1. Study Tips and Features for IB Physics
1.1 Syllabus
| Content of Study | |
| SL+HL (Core Topics) |
|
| HL |
+ For all the other topics, the HL syllabus contains the extension of SL topics which results in more content |
Physics HL (Higher Level)
1.2 Overview of Physics HL
The Physics HL course consists of 8 core topics that are the same as the SL topics. All of them will have Additional Higher Level topics (AHL), which are extension topics that will go more in depth. In addition to those 8 core topics, HL students are required to study 4 more topics. You would also be asked to choose one Option topic from the four options provided (shown above). In general, the HL content will go more in-depth compared to SL.
1.3 Study Tips
- The calculations can get really difficult so make sure you practice them regularly.
- Reading the textbook is not enough. It is important to do the past papers several times in order to get used to the exam style.
- Make sure you understand all the SL content thoroughly before you dive into the HL content.
Physics SL (Standard Level)
1.4 Overview of Physics SL
There are 8 core topics for SL. In addition, you would be asked to choose one Option topic from the four options provided (shown above).
1.5 Study Tips
- If you are struggling with certain topics, don’t hesitate to ask for help from your teachers and peers.
- Reading the textbook is not enough. It is important to do the past papers several times in order to get used to the exam style.
- Practice your problem solving skills
2. Assessment Model for IB Physics
Studying for IB Physics requires dedication and could be time consuming. Always seek for help from your teachers or peers when you are stuck or unsure about a topic so that you can study efficiently without wasting time. Time management is also crucial for your exams. Make sure you know how much time you should spend on each question so that you won’t have trouble finishing the entire paper!
| Physics HL (Higher Level) | ||
|
External Assessment |
Paper 1 |
|
| Paper 2 |
|
|
| Paper 3 |
Section A– One data based + short-answer questions on experimental work |
|
|
Internal Assessment |
Individual Exploration |
|
| Physics SL (Standard Level) | ||
|
External Assessment |
Paper 1 |
|
| Paper 2 |
|
|
| Paper 3 |
Section A– One data based + short-answer questions on experimental work |
|
|
Internal Assessment |
Individual Exploration |
|
3. Advices and Tips for Improving Your Score
3.1 Advices and Study Tips for Physics
Go through your notes, read the textbook thoroughly and understand the pattern of the past paper questions. It is important that you understand the formulas so that you can save time during your calculations. Knowing how to use the calculator is also crucial in this exam.
3.2 How to Tackle the Exam
There are two types of questions in your exam: calculation questions and written questions.
For the calculation problems, practice using the formulas until you are completely familiar with them. Understand what the signs and symbols are present in the formula and what you are trying to find with that specific formula.
For the written questions, remember to include the keywords as they are the words that will give you the marks. Study the mark scheme for the past papers to make sure you understand what the keywords are.
3.3 Ways for Memorising the Content
In order to ace the written questions, there is a need to fully memorise the key definitions. For calculation questions, as long as you practice enough, you will know the ways to do them. However, for the written questions, you should always study the mark scheme for the past papers and understand what kind of explanation is needed for each question.
3.4 How to Use the Past Papers Effectively
The best way to ace the physics exam is to continuously practice the exam questions by doing past papers. Be familiarised with the type of questions and the ways of answering them. Use the syllabus and the study guides to fully understand the course so that you won’t be lost!
4. Physics IA (Internal Assessment) & EE (Extended Essay)
4.1 Physics IA (Internal Assessment) Advices
For the IA, you will be expected to create a 6-12 pages lab report based on an investigation of a topic that is related to chemistry. Examples may include:
- Experiments conducted in your school lab
- Experiments conducted through simulations or models
- Analysing pre-existing data
Components for Your Investigation
- Aim + Research Question
- Introduction
- Variables
- Apparatus
- Method
- Raw Data
- Processed Data
- Conclusion
- Evaluation
To succeed in your IA, there are two important points that you should keep in mind.
1. Always utilise the comments and feedbacks that you get from your teachers
This is not a piece of individual work. You have to communicate with your teacher and discuss about your IA during your school time. Your teacher is the person who is going to mark your IA so get as much feedback as possible and reflect the changes onto your IA. This is the key for you to score high in this component.
2.Get used to the criteria
The Chemistry IA is made up of 5 key components, which adds up to a total of 24 points. Know these 5 components when writing the IA.
- Personal Engagement: 8%
- Exploration: 25%
- Analysis: 25%
- Evaluation: 25%
- Communication: 17%
4.2 Physics EE Advice and Tips
One of the things that you should be careful of when writing a natural science EE is that you have to focus on your subject and stress about the importance of the topic in your desired subject. For example, if you choose a topic that has something to do with energy, you would have to make sure that you are investigating the physical aspect of the topic rather than the chemical aspect of it. For data gathering, you can choose to conduct the experiment yourself or analyse pre-existing data. Don’t make your topic too broad either. Be specific. For example, instead of saying “analysis of water,” provide the name of the water products that you are using so that it could lead to an in-depth discussion.
4.3 Advice for Conducting Experiments
For the experiments in physics, there is a need for you plot your experimental results into the formulas in order to find the constant numbers. Make sure you know how to do your long calculations with your scientific calculator. Be extra careful when you input your values into the calculator because one tiny mistake can ruin your entire calculation.
You will also be asked to prove certain formulas with the data values that you have obtained from your experiments. In order to fully understand the experiments, always remember to think about the relationship between the purpose of your experiment and the formulas.
For the final exam, there will be questions where you have to draw graphs from the provided data values. You will then be asked to derive certain formulas from these graphs. Make sure you fully understand the experiments that you do in class so that you won’t struggle with these question.
5. Curriculum and Criteria for IB Chemistry
Please click here (IBO homepage) for further information on the curriculum and criteria.