The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), popular as a pre university curriculum, and spread over two years (IB Year 1 and 2) is the perfect springboard for students to commence university. It is research-oriented, challenging, rigorous — and overall, a massive learning experience for secondary students.
The IB Diploma Programme at GIIS, led by a team of dedicated, experienced and IB-certified teachers, has borne impressive results over the past 15 years. It is a testimony to our academic excellence, and the unwavering commitment of our students and teachers towards learning. With over 100 IBDP World Toppers and Near-Perfect scorers till date, our students have gained admissions to prestigious universities worldwide.
Having experienced the programme first-hand, an insight into the journey from our IBDP graduates is always welcomed by their school juniors. In this blog, we get to hear some of their key learnings to successfully complete and ace this programme.
1. In IBDP, it’s vital to assiduously work on tasks like Internal Assessments (IAs), Theory of Knowledge (ToK), Extended Essay (EE), Community, Action Service (CAS).
“Being patient with the IAs, ToK, EE, and all the other activities in the IBDP is crucial. Take things one at a time and pace yourself,” said Ananth Madhusudhanan, IBDP 2023 graduate.
“Finish the first draft of assignments/EE/TOK well in advance of the deadline to have ample time to study, and if any change of topic is required, you are able to do so before the deadline,” said Akshaya Singh, an IBDP 2023 graduate.
2. Effective time management and meeting internal deadlines are key to balancing various IBDP components.
“Manage your time well and try to meet the internal school deadlines. Doing so will greatly help you balance studying for the core subjects while catering to the additional elements of the IBDP,” added Madhusudhanan.
“Try to finish all extracurricular activities in the first quarter of the IB Year 2, and invest more time for IAs and EEs and TOK essays. Preferably, if you are able to, focus and invest the maximum time possible for studies after Pre-board 1 examinations,” said Rituparna Mishra, another IBDP 2023 graduate.
3. Prioritise clarification of concepts over merely attempting multiple past papers. Moreover, seek feedback from the teachers to set a high standard for yourself.
“Ensure that your concepts are clear before attempting multiple past papers. Additionally, once you complete the papers, always ask the teachers for feedback to improve upon the answers,” said Akshaya. “Focus on concept clarity and keep a steady goal in front of you,” added Arushi Anand.
4. Balance your academics with extracurricular activities, as this would help in building a strong resume for university applications. Additionally, prioritise finishing university essays early as the application process can be time consuming, and may use up your crucial study time.
“Balancing out studies and external events or activities is equally important for university applications as this adds to their resume. Also, finish university essays early and keep your resumé ready beforehand as application processes are time consuming and can eat up study time,” added Akshaya.
5. Lastly, cherish the two years of the IBDP by making the most of it. Give your best effort, aim for excellence, and enjoy the journey.
“Most importantly, remember that you will never get these two years back – enjoy your time as much as possible. Apply yourself to the best of your ability and strive for perfection,” added Madhusudhanan.
The 2023 GIIS Singapore cohort outperformed both the global and Singapore average DP scores with an impressive school average of 35.9 points. Notably, 38 GIIS students achieved scores above 40 points. Two of our students, Shraddha Praveen and Praneeth Suresh achieved a perfect score of 45 out of 45, earning the title of World Toppers.
Also read: IBDP 2023 results: GIIS students forge ahead to success
If you are keen to learn more about the IB Diploma Programme that paves the way for success for Singapore secondary school students, please feel free to contact our friendly admissions counsellors.
Shubhdarshani Mitra
Shubhdarshani has over 10 years of experience in content creation, curation and editing. She has worked for Indian newspapers, school magazines and international news websites where she worked closely with the leadership on the execution and communication of the content strategy. Aside from work, she’s a passionate B&W photographer and storyteller.
