Biology HL

Biology Assessment Information

Exams

Paper One

• 1 hour

• Weighting: 20%

• Marks: 40

• No calculator

• 40 multiple-choice questions on core and AHL material, about 15 of which are common with SL.

Paper Two

• 2 hours and 15 minutes

• Weighting: 36%

• Marks: 72

• Calculators permitted

• Data-based question.

• Short-answer and extended-response questions on core and AHL material.

• Two out of three extended response questions to be attempted by candidates.

Paper Three

• 1 hour and 15 minutes

• Weighting: 24%

• Marks: 45

• Calculators permitted

• Focused on optional topic of choosing

• Section A: candidates answer all questions, two to three short-answer questions based on experimental
  skills and techniques, analysis and evaluation, using unseen data linked to the core material.

• Section B: short-answer and extended-response questions from one option.

Internal Assessment (IA)

Pick a topic that interests you and you know research or a lab can be done on.

Tips on writing the IA

• Get the specific range and units of your independent variable

• Avoid saying room temp, be specific

• Use correct notations. It's CO₂ not CO2

• Clarify how you are measuring your dependent variable

  • A sentence will suffice

• Identify what your controlled variables will be controlled at

  • Ex the temp will be controlled at -10.0 degrees celsius, with the uncertainty

• Put yourself in the headspace of someone who has no idea what you did/ how you did it

• If there are fluctuations in a variable, it is not being controlled

• Specify and identify the uncertainties of your materials

• Scale/ balance is wrong, specify that it is a digital balance

• Make sure that everything you used is included

• Leaves, what kind of leaves, what mass did you use

  • The goal is for people to be able to exactly replicate your experiments and get the same or similar results

• New materials cannot show up in the procedure

• Later on? How much later? 5 sec or 18 days?

  • Time frames have to be specific

Helpful Resources

IB Biology for Life - Website with plenty of IB Biology information, including specifics about the syllabus

BioNinja - BioNinja produces simplified notes that are easy to follow along, they are designed specifically for IB Biology

Alex Lee- IB Biology Teacher from Seisen International School in Japan, includes brief overview of each topic

Cheryl Hickman - IB Biology teacher, Includes more in depth videos on each topic and subsection.

Stephanie Castle - Easy to follow instructional videos.

Exam master review playlist - a mammoth of a playlist made with tons of repeat content so that as you make your way through the playlist in the months before the exam, ideas are easily cemented in your thoughts. This playlist is not every single helpful video out there but it does cover nearly all the content in this course, with videos on solutions for past paper solutions as well.

I recommend taking simple notes to follow along as you watch, then a couple days before the exam simply relax and flip through your notes as a refresher

good luck!!

command terms quizlet - this quick resource runs you through all the command terms used in IB biology, and what answers are required of you. These are very helpful to know, and the whole review can be done within fifteen minutes

https://biologydictionary.net/ - an amazing resource for quick definitions. It can be used as a search engine for biology and provides accurate and in depth information as well as visuals and examples

https://www.mrgscience.com/ - great notes, a good summary from topic to topic

Helpful Tips for HL Biology

If you are looking to excel in IB Biology, there are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Consistent revision will help you perform better. Rather than cramming a few days before tests for Biology, study for maybe half an hour or an hour every night for a couple weeks leading up to the test. It will help you fully understand concepts by revising almost every day, which is crucial when it comes to biology.

2. Don't be afraid to ask for help. I know it may seem like your classmates have everything together, or like IB students aren't meant to ask questions, but asking questions is what makes your life a lot easier and it really makes you a better student. If you have the ability to admit when you are lost or confused, you will have many more opportunities to grow and increase your understanding of the material. Teachers often appreciate when you ask them for help ahead of time, instead of asking a million questions the day before a test, as it shows you are engaged with the class.

3. Be prepared for a pretty dense courseload. Biology is already a heavy subject for most, and because it is a Higher Level class, we complete five more sections (and an optional topic) than a Standard Level class would.

4. Take good notes. Whatever method works best for your understanding is ideal. Making sure you have good detailed notes is what may help you in the long run. It benefits you to take notes for each section because you may use them to study for the test and it can help with revision and memorization, however, it is especially helpful when it comes to final exams in May of your second year. If you have good notes for all subjects, you can look back through them when exam time comes and it will help you because it is explained in your own words and note-taking style. Some people may prefer to take quick notes in only one colour, with the sole purpose of having the information readily available; others may prefer to spend hours making sure they are neat and colourful, and take their time to absorb and write down the information in their own words, so that note taking itself is their method of study

5. It is important to find what study method works best for you. Everybody has different methods. For some, they might find it the most useful to take quick notes before material is covered in class, where others may prefer to only do detailed notes at home, after the material is taught. When it comes to studying for tests, some people may just review their notes, or may make flashcards. To study using digital flashcards, a particularly good app is Anki. It is free for download on Windows, and there are IB Biology sets which have already been made by other students, so you do not have to take the time typing out your own. Another method which works well for many topics is mind maps. This involves writing down the overall topic in the center of the page, then branching out more and more as the information grows increasingly specific. This is useful in compacting all the information for a test into only a few pages.

All the best of luck.