IB DP Physics is a tough subject and, on top of that, International Baccalaureate DP exams can be very tricky. In order to succeed in the IB, extensive knowledge of key concepts and theory is not enough. Tackling IB exams requires a special set of skills and strategies which go beyond learning and understanding IB Physics. Excelling in IB exams is a separate art in itself. The following ideas are fundamental to developing such an approach:
• Past IB paper practice is essential. It is the ultimate form of training. Every skill required to solve an exam will be put to the test repeatedly. This will include: choosing the right formula from the formula booklet, substituting numerical data into the formula and subsequent calculations, and more.
This training would not be complete without the means to check your progress. This is where IB mark schemes come into play. Here you will find every possible correct answer and related procedures. You will also find valuable information about what is incorrect and about invalid approaches to IB exams.
Progress will be characterized by trial and error. Apart from this, you will start to realize that IB exam questions repeat themselves. Not on a superficial level but on a structural level as well. As a result, exams will cease to seem unique and special. These are the first stages as you develop your IB exam skills. Further down the line, time optimization will be your next priority.
• IB Physics Paper 1 is particularly challenging. IB Questions can be deceiving or confusing and the average 90 seconds to answer each one of them can seem extremely brief. Consequently, you will have to learn how to identify correct answers. This is a complex process; it is certainly time consuming and it does not always produce a successful result.
You must also learn a much simpler yet more efficient strategy: how to identify incorrect answers. This way, you will be able to isolate the correct option by discarding the rest. And how can you easily discard the rest? Sometimes by looking at the order of magnitude of the answer if the question asks for numerical results. Sometimes by analyzing the units produced by an equation if the question asks for a symbolic expression. Sometimes, even by the sheer logic based on your knowledge of the topic at hand, will produce the desired result. Most of the time, you can easily get rid of two options out of four and this will narrow down the possibilities to your advantage.
• Last but not the least, the IB Internal Assessment (IB IA) is a vital component of your IB DP Physics mark. However, the average IB student’s approach to this is frequently undermined by a serious misconception. This misconception revolves around how to obtain the higher marks in your IB Internal Assessment. This is incorrectly associated to exceptional originality, ingenuity and creativity in experiment and investigation design. Nothing short of groundbreaking scientific discovery will be rewarded with top tier marks. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Higher IB Internal Assessment marks are a result of proper investigation and experiment execution primarily. This means that you should focus on posing a direct and straightforward research question after providing the appropriate theoretical context for your topic of investigation. It also means that your experiment should be consistent with this question and that it should provide you with enough data for proper analysis. Data analysis must consider uncertainties and process them accordingly. Your reflection should be a natural conclusion to this analysis and your results should show this. You may ask yourself: do these results reflect what the theory and mathematical models predict or not? Discussing limitations and improvements under this light is the final stage in your IB IA.
Being an IB examiner for the IA in DP Physics, I have seen unoriginal investigations succeed countless times following the above mentioned set of basic rules. These rules are certainly not the enemy of creative initiatives and they should not discourage curiosity driven approaches. Yet, I suggest that you use them to your advantage.