Chemistry HL

[LamD06]

Hello,everyone,

 

I am in 11th grade,and I have chemistry HL. I struggle with that subject a bit. Do you have advices how to improve or some material that you can send me that are helpful?

I appreciate every advice,thank you. ) 

 

 

[Karolina.jj]

Do as many practice papers as possible, it helps you to understand the topics and you're also revising for upcoming exams   Also making flash cards is extremely helpful 

[Msj Chem]

You can try my videos at www.msjchem.com

[Daksh Saksena]

Guys any question banks which are not past papers? As segregating the questions for my syllabus from past papers is tedious

[kw0573]

Guys any question banks which are not past papers? As segregating the questions for my syllabus from past papers is tedious

I have found before the 2016 onward HL chemistry specimen paper online, of course that's more for knowing question styles rather than preparing for tests.

If you are only in year 1, I don't think questionbanks are very useful. It's best to just study from your textbook and homework problems.

What a questionbank has that is not found on just papers and answers key includes examiners' feedback (if most students picked a distraction answer or incorrect diagram), grade boundaries (which are available elsewhere) and ability to search of past papers easily. 

If your class size is large in enough, next year you can recruit people into buying a license together. Past papers are easy to search for online, and it does sound like you have found some. I don't understand how you went through the trouble of finding them, but not going enough to sort through the questions. Questionbanks are best for study for the exams but not in-class tests or assessments. It should not be, you know, tomorrow is the test imma try to get a questionbank today. In you break time (summer, winter) you can take the time to organize the questions you have access to. 

Now back to the OP

Tip 1. Don't resort to memorization, especially not for the core topics (as opposed to AHL).

Chemical concepts are so compounded and they built off each other. If you resort to memorization to do well on a test, it may be beneficial short-term but in long-term you are going to suffer. (Of course, one does not simply find organic chemistry super intuitive.) 

Tip 2. Have a positive and learning-oriented attitude.

You main goal should be to learn, not to score higher marks. Learning can get you high marks, but not the other way around. This is especially true in year 1 when your predicted grades (if any) don't really matter. The question ask you should ask are "how do I make this make sense to me?", "why is it that this leads to that?", or "how do I calculate ...", instead of "how can I memorize all this information", "What are the best ways to do multiple choice questions". Study at least until you know what you are doing and why.

Tip 3. Study regularly

Rewrite your notes. Watch revision videos. Do your homework. Study for 30-45 minutes / day for a 1 week instead of 4 hours a day. Focus on working on one or two concepts at a time. You should never be a lecture behind. If anything, you should read the materials before hand to preview each class.

Tip 4. Don't fuss about make your first set of notes too neat.

Write all important concepts and your own questions down, not just a copy of a board. If you understand the gist of what the teacher talked about, that's success! If the teacher is already talking about another topic while you are still copying notes, stop, listen to what the teacher have to say. You can always get the notes later after class. 

Tip 5. Ask for help (like what you are doing right now).

Always ask teacher to clarify or give more examples if you need them. Tutors are not necessary. If you are going for tutors, the course companions are more affordable and beneficial. 

All these easier said than done. Try some of the strategies from above. Be patient, and believe in yourself!

[bguloglu]

Two words: Richard Thornley!!!

[Reyyaalhasani]

Does anybody have a topic for the Chemistry HL internal assessment? I cannot find appropriate complex experiments nor a procedure suitable enough. Any help or suggestions?

[Aninda Saha]

Richard Thornley videos were my bread and butter tbh. They are absolutely amazing.

[Nihal]

This might be a bit specific but does anyone know a simple way of finding the freezing point of solutions with really low freezing points?

[Karolina.jj]

Does anybody have a topic for the Chemistry HL internal assessment? I cannot find appropriate complex experiments nor a procedure suitable enough. Any help or suggestions?

 

You can do some awesome experiments concerning electrolysis if you're looking for something kind of complex and cool to do. I did electrolysis of different fruit juices and it was a lot of fun + smelled really good  . You can also do titration of sodas or soaps it's also pretty awesome 

[Bag]

On 11/18/2015 at 11:04 AM, Karolina.jj said:

 

You can do some awesome experiments concerning electrolysis if you're looking for something kind of complex and cool to do. I did electrolysis of different fruit juices and it was a lot of fun + smelled really good  . You can also do titration of sodas or soaps it's also pretty awesome 

I was thinking of doing something with electrolysis and that sounds pretty cool. How did you do that? I'm having a bit of a problem with my personal engagement and the literature values.