How to Prepare for A-Levels and IB
Hello, everyone!
This is the first collab blog post with Jasmine! Be sure you check out her Instagram to follow her through her studies in A-Levels (@ughstudyign) In this blog post we will be talking about preparing for A-Levels and IB.
So before I even start getting in on how to prepare for IB, here is the IB "circle" which is basically the subjects you need to take.
This photo was taken from Google
In the above photo, you can see that there are 6 mains groups. Next, to them includes a list of subjects that they fall into. (Please be aware that your school may offer different subjects for different groups) You will have to take 1 subject in each group so you will have 6 subjects in total. You didn't think it ended there, did you? NOPE! If you are taking the Diploma you will have to do TOK, CAS and EE.
TOK (Theory of Knowledge) - "is assessed through an oral presentation and a 1,600-word essay. It asks students to reflect on the nature of knowledge, and on how we know what we claim to know. " (taken from the IBO)
CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) - "is one of the three essential elements that every student must complete as part of the Diploma Programme (DP). Studied throughout the Diploma Programme, CAS involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies." (Taken from the IBO)
EE (Extended Essay) - " is a mandatory core component of the IB Diploma Programme. It is a research paper of up to 4,000 words giving students an opportunity to conduct independent research or investigation on a topic that interests them." (Taken from the IBO)
The IB course is done over a span of two years (Year 12 and 13). So now that you know what you have to do, the question is how do you prepare for it?
Well, you need to do pretty well in you GCSE's/IGCSE's or whatever your school offers as an equivalent. If you want to do a subject at higher level, then you will need at least an A! Some school do provide PRE-IB courses, which is basically the school preparing you for the workload a year before you actually do IB. This is very beneficial to people who don't know how to manage their time and also procrastinate a lot. Another advantage of doing pre-IB courses is that you know what you are getting into. If you aren't motivated enough to do the work or think the workload is too much, then you can switch over to another course. (This could A-Levels, AP or another course your school/country offers)
A big question that has been asked is are the teachers qualified to teach IB? Yes, the majority of the IB teachers have attended training seminars done by the IB. However, in my experience, my teachers weren't qualified enough and if you asked them a question they couldn't answer it. They taught the basics of the subject, but nothing more. Please bare in mind that IB also likes you to ask questions and they also want you to know the subject in depth. This is because the questions in the exams depend on you being able to apply your knowledge to real-life situations.
Another tip is to get used to doing work every day. Well, what about the weekends? I also suggest you work during the weekends as well. Don't do TOO much work during the weekend, but get some of your homework and parts of your IA done. My number 1 tip that worked for me and has always worked since I was in Year 7, is to do your work as soon as you get home. Give yourself 5 minutes to get a drink and a snack and then get your work/revision done. If you leave it till later, you will find yourself tired and you might be too lazy to do the work so you will find yourself procrastinating! If you don't have any homework, then look over your notes you took from that day's lessons for half an hour. This way you are involuntarily doing revision! You will also need to do work over the summer holiday if you are in an IBDP Y1 student. I know, no one wants to work during the holiday, but it really does help in the long run. You can get a head start on studying and you can work on your IAs and EE.
Now since you will have lots of work to do and IB requires you to have an in-depth knowledge of the course, I suggest you start reading some books. I don't mean YA (Young Adult) books (I wish). I mean books that relate to anything going on in the current or past world. So pick up some history books or read some Shakespeare (helpful for English SL/HL). If you don't have book likes this or don't want to buy any books, then read some news articles online about the current world. TOK will require you to know what is going on in the world and what everyone is saying about a current situation.
Preparation is really important in IB. You need to prepare everything in advance otherwise it could be a mess later on in the year. So my number one advice for preparing yourself and make sure you read the textbook before you go into the lesson. WHAT? you mean actually use it! :0 Yes, the IB textbooks will be your life and saviour. IB will test you on everything that is in the book, so get reading! I found that reading the textbook and syllabus before I went into the lesson helped a lot with my knowledge. I also found that it was easier to understand what the teacher was saying and I was also more involved in class discussions!
My last tip for you would be to make sure you have a faint idea about what you would like to do for your EE during the first few school months. Your IB grade will depend on this essay, so make sure you pick a subject you are REALLY interested in and have some background knowledge of it. During the first few months, you can also go around to the subject teachers and ask them what is required for the EE for their subject. An example is that if you wanted to pick Biology, you would have to do an experiment. However, if you wanted English Literature, you need to be able to compare two pieces of literature with a similar theme. I picked Visual Arts for my EE, so I compared conceptual art to traditional art and wrote 4,000 words about it.
My extra final tip for you is to make sure you stay motivated. I know not as helpful as the others, but you need to be in the right state of mind. I know how hard it is to get through IB but I promise you getting the Diploma at the end is the most satisfying feeling. I am writing this a day after I got my Diploma and I cried tears of joy for at least 45 minutes. You will be expected to do everything yourself so no one will be there to give you the answers. However, there is always someone around to give you advice on how to proceed if you are struggling. Going through the two years of IB was SO hard, but it all worked out in the end. So please, if you feel like giving up..remember why you started and think about what you can do with that Diploma after you get it! Think of all your goals that can be achieved!
Introduction to A Levels
A levels are done over year 12 and 13, with the official examinations being at the end of year 13, as you probably already know.
There are four subjects in total, of your choice, which you study for two years, yet you can drop one subject when you get to the second year,( you can also start off with three subjects, but it’s recommended you start off with four).You can also choose to study three A level courses and one BTEC course, but it all depends on what suits you and your personal level.
Selecting Courses
There are a few things you have to consider when picking your A level courses, such as:
What you’re considering as a future career. Different career paths may require different university courses, and A level is the first step to getting into a university with the qualifications you want, so make sure your A level courses fit what you want to take in university and what you choose as a career in the long run. If you’re not sure about what you want to do in the future, then make sure to choose something that gives you a range of opportunities and options so that you can figure out what path you want to take, without throwing away the chance to take them.
Personal Knowledge. How much you know about the subject and if you’ve taken it before or not. If you’ve never taken the subject before, don’t consider it as an A level course. This may seem like common sense, but believe me, you may see a course you’re interested in and take it, although you know absolutely nothing about the course itself. But, if the course is something familiar to what you’ve studied before (for example, if you take English literature as a GCSE or equivalent, taking history or sociology is a similar style of studying so it can be considered an option.), then it would be fine for you to take it, yet keep in mind you may have to do some extra self studying to keep up with everything. Do choose one new course if you want to, as a change, but absolutely do NOT choose all new courses.
Do your research. Don’t assume that because the course was easy at GCSE level, it’ll be easy at A levels too. Ask your teachers, I cannot stress this enough, use your teachers, they’re there for a reason. Ask students that have completed the course about it, but don’t take opinions, take in facts only, as their opinion may not apply to you.
Choose something you enjoy. Choose something you enjoy studying, or you won’t be motivated to work on it, which can lower your grade, so make sure the courses you choose interests you.
Don’t take opinions from others. Don’t let anyone choose your courses for you. Make sure you make the decision alone, or you may end up making a big mistake. Choose your options only because you want to, and definitely don’t choose a course because your friend or someone else chooses it, as this will affect your future, which they may not be a part of.
Take into consideration how much effort you need to put in. Different courses need different levels of effort and time, so if you’re someone that doesn’t like to study a lot, then don’t take a course with a lot of pressure, don’t push yourself over the limit, and only take how much you can handle, if that means dropping a course and starting with three, so be it.
Know what you’re getting yourself into. Know your course inside out, and any coursework and extra work you may need to do before making your decision, as this may affect what you take. Read up on the content you’ll be studying, and make sure you know all the exam boards you’ll be doing exams with.
How to prepare yourself for A levels.
A- levels are a big step up from GCSE’s, although it may not seem as much of a change, you will definitely need to change some things, such as your time management and how much effort you’ll need to put into your studying.
Think of it this way, it’s only two years of your life, which will define your whole future. Take it seriously, but don’t forget to have fun sometimes, and make sure your courses are fun and interesting.
Spend some time over summer to go over the courses you will be taking, and make sure you learn some of the basics you may need. This will be extremely helpful as you won't go into the course blind, and you'll have a background on what to expect. This will put you at an advantage, but keep in mind many others will most probably do this too, so if you don’t, you will be at a disadvantage.
Try learning how to do things before you start. Things such as Time Management, Organization, or even how to write an A level essay, as these things are what separates you from being a lower level GCSE student to a high A level student, and basic things like learning how to gather research properly can immensely improve your work ethic.
Don’t be afraid to change yourself, even if these are small changes, such as changing your daily routine before starting school to make it easier for yourself to adjust to the loads of work that’s probably going to be thrown at you as soon as you start, but at the same time, make sure you have everything you need before starting so you don’t get distracted throughout the year.
DO NOT wait until the last minute. This is a huge mistake lot’s of people do when going into GCSE’s, and definitely, don’t make this mistake going into A levels. Get all your courses sorted out in advance, and start studying for future exams weeks before. You need to be going over what you study during the same day you study it, and make sure you know all the content inside out before the exams, you’re supposed to be only revising just before the exam, not learning. This is honestly a mistake I've made, and it really does put you at a huge disadvantage.
Don’t count on anyone to help you. You have to be fully independent, on both yourself and your work. It’s okay to ask for help, but make sure all your work is your’s, and don’t share your work with anyone. Give advice, not answers.
In conclusion, there's a big change from GCSE to A levels, but nothing you can't adjust to with some extra help☀️
Any of these tips can be used for any subject areas/courses. They aren't just for IB and A-levels, so feel free to use them for other courses or just general school tips. - Jasmine and Hannah
