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What is a good score for an IOP/tips to improve on it?


arash

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I just transferred from an AP to an IB school my junior year of high school, so as you can imagine it's been a bit difficult adjusting to the way IB tests. I did my first IOP for my HL English class and I honestly didn't even think I did that bad but I GOT A 4. I got in the 7-8 range for knowledge and understanding of work, but my presentations and language scores were what brought me down. How can I improve to do better next time? I imagined that there'd be more focus on what I talked about in my presentation, but it seemed like the emphasis was on other presentation etiquette stuff???? 

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A 4 isn't necessarily bad in IB. A 4 is passing. However, you'll want to do better on your IOP because you have time to fix it, unlike on your written exams. Therefore, you should probably aim for a 6. Well, aim for a 7, reward yourself if you get a 6, and be happy if you get a 5. 

As to etiquette, the different IB exams have different criteria. The IOP definitely does put an emphasis on your presentation skills, but it's the only one that does that. If I remember correctly, content is only one third of the grade for the IOP, so adjust your work so that you have an awesome presentation. Ideally, you'll have great content that you communicate in a great way. 

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Presentation is very important for the IOP.  Fortunately, it's easier to fix than the "knowledge and understanding" criterion!

How you improve depends on your personal presentation style.  For the most part, improvising or speaking without prompts is probably not the best idea, because you can 'um' and 'ah', or not have logical sentence structures, especially if you're nervous and start forgetting what you're talking about.  However you want to present eventually, you'd do best to basically write out your whole speech and then practise it, over and over until it's very comfortable for you to say.  Short sentences, smallish words, and concise ideas are best.  

Once you're at that point, you can record yourself presenting to see how it sounds.  Remember to speak slowly (you have 15 minutes, so don't worry too much about timing) and place emphasis on important words.  Pause after each phrase to let the world-changing meaningfulness of your deep and philosophical analysis sink in.  Even if you don't think what you're saying is impressive, this is how you fake it :)

If you don't want to do a formal presentation, still have your speech memorised, and you can adopt a more casual tone.  Don't use casual language or slang, but act as though you're explaining what you mean very clearly and precisely to a teacher, or somebody else you respect.

Powerpoints and props can be helpful, but they're not necessary to a good presentation.  Often, they just get in the way, so use them minimally and make sure the focus stays on you.

Lastly, try presenting to an audience when you're practising.  Your parents and/or unlucky siblings can be easily rounded up after dinner and forced to listen.  If you have some loyal friends, present to them.  Present to a dog.  Present in the mirror.  Present to your favourite teacher, whatever you like, just try to get some practise in front of a judgemental audience.

Good luck!

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