Biology

Hello there chemists! In this little section I will be discussing some tips in IB chemistry HL/SL that you may happen to find extremely useful throughout your chemistry course. So without further ado, let’s get started!

Tip 1: Acknowledge the fact that you’re taking a chemistry course in an IB subject

Chemistry is not easy, let alone the fact that it is an IB course. The first test will most probably be a little shocking, but personally I perceived it to be a little push to get a better grade on the second test. The only reason the first test is a little shocking is because the questions asked in IB may happen to be worded differently. Not to mention, that the pace you have to work at throughout your assessment is going to have to be faster than usual. In simpler words, you’re just not familiar with the course, yet! As long as you acknowledge that this subject requires work and practice, you’ll be fine.

Tip 2: Remain calm at all times during the exam

Easier said than done, I know! But trust me you’ll be doing yourself a huge favor if you remained calm during the test. Stressing and feeling nervous will distort your thought process and may lead to some mess ups in your calculations (I am talking from experience here). So, when you walk into simple end of unit exams, remember that it is a minority compared to your finals, don’t waste your stress on such simple exams. In the finals, it’s normal to stress, but try to remain calm and be prepared! Stress mainly comes from lack of preparation, if you keep up with your chemistry studies and actively recall all of the information at all times, you’ll be more than fine!

Tip 3: Practice exam paper style questions all the time!

Learning the content in chemistry is good, but not enough! You NEED to do past paper questions, get yourself used to how the questions come up and understand the different command terms that examiners may use in the exam. So next time you’re studying for a test, make sure you dedicate at least 30 minutes to 1 hour of past paper practice, just to get your head around the way questions come up. If you need further assistance with regards to where you get past paper questions, check ibresources.org to access all the past papers in IB and ensure you practice as much as possible!

Tip 4: Regularly think about how chemistry is applied to our real world

Instead of just learning the content and doing assessment practice, think to yourself, what would something like energetics apply to the real life world. You’ll then realize that combustion (a term discussed within this topic) is very abundant in our everyday lifestyle. For instance, burning of wood or coal for household purposes, burning of Petrol or Diesel for using vehicles like a car, combustion of Natural Gas or LPG to cook and also fireworks.

Not to mention, there are various impacts of combustion on the environment, these impacts can be caused by; Gas leaks, oil spillage and air pollution. Incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons also results in carbon monoxide pollution. Thinking about such real life applications may come in handy throughout your IA write up.

Tip 5: Keep asking questions

Being curious and eager to learn will lead to success. Don’t take chemistry if you don’t like it, it is understandable if you need it to get into a university you like (which in this case you’ll have to teach yourself to like it), but if you’re taking it just because it’s your best science only then don’t. When you actually like chemistry, you’ll find yourself always asking questions and trying to learn something new in that area of study. The more you know, the better. But don’t confuse yourself!

And that would be it! Remember that one bad test is not the end of the world, your are training yourself to get the highest you can in the finals! One test holds 0 significance compared to your finals! Thank you for reading and hope this was helpful!