IB Diploma Prep: How to Survive (and Win) the Two Hardest Years

The IB is harder than most curricula because the assessment is spread over two years and most of it is internal. You can be brilliant and still drop a grade by mishandling an IA.

The IB calendar that works

• DP1 Aug–Oct: settle in, attend everything, build flashcard habit
• DP1 Nov–Feb: start IAs early, especially the science ones
• DP1 Mar–May: finish first drafts of IAs, full revision for May mocks
• DP1 May–Aug: EE first draft over the summer
• DP2 Aug–Dec: finalise IAs, EE second draft, TOK essay
• DP2 Jan–Apr: past papers, mocks, target weak topics
• DP2 May: the exams

Where students lose marks

1. Not reading the IB criteria for each IA. They look like generic rubrics but each criterion is specific.
2. TOK essays that argue too late. Get to a clear position by paragraph 2.
3. EE topic too broad. Narrow makes the difference between a B and an A.
4. Maths IA without exploration. Just doing maths is not enough — you must explore why the maths matters.

Tools

• Mark My Answer — gives feedback in IB criterion language
• Concept Map — for HL biology and HL history especially
• Past Papers — IB papers are scarce; generate similar-style practice
• Diagnostic + plan — useful before mock exams

The TOK secret

TOK essays score on knowledge questions, not on philosophy showmanship. Pick a clear knowledge question, take a position, defend it with two areas of knowledge, address one counter argument, conclude with nuance. That is the formula.