The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is a high school programme that is highly valued by universities for the stringent research skills demanded of students. IB students are prepared for higher education at a competitive pace through the rigorous academic process. 

Research skills and academic writing are essential throughout the entire IBDP programme, however there are two major facets that demand this the most, known together as the IB Core : The Extended Essay (EE), the Theory of Knowledge (TOK)  and the six Internal Assessments (IAs) – one for each subject.

Research Skills in the IBDP: The Extended Essay

The Extended Essay (EE) can be based on any of the IB subjects within the six IB Subject Groups. The candidate has to write a 3000-4000 word academic essay on a specific topic within the chosen subject. The EE in English, for example, involves analysing a literary work, collating references and citing a number of relevant sources. Before working on the EE, we recommend that students focus their efforts on an airtight essay plan with an unassailable structure. We also suggest the use of subsection headers within a draft for reference (and then removing them later). These measures taken alongside dedicating time to multiple drafts, troubleshooting errors and doing multiple checks, can be extremely helpful in achieving the perfect essay flow. 

Research Skills in the IBDP: The Internal Assessments

The  Internal Assessments (IAs), which serve as explorations of specific syllabi in the form of a project, are required for each of the student’s six subjects. The type of research i.e primary or secondary, and the exact assessment criteria will vary according to the subject. For most IA’s, students must formulate a research question based on a chosen concept, and conduct an investigation according to the parameters of the subject. For instance, the IA’s for the sciences usually require laboratory reports based on experiments conducted by students; whereas IA’s for foreign languages would usually require an oral assessment.

The CourseLeap Strategy for Success

There are many strategies to stay strong during the rigorous journey through the IBDP. Taking breaks, capitalising on a support system of friends and family as well as paying attention to one’s mental health to keep stress at bay during IB exam preparations are just some of the ways to ensure success.

Taking up work experience with CourseLeap, or considering  CourseLeap’s Pre-IB Core Programme, can greatly add value to the EE and IA journey.  There is always a need for consistent and well-rounded academic guidance, especially within such a robust programme. In fact, CourseLeap provides specific workshops and personal tutoring that focuses on developing research work during the year. This  ensures our students receive as much guidance as possible. At the same time, we emphasise the importance of academic integrity with clear ethical guidelines for all our students.

Adjustment to the rigour of the IBDP is an important step for every student at the beginning of their IB journey, and students from a national curriculum background should not see themselves at a disadvantage. Instead, they should focus on adapting to the required skill set. CourseLeap’s Pre-IB programme aims to bridge the gap for students transitioning to the IBDP program, regardless of their previous curriculum. The program is designed to help students excel in each subject and component of the IBDP, giving them confidence in their academics and allowing them to pursue non-academic activities such as sports, internships, and artistic interests. This holistic approach is tailored to each student’s development and their university applications and results in a progress that students would be proud of.

We work with students to develop and refine a passion project from a topic of their choice, give them structures to implement a research plan from short to long term and keep a track of their progress through this arduous journey with regular research logs . With CourseLeap, students develop skills that far better support an independent work style and provide an academic headstart for university life. 

Looking to participate? Contact Us to find out more about our cutting edge Pre-IB courses!