A few months ago, we did a study on how difficult is IB and discovered that the dropout rate is higher in this program than in the Advanced Placement.
Even with our findings indicating that many students who start drop the course within the same year of enrollment, it doesn’t exactly mean you can’t score good grades.
We strongly believe that if you follow the course instructions and put in the hard world, you can score a 45 in IB and earn a diploma after the two-year course.
In this lesson, we’ll give you some effective study tips that you can use to get a 45 in IB.
Whether you’re struggling with TOK , you have a hard time working on the Extended Essay, or you need some hints on handling your Internal Assessments, this post is for you.
What Percent of IB Students Get 45?
In May 2021, more than 170,000 students across the world sat for the IB exams. Despite the difficulties posed by the global pandemic (or Covid-19), and the complexity of the program, many students performed exceedingly well.
Based on IB’s global examination results, data, 15,513 students, out of the 170,000 scored between 40 and 45, which is excellent performance. That number is higher, up from 9,701 in May 2020, indicating an increase of 3.78 percent in the diploma pass rate.
These results are quite interesting. Looking at the trajectory of the number of students who have done well in 2021 compared to the 2020 data, it’s clear that you can score higher grades, too, if you put in the hard work and stay focused.
How to Get a 45 in IB: The Best Tips from those Who Do Well
If you look at the above statistics again, you’ll notice that only about 1% of IB students get a 45 in their tests.
Does that mean it’ impossible to get a 45?
Well, not exactly. Getting a 45 in the program is hard, but it’s not impossible. You have to put in the hard work if you seriously want to get the best grades.
With that said, here are some tips, based on those who did well, that can help you get the highest scores in your International Baccalaureates exams and earn a diploma.
1. Have Good Study Habits
IB is so hard that you can’t get a 45 if you don’t discipline yourself to study regularly. To pass with such high grade, you need to have the right study habits to help you navigate through the entire course.
Start by creating a study routine you are sure you can stick to throughout the week. Such a clear action plan is useful because it helps to eliminate confusions and gives you a clear roadmap on what to do next.
Your study routine should balance time across the different subjects you wish to take in IB. Don’t just concentrate more on one subject and less on another. Every subject needs equal attention because it contributes to the overall marks.
You can spend less time on easy subject and dedicate more revision time to the subjects you struggle with the most. For example, if you find IB Economic IA easy, you can spend at least half an hour every day revising the subject. If you have a difficult time with IB World Study EE, you may need at least 10 hours a week to revise the subject.
When it comes to allocating time to the subjects, you have to use your best judgment to know what’s optimal.
2. Read Ahead All the Time
Having an organized timetable isn’t enough to get a 45 in IB. Rather than spending your time revising the course materials you’ve already explored with your IB teacher in class, consider reading ahead.
If you think about it, there’s a lot to learn in IB, and your teacher probably won’t teach you everything front to back. You therefore need to have an explorative mindset and get yourself to look beyond what you’ve already learned in the classroom.
How else are you going to write your TOK Exhibition Commentary if you don’t learn how to find the Exhibition objects?
Are you sure you can have an easy time writing EE reflections if you don’t do enough research to find your Extended Essay topic?
The idea here is to show you that waiting for your teacher to cover the syllabus in class can be quite detrimental to your success. Therefore, you have to train yourself to explore new content independently and ask your teacher as many questions as you possibly can if you ever feel lost.
3. Take the IB Guide Seriously
Here’s the thing:
Many students don’t bother to look at the IB guidelines to know what the program requires. They wait for the teacher to provide everything, which isn’t the best move.
To be very precise, IB spent their time putting together a guide so you could read it front to back. The guide outlines everything you need to know before writing your exams, which means it’s a significant train tracks.
Follow the guide. Look at it as many times as you have to and you’ll be on your way to scoring 45 marks in the program.
4. Ask for Help
If you feel as if IB is so hard that you can’t understand concepts on your own, it might be best to ask for help instead of considering dropping out of the course. If you know someone or people who have already been through the program and passed with high marks, reach out to them for consultation.
Your teacher is also there to get you the help you need to do well in IB. Not to mention that you can consult IB experts, such as Help for Assessment, to point you in the right direction if you feel stuck or lost.
At Help for Assessment, we offer IB students help with four kinds of assignments:
- Theory of Knowledge Essay
- Extended Essay
- Internal Assessment
- TOK Exhibition
So don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you’re not so sure about your assignments.