10 Tips to Prepare for a Strong Start to the IB Diploma Programme

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is a rigorous two-year pre-university course for students aged 16 to 19. If you’re starting high school this year, you might be wondering what to expect and how to prepare for the IB. 

Fear not! Here are 10 tips to help you get a flying start in your IB Diploma Programme.

Introduction to the IB Programme

The IBDP is one of the options you have to continue your education as a high school student. Along with IGCSE, it is one of the most highly-regarded pathways for well-rounded, internationally-recognised high-school qualifications.

Known for its rigorous curriculum, the programme is an excellent way to get ready for the challenges of studying at a university. It puts a heavy emphasis on independent research – you will have to write a number of essays and even write your own lab experiments. This helps build a solid foundation necessary to succeed, not only in a higher education institution, but also in your future career.

Along with developing students intellectually, the IBDP cultivates international mindfulness and facilitates a deeper understanding of different cultures. All these factors make the programme a good option if you plan to enter a university abroad or seek employment in a foreign country.

Speaking of higher education, a number of studies show that the IBDP is able to facilitate success in post-secondary education as well as provide a more solid set of skills compared to non-DP alumni.

How to Prepare for the IB – Tips from Our Tutors

We asked our tutors how IB candidates can prepare themselves for what’s to come. Here is what they suggest to focus on.

Choose Your Subjects Wisely

The IBDP offers a wide range of subjects for you to choose from. They are divided into six subject groups, each with its own set of subjects:

• Studies in Language and Literature (Language A: Literature, Language A: Language and Literature, etc.);
• Language Acquisition (Classic languages, Language B, Language Ab Initio);
• Individuals and Societies (Economics, Psychology, Geography, History, etc.);
• Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, etc.);
• Mathematics (Analysis and Approaches, Applications and Interpretation);
• Arts (Dance, Film, Music, Theatre, etc.).

It is up to you which subjects to choose. However, before making a decision, take your time to research the subject options– we are happy to provide our subject guides to help make the right call.

While picking subjects for the IBDP, take your passion, interests, ability, university admission, and career aspirations into account.

You should take one subject from each group. Only the Arts group is non-obligatory – you may avoid it in favour of a subject from Sciences, Individuals and Societies, or Languages.

Overall, you will learn six subjects: 3-4 at Higher Level (HL) and the rest at Standard Level (SL).

Besides, you must complete the Core components: the Extended Essay (EE), the Theory of Knowledge (TOK), as well as the Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) project. Otherwise, you will simply fail to receive your IB diploma.

If you feel you have made the wrong decision, it’s better to change sooner rather than later. Our IB Coordinators encourage you to listen to your instincts and talk to your teachers, parents, and counsellors.

Remember, a change can be relatively easy at the start of the course. However, after the first few months, it becomes difficult, or even impossible, to move from one subject to another or switch between SL and HL. So, don’t ignore any niggling doubts and talk early about your concerns.

Organise Your Study Routine from the Start

As we have already said, the IB Diploma Programme is rigorous and demanding. With content-packed lessons, extensive homework, and independent research assignments, there is little time to waste. Falling behind can make catching up extremely difficult. That’s why to succeed, it is a must to come up with a good study routine from the start and stick to it throughout both years in the IBDP.

To ensure your study schedule works best for you, our IB experts suggest starting by conducting a time audit after a couple of weeks in school. Here’s what it should include:

• Keep track of all your activities including school hours, extracurricular commitments, leisure time, and so on;
• Pinpoint opportunities for focused study, such as short breaks between classes, weekend mornings, etc;
• Identify your commitments in and outside the school (family obligations, clubs, courses, etc.) to see if you have windows for study sessions without overloading yourself.
• After you find slots for study blocks, you need to decide which subjects to prioritise. Understandably, you can’t dedicate equal time to every single one of them. That’s why it makes sense to rank them based on:
  • Their level of difficulty. Those subjects that you find the most challenging should go first. Give them as much study time as reasonably possible. Still, you can’t ignore ‘easy’ subjects because they require their fair share of attention, too.
  • Impact on your future education or career. Let’s say you’d like to study Biology at a university. Clearly, you need to enter it with a good grade in the subject. That’s why it makes sense to make Biology a focus of your study schedule. On the other hand, Visual Arts won’t be able to influence your admission to the Biology course.
  • Upcoming deadlines for assignments, projects, or exams should also be taken into account. Ensure to allocate more time for more urgent tasks.

Master Time Management

Our next tip is linked to the previous one. An optimal study plan is impossible without good time management. It is not enough to simply find slots for study blocks. Time management also means choosing smartapproaches when the schedule is tight.

For example, it is an excellent solution to break down large projects into smaller chunks. You can do so using the following time management techniques. So try these out and find the best one that works for you:

• The Pareto Principle, otherwise known as the 80/20 rule, encourages you to divide your tasks into more important (i.e. decisive for the final result) and less important ones. You should give 80% of your study time to the former and 20% to the less critical areas.
• The Pomodoro Technique is about interval study sessions. It suggests that you spend 25 minutes on your academic work followed by a 5-minute break. After 2.5 hours, a break should increase to 15-30 minutes. This technique helps retain mental freshness over a longer period.
• Task-specific approach. It is important to give yourself specific tasks. Instead of a vague ‘studying’, it is beneficial to define your activities. For example, today you might want to learn the topic ‘Carbohydrates and lipids’ or sit a mock exam in Biology.

Remember, your study plan should feature different activities (reading, learning, revising, researching, writing, etc), each with adequate timeframes and clear goals (read a chapter, summarise a lab report, and so on). And don’t forget to schedule breaks and fun activities to relax and recharge!

Develop Your Research and Writing Skills

During your IB Diploma programme, you’ll be challenged to conduct independent research as well as write various types of essays and reports. You need to get ready for it!

Prepare for the IB by taking advantage of the summer break to practice academic writing. Start by setting aside time each day to write on a topic of your choice or engage in journaling. Focus on developing clear and concise arguments, organising your ideas logically, and supporting your claims with evidence.

Along with that, you need to learn how to conduct research. You can use reputable sources such as scholarly journals, books, and trusted websites to gather, evaluate, and analyse information. Take notes, summarise key points, and keep track of your sources for future reference. All of this will give you valuable experience when it’s time to do such tasks in high school.

Collaborate with Peers, Classmates, and Teachers

IB programme highly encourages collaboration and intercultural understanding. Working with others, especially those who share your passion for learning, can be incredibly beneficial.

For example, you may rely on your friends to form study groups. Together, you can review material, discuss interesting matters, explain challenging concepts to each other, and in such a way prepare for the Diploma Programme. It is also beneficial to join online forums and communities to connect with IB students from around the world. They are a reliable source of first-hand information on what to expect in the Diploma Programme.

Apart from this, it may be a good idea to take on an experienced IB tutor in areas of study where you have already identified a weakness. With their help, you can analyse your strengths and weaknesses, explore techniques suitable for your learning style, and even detect toward which subjects you have inclinations. Any gaps in your current knowledge and the ways you process information may become problematic during the IB course. Thanks to a tutor’s assistance, it is possible to minimise your weaknesses and adjust the Diploma Programme to play to your strengths.

Explore Your Creativity and Interests

The IB programme isn’t just about academics – it’s also about personal development and growth.

The CAS project, for example, provides the opportunity to explore your creativity and interests. In particular, it lets you engage in various activities, from cooking classes and art lessons to personal fitness classes.

Therefore, it is a great idea to use your pre-IB summer to try something new.

Make sure to choose activities that align with your passions or challenge you. Join a club or society, learn a musical instrument or a language, volunteer for a cause or a charity, or start your own project or initiative – the possibilities are endless.

Besides being in itself an enriching experience, such activities will also prepare you for the CAS. In addition, they can help promote such important skills as leadership, teamwork, or problem-solving.

As a rule, students who approach CAS with genuine enthusiasm and passion tend to get higher grades. So it is worth putting in the effort to find projects you are interested in, rather than approaching it as a box-ticking exercise.

Focus on Internal Assessments (IAs)

Internal Assessments are a crucial component of assessment in every IB subject. Unlike high-pressure and time-constrained external examinations, you can complete your IA over a longer period of time. This doesn’t mean, however, that this component of the final assessment is easier. For many students, it is the other way around, and here is why:

• It is responsible for 20-40% of your final IB grade depending on the subject;
• It requires profound research, analytical, and high-order thinking skills;
• Independent research (although with limited supervision from your teacher) is often a challenging task;
•  A lot will depend on how well you choose your topic and research question – many struggle to find a relevant, original, and genuinely engaging research area;
• Internal Assessments are in place for every IB subject; however, they take different forms: lab reports for Sciences, oral presentations for Languages, and essays for Humanities.

The IBO estimates that it takes around 10 hours to complete an Internal Assessment in each subject. In reality, you may need to double or even triple this amount of time. This means that you can’t postpone all the work until the last minute and then write all your IAs in one fell swoop – you simply won’t have time. Doing this may likely harm your final scores!

Ideally, you should start working on your IAs during the first year in high school and get the first draft written during the holiday between 11 and 12 grades. If you do this, you will have enough time in your last year of school to polish your reports and make sure they meet the IBO criteria. This way, you will increase your chance of a top score.

So how can you prepare for this? First of all, you need to realise there will be a huge quantity of work to do. Second, you can start brainstorming on possible topics sooner rather than later. Third, if you really want to get the taste of independent research, use the break before your IB diploma starts to investigate potential areas of study.

Work on the Extended Essay (EE)

The EE is another piece of work essential for obtaining your IB diploma. Together with the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) projects, it forms what is known as the Diploma Programme Core. This means, you must complete all three Core assignments to receive your diploma. Moreover, your results in EE combined with ToK can contribute up to 3 bonus points to your final score.

As an IBDP student, you will need to write an Extended Essay related to one of the subjects you will be studying. It is also possible to combine two subjects at once. In this case, it will fall into the category of World Studies. In such an essay, you look at the issue you have identified from multiple angles.

Your teachers will expect your EE to be original, compelling, and clearly reflect your passions and curiosity. We always recommend that you choose it in a subject you have a genuine interest in – then it won’t feel like a struggle.

At the same time, you should be smart when making your choices. If you feel like it might take too long, require too many resources, or is just too complicated, it’s best to re-think,even though your investigation promises to be exciting. For these reasons, it might be a mistake to write your EE in a Science subject. If you did come up with an interesting topic in one of the science subjects, it may be better to repurpose it for the Internal Assessment.

Whatever subject you end up with, make sure to take a look at our Guide to getting top marks in EE.

Use Resources Wisely

In the rigorous IBDP, time is an essential resource. We cannot stress enough how essential it is to manage it well. Due to the demanding curriculum, heavy workload, and numerous assessments, you will barely have an opportunity to catch up if you let yourself fall behind. So, make sure to stick to the three most important principles of time management:

• Prioritise your tasks;
• Set clear goals;
• Allocate fair time to each subject.

Another valuable resource you should extensively utilise is past papers. They provide real examination questions from previous years. Although you will not get the same questions in your exams, they can give you a good idea of what to expect in terms of difficulty, wording, format, question types, time restrictions, and so on. Every time you practice with these valuable resources, you’re making one step towards nailing your real exams.

Keep in mind that to succeed in IBDP, it is not enough to pass your exams. You should prepare yourself for the course load as well. Investigations, research, lab experiments, essays, and to a certain extent IA reports – they are all part of it. And they all require accurate work with your sources, both printed and online ones. Here is where your research and analytical skills will come in handy. Finding information is only half the battle. The other half is to analyse its quality. We recommend the CRAP method to do so:

• Currency: Is the information up-to-date and relevant to your needs?
• Reliability: Is the source reputable and the information accurate?
• Authority: Who is the author or publisher, and do they have the appropriate expertise?
• Purpose: What is the intention behind the information, and is it unbiased?

Last but not least, your IB teachers will be your most valuable resource. Don’t hesitate to reach out to them when you require support and guidance. Sometimes, however, you may feel like you need something more than their help. In this case, consider hiring a tutor. At TutorsPlus, we pride ourselves on having talented and attentive tutors who are able to provide one-on-one assistance tailored to your specific needs. Our certified IB teachers and examiners are just a click away.

Read Widely and Diversely

The IB programme aims to foster a love of learning and curiosity among students. One of the best ways to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the world is reading.

Read books from different genres, cultures, perspectives, and disciplines. Explore newspapers, magazines, journals, blogs, podcasts, or any other sources of information that interest you. Reading is paramount to expand your vocabulary, improve grammar and comprehension, as well as boost your analytical skills.

Also, it can expose you to new ideas, opinions, and experiences that are supposed to broaden your horizons. Since the IBDP is all about cultural understanding, learning about your own country and the world around you is the best approach to preparing yourself for the programme.

Seek to Improve Your English

Is English the main language of instruction and communication in your high school? Then it has to be at a high level if you are hoping for top scores.

At the same time, English is the language of much of the academic resources and literature you will encounter.

Therefore, it is important to constantly improve your English skills, especially if it is not your first language.

You can polish your English by reading, writing, listening, and speaking as much as possible. Apart from that, it is beneficial to make use of online tools, apps, or courses to practice your grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and fluency.

Improving your English will help you communicate effectively, understand the material better, and perform well in your assessments.

Keep up with Language B

Language B is the second language you’ll be studying in the IB programme. Typically, it is the language you started learning in middle school.

To stay on track with Language B, you need to regularly practice the four basic language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

You can do so by exposing yourself to materials and situations that use the language. You don’t have to stick to an academic learning style though. Instead, make it as entertaining as it can possibly be with movies, songs, podcasts, books, or online chats.

It is also an excellent idea to travel to a country that speaks the language you want to start or continue learning – immersion in an authentic linguistic environment will give a major boost to your skills. Above all, you will also have fun!

There is one more possibility to learn a new foreign language with the IBDP. If for some reason you want to drop the language you learned at middle school, you have a chance to begin with a new one. In this case, instead of Language B, you may sign up for Ab Initio (i.e. a course for beginners).

Seek Guidance from Your Teachers and DP Coordinators

During the pre-summer period, consult with your teachers and DP Coordinators to gain a clear understanding of what lies ahead in the Diploma Programme.

Discuss your subject choices, explore potential challenges, and seek their advice on how to navigate the upcoming academic journey successfully. They have a wealth of knowledge and experience. Therefore, their insights might equip you with valuable strategies and tips for effective preparation.

Enjoy the Experience

Above all, remember to enjoy the IB programme! It is a rewarding and enriching experience that is supposed to pave the way for your future endeavours. It will expose you to different perspectives and cultures, challenge you to think beyond your comfort zone, and inspire you to make a positive impact in the world.

On top of that, it can help you discover more about yourself, your strengths, your passions, and your goals. Therefore, you need to maintain a positive attitude and make the most of your journey. You’ll be proud of being an IB student!

Prepare for the IB Diploma Programme with a Tutor who Teaches the IB

Don’t hesitate to follow these IB tips to prepare for the IB Diploma Programme and set yourself up for success. Remember that being an IB student isn’t always about studying. It is also about growing as a person and engaging in exciting activities.

That being said, as you start this transformative educational experience, it’s essential to have strong support in place. That’s where TutorsPlus comes in.

As a trustworthy educational service provider, we pride ourselves on offering personalised tutoring tailored to your needs. You can reach our tutors at 022 731 8148 and . With our expertise and sincere desire to help, you’ll be able to embrace the opportunities that lie ahead and make the most of your high school experience.

By Sara Lloyd

Sara has been an education consultant for TutorsPlus for 15 years, and is an expert on international IB education.  She is also a parent of two lively children.

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