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The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is one of the most popular education systems globally, based on well-defined standards while teaching students to be accountable for their work. It is a rigorous pre-university program that offers a curriculum through which students develop analytical abilities, critical thinking skills and resilience acquired by the effective learning and teaching methods. The programme can be a challenge to even the brightest of students, from both national and international curricula because of its superior standards and emphasis on independent thinking.
We have combined 5 top tips that you can follow to ensure a smooth transition into this incredibly diverse and demanding high school diploma program for students in grade 11 and 12.
Refine your research skills and broaden your knowledge
It is important to get into the habit of doing thorough research. For those who aren’t aware, research plays a central role in the development, quality assurance and assessment of IB programme outcomes. The several essays and articles you will be expected to write for each subject, requires you to conduct detailed research plans with academic integrity. To brush up on this critical skill, you should:
- Familiarise yourself with the art of keyword searching and plan your strategy
- Explore the different databases and search engines (Oracle, MySQL, Microsoft SQL server, etc) available to you
- Save and manage all your references in a systematic way (either through spreadsheets, folders, EndNote, etc)
- Learn how to recognise quality sources by tracing credible citations and checking credibility
If you are about to start subjects you aren’t familiar with, it’s beneficial to research and read up on articles and literary pieces that will broaden your knowledge.
Improve your reading and writing skills
As an IB student, writing can be tedious considering you’re expected to submit multiple drafts of 4000 words of your Extended Essay, Internal Assessments for each subject, written tasks and math exploration. During your final examination period, you may also have three written papers on the same day. Developing good writing and reading skills is crucial because it will help you comprehend instructions and clearly communicate your ideas to the examiner in a structured and insightful way. Irrespective of what subjects you take, you will be required to produce a substantial amount of writing for your reflective projects.
Focus on time management and being organised
One of our most valuable resources is time, and all the more important is the ability to manage it. The goal is to get into the habit of making each moment count for something productive through self-discipline and avoiding our tendency to procrastinate.
With the workload you will expect to receive in the IB, it is important to devise a study strategy and routine with allocated time slots based on your own personal habits and priorities. Highly recommended methods of achieving this includes:
- Managing a digital/ non-digital monthly and weekly calendar with deadlines
- Setting target completion dates for all your assignments and tasks and keeping track on a daily basis
- Timing yourself each time you begin doing a task such that you’re motivated to concentrate and adhere to deadlines
- Minimise procrastination and increase productivity by completing all tasks and rewarding yourself each time you’ve done so.
- Avoid spending too much time on social media
Get support
If you have already made your subject choices, now is the time to sit and reflect on them. It is important to ask questions about whether you will enjoy them, whether they are the correct level (Standard Level or Higher Level) for you, or whether they fit your aspirations for when you leave school. Approach your tutors and mentors to gain a better understanding of the subject syllabi and expectations held by the IBDP.
Get a headstart into the IBDP with CourseLeap
Students should use their summer wisely such that they have a smooth transition into this demanding pre- university curriculum. Our Pre IB program will help students develop good study habits, efficient time management skills, understand different learning styles and its practical applications. It also provides them with the distinct advantage of having explored and gained a foundation of the subjects.
These Pre IB summer courses are strongly encouraged for those who are considering the IB Diploma, since they help understand the heavy criteria based nature of the program, build solid research, writing and reading skills and utilise higher-order thinking for success in the IBDP (or other advanced courses in grades 11 and 12).
Our experienced teaching faculty have developed these courses to strengthen necessary skills that they have noticed tend to be weaker; thus focusing on the key areas that would give students confidence in their knowledge base before they become IB students.
We offer a variety of subjects you can enroll, to smoothen your transition process into the IBDP program:
– Pre IB Introduction to the IB Core (TOK, CAS & EE)
– Pre IB English Literature and Language
If you have any further queries, reach us here.