Tips for first year of IB?

[helpmesurviveIB]

I will be starting IB in august and was wondering if anyone has any tips for me for the upcoming two years.

My subjects are:

 

SL math

SL english

SL economics

 

HL chemistry

HL geography

HL french

 

I have done all of these subjects at an MYP and IGCSE grade, EXCEPT economics. 

So that's my problem, I have very low knowledge on economics, so i was wondering of what I can do to prepare myself for this subject.

If you take/ took any of these subjects, all tips are appreciated

 

btw im new to this forum so idk how this works ok

 

[thirdcultureteenSH->UK]

Hey there!

 

I'm starting this year as well, so I don't have any specific advice to give you. By the time I have any, you'd probably know about them as well haha.

 

However, my current school teaches us economics in tenth grade, so that the majority of the people who are in tenth grade honors economics (highest level class) generally do Econ HL and get 7s. I have a digital version of the textbook that we're currently using, and I could send it to you if you'd like!

[Pink97]

The last thing you should be worried about is economics, trust me. It is a pretty easy subject - if you focus in class and understand the concepts that are covered, you will be totally fine. Evaluation (something you have to do for the longer paper 1 essay) will be slightly hard in the beginning but if you're decent at economics you'll get the hang of it. I wouldn't recommend studying over the summer - enjoy your summer. But if you really want to revise, get a textbook from your future economics teacher and look over introduction to economics (scarcity, opportunity etc) and supply/demand. 

 

Maths - Make sure you know everything in the presumed knowledge section of the syllabus (page 23: http://www.tacoma.k12.wa.us/foss/IB%20Guides/IB-MathSLGuide2014.pdf). Also try to become less dependent on your calculator. I initially struggled with the non-calculator paper (paper 1) because I was so used to always using my calculator in IGCSE maths. I can't give you study tips as I just study everything the night before a test/exam. But practicing on a weekly basis will help you understand the concepts especially if you're weak at maths. 

 

Good luck! 

[ellie]

Honestly, 2 years is enough––sure, look through syllabi and browse through your textbooks if you'd like, but you don't need to do any work before IB actually starts. Just start studying from the second homework starts, pay attention in class and get a lot of rest this summer––you'll be happy you did so once IB starts for real. Good luck!

[Anne-Sophie213]

I had SL Math when I did the IB, and my best advise is to read the chapters for each topic and for the love of God do all the exercises. I know it seems obvious, but with the workload people often find that they don't have the time to do all the questions, and just do some of them. Also, you can get a revision guide. ISBN 978-1-904534-45-7. Buy it and use it. It's very helpful and it explains the math to full extend. 

Edited June 17, 2015 by Anne-Sophie213

[Scooby]

The transition from IGCSE math to Math SL might be your biggest worry, though this is just my opinion, as I was in that boat. Put your focus on maths a lot, even if your predicted grade is a 6 or above, really gotta hustle through that book, because its all about repetition. Get a hold of the curriculum for every subject and constantly use it to revise whether you know every single point in the chapter you've studied in class. Chemistry can also be tough at some points, so it's really just about making a list of subjects, from hardest to easiest and adjusting your focus accordingly. Don't always rely on your teachers, use websites like khan academy. com to understand parts of the curriculum you dont fully get. Use ibunity .com , you can hand in your incomplete essays and assignments in order to get tons of feedback and suggestions, sometimes it's pretty useful. Good luck

[lelu]

hey i honestly think you'll be fine not studying too much in advance, you'll get flooded with work soon enough hey... if you really want to, there are a couple of cool youtube channels (econplusdal etc.) that give you nice introductions to econ. As soon as your IBDP starts, you can maybe start to google newspaper articles that cover the topics you do in class, that got me interested and more connected to the topic... The Tragakes Econ book follows the syllabus pretty closely, in case you really want to study ahead...

[Ann Vyshinsky]

• Do some of the IAs in the first year (or at least plan them)

Have the draft of your EE in the end of your first year

Write your CAS diary, don't leave it for the second year: it will then make your life a living hell!

Don't study constantly: there'll be a plenty of time for revision before the exams. Instead, just attend lessons, pay attention and do homework, especially for the subjects that are more difficult to handle.

For Math SL: practice is really important. And have your calculator ready - I got mine only in the beginning of the second year and deeply regretted it. 

For Economics: you shouldn't neglect certain sections of the syllabus which you think are unlikely to appear on the exams. This year (on Econ HL, though), Paper 1 was full of such topics.

Oh and don't study in advance - you'll have 2 years for that!