The IB English curriculum covers a vast number of syllabi. Students need a good strategy plan to pass the exam and get the maximum marks. Students should have a reasonable study timetable for the year and Effective Revision Strategies for IB English. Our expert IB English Tutor has written this article. It will give tips and techniques for revising the IB English curriculum.

Effective Revision Strategies for IB English HL & SL
Understanding the IB English assessment criteria- There are two IB English SL courses and one HL course. Both courses have three assessment components: paper 1, paper 2, and Individual oral for internal assessment. Students who opt for the HL course must also submit an essay of 1200 to 1500 words. Let’s understand these papers in detail.
Paper 1: (SL Level)- Paper 1 has two passages, and students must choose one for their literary analysis. The time limit for this exam is 1 hour and 15 minutes, and the weightage is 20 marks.
Paper 1: (HL Level)- Two passages from different literary forms are given. Students write an analysis for both passages and answer the questions given along with them. This exam lasts 2 hours and 15 minutes and has a weightage of 40 marks.
Paper 2 (SL level)- There are four general questions about writing essays on literary works studied. Students can choose any of those questions. This exam lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes and weighs 30 marks.
Paper 2 (HL level)- HL students also have four general questions and write one comparative essay on two literary works studied. The exam lasts 1 hour and 45 minutes and weighs 30 marks.
Individual Oral & Essay (For HL students only)
This exam is a presentation in which students prepare their presentation from the original written work or a work in translation. The presentation lasts 10 minutes and is considered part of the internal assessment. It has a weightage of 40 marks.
This is an additional component for the HL level in which students prepare an essay of 1500 words on the literature they have studied during the course. Subject teachers used to give a time duration for the submission of this essay. This is considered part of internal assessment, with a weightage of 20 marks.
How to create a Study Schedule for Effective Revision For IB English:
IB English language and literature covers a vast syllabus. It requires a disciplined study schedule. You need to give hours of study every day. If you are an HL student, you must be more dedicated and focused. You can divide your IB English study schedule into different study slots so that you can cover all the topics.
- You should focus on reading. Read the text and try to understand the theme, symbolism, and other literary devices used by the author. Summarise the story in your own words and also analyze the text. Note the new vocabulary or literary terms and clarify your doubts with your teacher.
- Give two hours to practice essay writing every week—practice essay writing within the allotted time limit.
- Oral presentations also need preparation. Prepare presentations on different topics for internal assessment practice.
- Make a balanced timetable and give at least one hour for each syllabus item, including poetry, essay writing, analysis of the text, and practice of past-year question papers.
Effective Strategies for Memorizing IB English Exam:
IB students struggle to remember stories and other important points. They find it difficult to write long essays because they forget the important points. Specific strategies are very beneficial for students to remember what to write and how to write.
- Use your natural potential to memorize: Children can remember the things that interest them. You should create an interest in reading literature and finding literary devices from those texts. Try to understand the style of authors. If you create an interest in yourself, it will be easy to remember the incidents for a long time.
- Practice will give you perfection: It is said that we understand better when we practice regularly. Set your schedule for reading and practicing regularly.
- Engage yourself and stay updated to master IB English: There are regular updates in the IB curriculum. So, you should stay updated. You should also take help from the previous year’s question papers.
- Know and understand the details of your literary work: You are given specific literary text for comparison in paper 2. You should understand all the minute details of your scholarly work and revise it regularly.
- Try to understand the choices of the author in the given literary works:Try to understand the authors’ tone and style in their literary works. Make notes for future reference. These notes will be among the invaluable Effective Revision Strategies.
- Practice comparing and contrasting for paper 2: Paper 2 is easy because you already have the literary work and can prepare it for the whole year. Due to regular practice, it becomes very easy to compare and contrast the pieces of literature.
Managing Time end Stress During IB English Exam Preparation:
Exam stress is the most significant barrier to students’ growth. Some students are outstanding in everyday practice but find it difficult on exam day. So, remember a few essential points during your exam.
- Take regular study breaks for 10 to 15 minutes to relax yourself.
- Practice a few mental health exercises, such as mindfulness or breathing exercises.
- Get good quality sleep of 8 hours every day.
- You should also have healthy food with lots of water.
- Discussion is a good way to release stress, so talk to someone who can help you.
- Don’t panic at the time of the exam, and believe in yourself.
How to use past papers effectively: students can understand exam patterns and types of questions with the help of the past year’s question papers. They can also check their writing speed and knowledge by solving the past year’s paper. You will be able to understand the difficulty level of the question papers. Past year papers include all the types of questions. So, you will get poetry, prose, and drama questions.
Conclusion
Language is all about reading and learning the rules and formats of writing. You should have good vocabulary knowledge to write long essays. Engage yourself in reading the literature and create an interest in it. Regular practice and guidance will help you to go through the difficult journey of IB English in an easy way. Follow above Effective Revision Strategies and excel in IB English Hl & SL.
IB Elite Tutor is the best academy that offers one-on-one online IB Tutoring for IB MYP and IBDP students for all IBDP groups and almost all important subjects. We are based in Delhi, India, but we help students remotely around the globe. Book a free demo class and start your journey towards a perfect 45 in IBDP.