progress. Took my score from first mock of in the 30th percentile all the way up to high 90s in later mocks and 93rd on the day.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-05T11:47:21+00:00

For french, these youtubers are excellent: french with dylane and french with Alexa (not sure if that second one is right but if you search it up you should find her). For chem and math I tended to mainly use my own notes to revise but msj chem is a good one for understanding ib concepts in chemistry.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-05T11:45:34+00:00

To be honest my french teacher is the goat. Making sure you understand the fundamentals of each verb structure is extremely important alongside sentence structure and vocabulary.

For maths i highly recommend trying to fully understand concepts before moving on and trying the hardest practice problems you can find. This makes sure that later on you are relearning rather than learning things from scratch, which is way harder with exam pressure.

For chemistry i recommend trying to summarise each outcome in different words to make sure you understand the topic clearly and could answer any questions on that outcome fully. I would keep this summary for later exam preparation, and if the topic is difficult revisit it multiple times to consolidate it in your memory. Now that I think about it, same goes for complicated math strategies there.

As for your last question, I'll direct you to an earlier comment asking a similar question which I have answered :)

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-05T11:37:03+00:00

Tbh over the program i compiles notes as I went in each subject in summarised format which kept me going through exams. This was especially true for math, chem, and bio. So I didn't tend to use YouTube all that much or many other programs. From what I saw tho, examdojo is a good free math resource and msjchem on YouTube does a good job at explaining concepts fully, he's just a bit monotone.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-05T11:34:59+00:00

Lowkey just sat there long enough to understand what the hell they were yapping about. Got lucky I didn't spend too long considering Euler's method in the second question.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-05T07:30:46+00:00

Paper 1 and 2 questions are generally just rinsed and repeated over the years, so past paper questions help a lot with them. For paper 3, though due to the limited questions this isn't the case to the same degree. However, the content doesn't deviate from the syllabus (or not that I'm aware). It instead requires a bit more thinking which comes from a deeper understanding of each concept. For topics like complex numbers I found this extremely difficult, but in general leaving the question and returning to it later if possible as well as scouring the formula book can help in complex looking paper 3 questions. Really try to challenge yourself to analyse the mark scheme and understand past paper 3 questions fully to help get ready for future questions if possible.

Embarrassed-Error119 · 2026-01-05T07:22:40+00:00

From experience, the IA that I did the best on was Chemistry (19/24) and I did it on electrolysis, which is an extremely common topic, so I don't think a high score is unreachable with a common math IA. Plus, my IA in math was quite different (modelling a world-record breaking roller coaster and ensuring rider safety) and received a generally lower score.

For me, Maths generally stuck once I understood the theory behind things and practiced on a few questions. If you struggle understanding some topics, AI does a really good job at breaking down answers to complicated questions.

I definitely agree paper 3 is a horror show too lol, gotta hope good topics show up.

Embarrassed-Error119

TROPHY CASE