By Perla Lepage, year 12
As the exam period approaches, so does the last summer before senior year for the current year 12s. Many may be wondering how to organise everything concerning the Extended Essay, Internal Assessments, preparation for university application deadlines in autumn, and the June exams – which are especially important concerning the predicted grades. On Friday the 8th of April 2022, before spring break, year 12 students had the opportunity to attend an informal presentation given by four Year 13s (Giulia D’Ambrosio, Miko Rimer, Miko Matheron, and Margaux Francioli) on their last day of high school before their study leave for the IB exams. Here is a summary of what was said, which may prove to be extremely helpful as students prepare for the end-of-year exams and manage work during the summer all while enjoying a great and relaxing vacation. Remember these are tips coming from students who lived through the experience a year ago and are now preparing for their IB exams!
Before the summer holidays and exams
Firstly, how important the year 12 grades are is often underestimated, but it is with those scores that many will apply to university in autumn. When studying for the upcoming exams in a bit over a month, it is important to find a good balance and to work smart. Many use the Pomodoro technique which has proven to be extremely helpful for some students. One of the best ways to ensure a top mark when revising is to do and redo past papers; students are advised to do as many as they can because it is those that truly prepare them for what might be on the exam. On the IB website, as well as many others, past papers can be found easily. The coursework booklet also has essay questions that may be asked. Switching between subjects when studying is also very effective as it stimulates students to vary between different areas. What stood out the most to the year 13s was that the math exam was much harder than anyone expected; so make sure to be prepared! However, it was said that all other exams were what was expected. Finally, after the exams, use the class time given to work on the IAs! The year 13s said that after the exams, during the last week of school, everyone checked out, but that they paid the price while spending additional time on their IAs during the summer.
The summer
First of all, the year 13s explained that many stuents say that they’re going to be efficient and work during the summer, but do not end up doing so. However, students were given some very important tips on how to manage their time if this happens to them. The first week back from the summer will be one of the worst weeks of their IB because that is when all the IAs and the first draft of the Extended Essay are due. The IAs are harder and more significant than the Extended Essay, so students were told to prioritize their IAs. When writing up their IAs or the EE, students should make sure to cite everything, and if they are not going to be able to make a deadline, they should ask for an extension as early as possible. For the Biology and Chemistry IAs, students were advised sure to write everything down when they are doing the experiments during the last week of term for the write-up which will be done over the summer.
Also, if they plan on going to university in the United States, the summer is particularly important for students. They were told to make sure to do any type of volunteer work or other activities that look impressive and are useful for their applications. Additionally, if students are taking or re-taking the SATs, they should make sure to do it during the summer, and absolutely not in year 13 when the workload will be tremendous.
Finally, CAS should never be a priority over anything else. CAS is a requirement to pass the IB but does not count as any points toward the final IB grade.
Many thanks to the year 13 students who agreed to participate in this informal presentation on their last day. It was extremely useful to get insight into the upcoming year from people who had already been through it and this will be of use to many students as to how to manage their time as the exams are approaching and the summer with the biggest workload so far. Good luck to all year 12s for their end-of-year exams, and make sure to enjoy the summer before year 13!
Image courtesy of ibo.org
