IB HL Economics has gotten a reputation as being an “easy” 7, however from my own personal IB journey, I consider it to be far from it. Even though it is a highly demanded course within the IB Group 3 subjects, the IB DP Economics curriculum offers one of the most thorough and rigorous programmes within the International Baccalaureate.
To achieve the coveted 7, it is extremely essential to organize a suitable strategy for the IB examination, and this blog is intended to provide the best tips to do so:
- Usefulness of Diagrammes – It is clear that diagrammes are extremely important for IB students within the IB DP Economics curriculum. Being able to draw a key diagramme within a short space of time will massively increase the time spent on your analysis of the question and place you in a better position to read over your work at the end. Problems I witness with many IB students is that had they been able to manage their time more efficiently, they would have received better marks within the analysis part of the essay for Papers 1, 2 and even 3. Level 7 IB students must be able to draw diagrammes with their eyes closed! The best way to practice drawing diagrammes is to go through the whole IB content syllabus and train for each diagramme possible. You will now be prepared for any diagramme necessary in each question, and know exactly which ones you need to keep practicing.
- Importance of IB Internal Assessments – The IB HL Economics IA makes up 20% of your final result; hence, having a good quality grade will provide a nice protection for your final IB DP grade. But, more significantly, a bad grade will make it much harder to achieve that 7, so you should not take the IA for granted. I think many students get stuck on their IA and keep wondering “What is the best article to analyse?”. To set yourself up for success, try reading at least 1 newspaper article every 1 to 2 weeks (specifically from BBC News, The Economist, Financial Times, or CNN), and glancing at topics that have well-defined Economic theory and a thorough evaluation. Exchange rates, unemployment and fiscal policy are ideal topics for assessment, as there are distinct diagrammes in the IB DP Economics syllabus to be used for these concepts. Exploring online will provide you with numerous IA commentaries to enhance areas of your IA that may be lacking and to take inspiration from. These offer you great terminology, key concepts, application, and evaluations. Honestly, the analysis section is just an enhanced description of a paper 2 answer.
- How to structure answers and have a strong evaluation – For all IB DP Economics essays, the foundation should create a clear structure for your answers in Papers 1, 2 and 3. In summary:
- Define – All key economic terms
- Diagramme – Based on the example given in the question
- Analysis – Explain the diagramme and then evaluate the main subject of the question, this may include: advantages vs disadvantages, short run vs long run, effects on stakeholders, etc.
- Real World Examples – should relate to the specific topics in the question and enhance your answer
- Short sentence summary – make sure you wrap everything up efficiently and truly hit the command terms used in the question
I consider this structure to be a terrific blueprint for how IB DP students should create their long-answer responses to questions in IB Papers 1 and 2. Applying a solid evaluation with extra knowledge you knew outside the problem e.g., news articles that interlink to the question, will really show the IB examiner you completely understand what you are discussing and shows the signs of a level 7 IB student. Following these tips should get you on your way to achieving that 7. They certainly helped me! For more guidance and advice on achieving your IB goals, you can have a read through our other blogs. Hope this was helpful!