For those who chose Economics as one of the IB subjects, here come the tips to keep for the good 2 years. These are largely about mindset that will be very useful if you keep in mind while revising IB Economics.
1-Always be thinking about impacts to related stakeholders!
You will learn a variety of Econ theories and concepts in the Micro, Macro and The Global Economy units. The important thing is that while studying these, you should not simply memorise the content and draw a diagram, but always think about the market's response and the different impacts of stakeholders related to these issues.
2-Read the news! Always keep economic news close at hand!
You know that now it is mandatory to bring RLE and synthesise and evaluate those in paper 1 essay, right? Do note that Econ's Real Life Example revisions are not about memorising, but constantly collecting and updating !
Of course, it can be cumbersome or even boring to read the econ news regularly, but how about reading those at least 5 minutes before every econ class starts or else , even 5 minutes after class ends, it is clever to skim through headlines in the Business or Economics section of the News website such as BBC, Guardian or New York times.
3-Always consider the interconnected nature of economics theories!
The biggest characteristic of the subject,Economics is that everything we learn is ultimately connected to each other!
After learning IB Economics for about a year, you would gradually begin to notice this point. In many cases, the Econ theories or concepts learned in previous Units are largely inter-connected to the following ones. This means that Economics is a very cumulative subject, and without a proper understanding of the theory or concepts learned at the beginning of syllabus, it is difficult to completely master other units.
4-Find core consistencies in grading criteria
Let’s properly understand what is commonly emphasised in the evaluation criteria for assignments and tests!
Like all IB subjects, Econ also has standardised evaluation standards, so the best way is to properly understand these standards and study exam papers and prepare IAs. Amongst them, some problems have very similar evaluation criteria.
For example, section (b) of Paper 1 and The part g) of Paper 2 have almost similar evaluation criteria in that both problem types ask to Evaluate or discuss. This means that the format and requirements of the two essays are almost the same, so you should remember this when revising. Another problem is section (a) of Paper 1 and section b, 10 mark policy question of Paper 3, which are very similar question types and have almost the same evaluation criteria.
5-Remember the equipment!
Always check and update what you need in class and when doing revisions!
Calculator can be used on both Paper 2 and 3 exams for HL students.
Remember to use a calculator to write answers to questions in Part b) of Paper 2 and most of Paper 3 that are accurate to 2 digits. Rulers are also required to draw accurate graphs.
Commentaires