IB Diploma Beginner TIPS: Everything You Need to Know Before Starting the IB Diploma

[@MarkosDrakos]

HI guys, if you have any questions for me just reply to this comment to ask away! Enjoy!

[@lolsxd8433]

would you say working to save money is possible while doing ib? And dtill having time for fun and friends? I am thinking about 6-8h of work each week.

[@MarkosDrakos]

Yes. It is definitely possible. I have been doing about 9-10 hours of tennis training a week alongside everything in the IB while also keeping up a decent social life and mental health. I think you don't really need huge volumes of time for the IB, and as long as you stay efficient in how you use your time, you should be perfectly fine.

[@MJ-dl6fo]

hi! i'm going to be entering the ib program in a couple of weeks and i have a few questions. 1. do you have any tips for people who will be starting the ib program from home due to covid-19? 2. is there a prompt or guidelines for topics that can be covered in the extended essay? i really like the idea of writing about the causes and possible solutions of the humanitarian crisis in the central african republic (as well as why those solutions aren't being pursued). it's something that interests me because i hope to work in a similar country with doctors without borders or a similar organization. 3. i am considering taking ib french sl and ib physics hl on the side (basically doing the coursework without credit) because those are topics that interest me and i didn't have room for them in my schedule, but i'm worried that it will be too much of a stressor. would you recommend trying to do that or is that an unrealistic goal? 4. are there any online resources that you used frequently to help study for any of your courses? thanks so much!!

[@davidegorov951]

Would I be at a disadvantage starting in in grade 10 and not 9. And I play aaa hockey which consumes 40 hours per week, any tips?

[@alexandrachiripuci2567]

Can you pick more subject from humans and society (for example: politics & economics)? And can I take Language A German and Language B English even though I know English? Is it okay for university? And can you tell me overall how your experience was? I have the opportunity of studying IB in the UK but don’t know if it is the best decision...I really don’t know how it works and am kind of scared about the ToK. Do you have any advice? Thank you!

[@achyuththouta6957]

Tips before joining IB 1. Don't take Maths AA HL unless you're good at maths 2. Just follow the first tip and you'll do fine

[@PLuFFIsaPRO]

I think I'm too late then, I took math HL and I'm bad at math, plus that I'm forced to take it now.

[@scootch_4440]

I need it to get to med school 😭

[@AB-lz5io]

Well, I’m really good at biology and I’m trying to go to a top-15 med school so I have to. I’ll work on it as much as I can.

[@scootch_4440]

@@AB-lz5io I'm usually lazy but I take getting into med school very seriously. Just keep pushing and you'll make it! See you in 2025 september when I have gratuated and hopefully gotten into medschool ;)

[@zoyarizvi8573]

I took it in SL and i am shit at maths

[@valerie_b_]

Just got into the IB program... Not going to lie, I'm very scared, and decided to watch these videos for comfort.

[@MarkosDrakos]

Wow, I'm glad to be of service! good luck!

[@prottasha3182]

Me too

[@gracie2670]

How is it?

[@pankhud111]

same, but your program probably ended and mine has started today

[@moaengene2172]

Same

[@sigridmiller2801]

This was so informative thank you! I’m doing IB for my junior year of high school and still dont know quite what ive walked into.

[@MarkosDrakos]

Thank you so much!! ahahah you'll be fine, don´t worry about it, just try to enjoy your time as a student.

[@prottasha3182]

Hey I'm also doing IB for my junior year.

[@octopusindividual8412]

me too it seems terrifying

[@moosepro4849]

I’m starting IB in 2 days. I took Physics, Math and Chem as HL and Psychology, English and Spanish for SL. I am realllllyyyyy excited!

[@MarkosDrakos]

Ahahaha it's not an easy subject selection but I'm glad you are excited. Good luck! p.s. love the profile image

[@Punicia]

How are you doing now? What are your grades like?

[@moosepro4849]

@@Punicia it’s been pretty great, got 40/42 in the first sem, but after the winter break I have been slacking off a little 😂, gotta get back to pace

[@Punicia]

@@moosepro4849 What do you mean by 40/42? What’s that? In my school we use the A, B, C, D, F grading system, like most American schools.

[@moosepro4849]

@@Punicia for us we use the IB grading itself, and as we haven’t done ToK and EE, it’s out of 42

[@soooslaaal8204]

tips before starting diploma 1. don't

[@MarkosDrakos]

Ahahahaha not bad advice ngl

[@ghm8019]

Thank you so much this is so far the best video that describes the IB very well and in a very easy way thanks again

[@MarkosDrakos]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kingismail26]

I’m so lucky to find this vid. Great summary!

[@MarkosDrakos]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nicole2539]

Hey, I'm starting the IBDP this September. The subjects I want to take are hl math, physics, and chemistry; and sl English A (lit), Turkish A (I'll be doing the bilingual course) and either economics or history. I really want to get ahead of my classes before school starts for the first semester of IB1. How can I do that? I think that studying a little bit of every class wouldn't be as useful as just studying one subject, so maybe math (and a bit of the languages cuz I suck at both of them)? What do you suggest? I really want to be able to do stuff other than school like playing the piano, learning Japanese and playing soccer on a daily basis and they'll take at least 15 hours away from me every week. I really want to get good grades and still be able to do my hobbies and stuff. And btw I really don't care about socializing, I'll gladly give that up for the stuff I mentioned above. So uhh I have more things to ask but this comment's already too long and detailed.. yea what's your opinion? Btw I subscribed ;) nice content

[@MarkosDrakos]

Hi! first of all I'm glad you liked it, I don't think starting to study things in depth will be beneficial to you at this point in time, just because of the sheer volume of stuff that you would have to learn by yourself for this to actually make a difference. This being said, there is still a lot you can do. You mentioned the stuggling with languages, so for this I would recommend getting in contact with the language departements at your school and asking them what works you are gonna be studying next year, and then get those books/poems and read them. That way you will already have the first contact with these beforehand. Next, this applies to all subjects, I would say that you could do possibly the most important part of studying, which is scoping the subject; basically going through the syllabus with the textbook at your side, and looking through everything just to familiarize yourself with the main content headers and with some of the key concepts. This sounds a bit infantile, but it is probably the best use of your time right now. I don't think studying math by yourself will be beneficial since with maths I think you really need a teacher to give you first contact with the types of problems, and learning by yourself would just be frustrating and unenjoyable.... When scoping the subject, take note of the things you aren't familiar with, or things that build on stuff you are familiar with. Here, try to maybe look it up in the textbook and understanding it throught there. If you don't understand it, then I would say just leave it, take a note of it, and wait till u get into classes. I don't think learning things in full detail will be useful at all. When you actually get into the IB, I would say stick to everything you have in terms of hobbies, the IB is definitely feasible with everything you just mentioned, plus that stuff helps loads with uni applications. Hope this helps, and good luck next year!

[@nicole2539]

@@MarkosDrakos uuu hmm ok thannk youu

[@jade962]

reis türk müsün hangi okuldasın biraz aydınlatır mısın

[@spherosic7555]

ömer ali

[@spherosic7555]

​@@jade962dostum sen kimsin

[@nioushanikouei1757]

The one dislike is the person who is mad they didn't find this video before entering the IB programme

[@luanfigueiredo7283]

I'm from Brazil and I started the Ib this year... this been crazy but nice.

[@sofi.flowerss]

Sou do Brasil tbm e vou começar no IB ano que vem... que escola e cursos vc fez? Alguma dica pra sobreviver ? Kkk

[@alejandroh9507]

Great video! Thanks, it really helped me understand IB.

[@MarkosDrakos]

Thanks! I'm glad it helped!!

[@mrfrag718]

I'm gonna be Starting my IB diploma program here In Lisbon as well! Thanks for making this video

[@MarkosDrakos]

Glad it was helpful!

[@FARNOOSHf2]

hey I have IB interview and assessment next week do u have any advice?

[@LifeWithVinceLuu]

Keep up the hustle and keep up the videos, Markos!

[@MarkosDrakos]

Thanks! Will do!

[@payvandimani9392]

Greatvideo :) I have a question, so I'm thinking about doing the IB diploma program but I'm not sure if I should stay with the Cambridge system and do my As/A Level or the IB diploma. Which one do you recommend? A huge advantage is that IB offers psychology as a subject and I want to study psychology in University. But yea not sure which school system fits me better

[@MarkosDrakos]

Glad you enjoyed it. The IB has a greater workload and is far more varied in terms of the subjects that you can pick as well as everything else you have to do for the IB. Personally, I think the IB prepares you better for life, but this comes at the cost of being more challenging and harder to achieve the results for university. If A-levels don't offer psychology and you know you really want to do it, then by all means go for the IB. But if studying psychology in 6th form isn't totally necessary to you, then you are probably better off going with the A-levels to improve your chances of getting in to university.

[@AllKnowingNick]

Just got into the DP, and honestly I'm a bit scared that my classes in the regular high school I've attended until now haven't been enough to prepere me for HL Maths and Physics, will probably go over the subjects on my own before the school year starts, I'm incredibly greatful that holidays are a thing. Edit: I'm taking HL: Maths, Physics and English (second language) and SL: economics, croatian and computer sciences. Just thought I might mention.

[@gowonboss]

how is it going? the subjects i’m going to choose are almost identical to yours lol

[@AllKnowingNick]

@@gowonboss Pretty well all things considered. The biggest hurdle in the IB curriculum that I have found is Math HL, there really is no other way to pass the subject with anything higher then a 4 without regularly practicing. Languages are fairly easy and Physics is great for the most part except for the fact that some units are placed counter-intuitivly in relation to others, so you end up learning about something before learning about the background of what makes it work as it does. The subjects that I didn't enjoy and wouldn't recommend if they aren't your main subject would be econ and computer science, econ is simply not a fun subject unless your going to go into business and the computer science curriculum is just bad, 3/4 of DP year 1 was just boolean algebra and pseudocode. If I was able to change my subjects I would keep econ because from what I heard psychology is worse and I would switch computer science for chemistry since it has larger overlap with physics.

[@gowonboss]

@@AllKnowingNick thank you for your detailed response im glad its going well so far and wish you the best!! im worried about math and physics hl the most so i guess they need a great amount of practice beforehand. computer science isnt for me and i think ill be picking history over econ

[@Jpmorgan551]

Can you please tell me which subject would be better for science section I want to major in economics plus maths or Finance So i decided these subject Economics hl Buisness and management hl Maths aa or ai hl German ab sl English sl And i am confused between i should chose cs or physics sl which will be more easier pls tell

[@rafaelcoutinhopadua4840]

Fala Markos, sou brasileiro e vi o seu canal no r/IB. Achei muito maneira a iniciativa e gostei mt do fato de ter um lusofono fazendo videos exatamente o que eu quero! Eu vou sair de uma escola no RJ e estudar o ib numa escola na suica. Se vc puder, poderia me dar algumas dicas de estudo de matematica e economia HL? Quero muito estudar economia na inglaterra e ja queria ir me organizando para esse ano letivo!! Valeu pela iniciativa e tmj

[@MarkosDrakos]

Obrigado Rafael, és muito simpatico! Eu ja estou trabalhando em videos especificos para cada disciplina, e vou falar de como recebi as minhas notas previstas em cada disciplina. Por isso peço só que esperes uns dias e já vais ter toda a informação possível. Depois dos vídeos serem lançados eu respondo a qualquer pergunta, mas não quero estar a repetir tudo o que vou dizer no vídeo aqui. Desejo te toda a sorta para o futuro e confio que entres na universidade que queres!

[@rafaelcoutinhopadua4840]

Markos Drakos Valeu mano!! Ja sou inscrito e vou esperar pelos videos

[@fartbucketlee3702]

I'm starting IB in 3 days, I've chosen English langlit A HL. My English is kinda shit, do you think it is possible to keep it as a HL without failing?

[@MarkosDrakos]

I mean it is possible, but you have to evaluate how much you need english lang lit HL. For example, if you have 4 highers and your uni course doesn't really require it, then just drop it. This being said, it is one of the easier courses to do at HL, and I'm sure your english isn't that bad. Checkout the video kzbin.info/www/bejne/nouykJmBmrh8Z6M as it has some advice on choosing subjects.

[@zakstar5453]

Starting in 4 days.. Math AA and Physics HL, chem SL, The grind begins!! 💪💪💪

[@MarkosDrakos]

You got this!

[@omarsafwan689]

Hello i loved the video, so clear and informative, Anyways, i am almost done with my gcses(10th grade currently) and Ive been thinking for ages wether i should go IB or a levels if ill be studying abroad and try my best to enter a top university. So like, which program helps me get accepted into top universities and is more valued by them. Thank you

[@MarkosDrakos]

Hi Omar, Well done! Honestly it doesn't make a difference in terms of applications, so I'd say, given the choice, pick whichever course structure suits you most - A-levels allow you to dive deeper into a few subjects, whereas IB is more broad and allows you to do unconventional subjects that aren't related to those required for your uni application.

[@karaamstel8236]

Please reply, what are the easiest and must subjects for medical

[@NagareBocchi_.]

Quick question, do they provide textbooks for your classes, and also if I’m average at statistics but good at calculating, should I take math HL?

[@washu2434]

i'm already in 8th of october and i haven't started any work. been busy and it's been difficult to settle in a place. would you recommend i take IB? or stick to A Levels? i've finished my GCSEs and should have started my A Levels but not sure if i wanna be doing ALevels, IB or SATs

[@questionable_being_with_qu5472]

Sick, thanks. Nervous but I think I'll do okay. Would you say it's worth it to go through all that work in your teenage years alternatively to going through academic with more free time?

[@MarkosDrakos]

I feel like teenage years are rough no matter what - so throwing yourself at as much as possible is generally a good thing - leaves less time for you to be scrolling through social media etc. I think having free time when ur a young teenager isn't super needed - as long as you have time dedicated to doing things that you really enjoy, like doing sports or playing video games, you will be fine!

[@sofi.flowerss]

Sou brasileira e vou começar o IB em fevereiro de 2025 (no Brasil mesmo) estou pensando em : HLPortugues, HL matemática, HL Biologia e SL ingles, SL historia e geografia do brasil, SL física

[@AyaAya-fw7cp]

Thanks for the video

[@MarkosDrakos]

No problem!

[@betulgul5297]

I am a dancer and my CAS teacher says that I can't do my CAS on my dance classes because it isn't new. Also, I play guitar and he again says that I can't do my CAS on it. Is there a restriction like that? I am really angry about it if it is only me struggling about this situation.

[@MarkosDrakos]

Ok technically your teacher is right, you can't do anything you have done before for CAS. However, this isn't to say that you can't find new things to do within those fields of dance and guitar. Your CAS experience can be, doing the grade 7 exam, or working to perfom in some exhibiition at the end of the year. You haven't done the exam before, nor have you done that exhibition, so they are technically new experiences. That's what my teachers told me to do and it really helped.

[@divitan1391]

hi, i'm supposed to be giving my entrance exam for an IBDP, i wanted to know how i should be studying for it, what topics i should focus upon?

[@karaamstel8236]

How many years you have to study in IB after year 12 to go to medical college

[@MarkosDrakos]

IB is only two years - year 12 and 13. Depending on the country you can then go to medical school. In the US you need to do 3 college years before you can do medicine. In the UK you can apply straight from school to medicine.

[@questionable_being_with_qu5472]

would going into IB be a good idea even if I don't know what I want my career path to be?

[@MarkosDrakos]

Yes definitely - IB allows for so much flexibility, so is great if you don't really know what you want to do!

[@최보경-z4h]

hii thank you for making this lovely video! I have a question, do you have any website to get biology past paper questions by unit? I want to practice but I have no idea where i should get past paper questions. I researched on online but those resources were literally just the past paper so it was hard to prepare the unit exam. thank you!!

[@MarkosDrakos]

Ugh, Biology past papers were such a pain to find. I honestly don't know, I would sometimes find some here and there but they were always terrible. I would suggest asking your teacher for past paper questions.

[@davidegorov951]

Would I be at a dis advantage from joining in grade 10 and not 9

[@MarkosDrakos]

Hi, do you mean joining in the second year of the IB rather than the first? If so, then I would say yes, you are at a huge disadvantage. You can't just join the IB halfway through. However, if you mean joining like without doing myp and stuff then dw about it, you're fine.

[@davidegorov951]

Markos Drakos you can join in in either grade 9 or 10, how will it affect me tho

[@fusionfire1494]

@@davidegorov951 I need to know this to because I’m transferring from my current hs with no IB to one with IB and I’m debating if I’ll do it.

[@davidegorov951]

@@fusionfire1494 I found out that ib diploma doesn’t start until grade 11 and 12 meaning grade 9 and 10 are prep years so if you join in grade 9 you just have had one more prep year

[@RLifestyle453]

Thank you

[@MarkosDrakos]

You're welcome!

[@vasusir-q6l]

Hi bro please share universitys offering ib diploma course

[@tasploopz997]

People who do HL Chem are just built different I wouldn’t even do SL Chem

[@TopseGamer]

bro i need your experience about this

[@murtasakhambati8474]

Hey bud, My 1st year of ib is starting in 20 days. The classes are all online, and i was wondering, anything that i should look out for. And are there any standard tbs as such? And how hard is it to get a 7

[@MarkosDrakos]

Wow, you guys start early. Ummmm just make sure you have your organisation systems set up already, as well as all of your computer folders set up and stuff. This is so that you are prepared for when you get a million different worksheets and things and can organize them quickly. I would say just look out for the first tests in each subject. This is the one where everyone does terribly, because people aren't used to studying. Just keep on top of your work and you'll be fine. Eh, a 7 isn't impossible, but it depends on the subject, teacher, school and you.

[@murtasakhambati8474]

Cool, will do thanks!

[@achyuththouta6957]

How hard it is to get a 7 depends on your aptitude in the subjects. I found Maths AA HL to be quite difficult but a couple of people found it easy. I found Physics HL to be quite doable but many found it quite difficult and what's more is that they found it more difficult than maths AA HL. It all depends on what your strengths are

[@achyuththouta6957]

@@MarkosDrakos Aah yes I almost failed in my first test in physics HL and I thought it was super hard but after studying everyday with a lot of devotion it got easier but it wasn't the same with other subjects like Maths AA HL but in the first year there aren't many assignments atleast for me.

[@murtasakhambati8474]

@@achyuththouta6957 Broo, im facing the same thing as you. Physics HL is becomning quite doable, and needs avg effort. But, when i go through the maths AA HL paat papers, i shit myself. Any tips for maths, what do i practise etc

[@JustGoodVibes]

thank you for sharing :)

[@MarkosDrakos]

Thanks for watching!

[@emma-sn5fs]

hi i am gonna do ib dp this year i have decided to take phy hl chem sl and math aa hl i am really mad at math but i need to take it if i am want to get into engineering i don't know how i am going to survive. please give me some advice on how to do well in school

[@MarkosDrakos]

Hmmmm that's a tricky one. If you are really bad at maths, it probably isn't a great idea to do HL, the course is really tough. However, if you are very set on doing engineering, then you can still get a good grade in maths, but you may just need to put in more work. If you are willing to make that sacrifice, go for it. Maybe take 4 highers so that you have the option to drop maths if you need to, and look at universities that don't require HL maths for engineering.

[@MarkosDrakos]

If you want advice on how to do well in school, check out my video on how to study - kzbin.info/www/bejne/mGHSpZxtn7h6ptE

[@paulaabg]

i’ve been in the same school since kindergarten and in high school they have the IB and i know i do pretty good in school but i’m scared of falling 😭 tips for nerves please...

[@MarkosDrakos]

Hey! I would say plan out your days, and take tasks one at a time. If you focus on your work there hopefully won't be time for nerves! Hope everything is going well!

[@iamsalngo81]

Can you recommend should I take GCSE or IB as i wanna study commerce

[@MarkosDrakos]

Either are good options, go with whichever gives you the most freedom to pick what you want to study

[@ranjanasingh1243]

Bro is still replying 🤝

[@MarkosDrakos]

Always!

[@ayu51065]

I want to know about books

[@vipinchandra7785]

Hey i am currently in 11th grade from India preparing for IIT JEE exams ... I 've found some ib books from internet ( HL mathematics, physics of KA tsokos and Chemistry of Steve Owen ) ...i found that the syllabus is relatable... should i following it?

[@samarthgovil8833]

no IIT is a different level

[@rasgeet]

Which is tougher iit or ib

[@alexandrachiripuci2567]

Can you pick more subject from humans and society (for example: politics & economics)? And can I take Language A German and Language B English even though I know English? Is it okay for university?

[@ruweydaaboukar2605]

I hate math so if I take biology hl chemistry he and physics sl and environment systems and societies Ess Psychology HL and English. Can be get into medical school

[@summermartin5704]

You have to take a math, a second and first language, a social studies, a science and then one subject from one of these sections (or visual arts)

[@ukrajina2022]

❤️

[@MarkosDrakos]

I'm glad you liked the video!

[@tahakhan5312]

I subbed

[@MarkosDrakos]

Thank you!

[@oliviaperez8406]

what grade did you end up achieving in the ib?

[@MarkosDrakos]

Hi, you can check out my reaction video on my channel! I won’t spoil anything here.

[@kndrs7931]

When uv been doing IB all ur life

[@MarkosDrakos]

Yup, certainly feels like it

[@kndrs7931]

@@MarkosDrakos true IBDP does feel like forever, but I meant that I've actually been doing IB all my life, PYP and MYP too lol

[@siyasingh7597]

dude you lowkey look like shawn mendes

[@laurie1277]

What did you get in the IB?

[@MarkosDrakos]

I got 44 predicted, haven't gotten my final grades yet. Fingers crossed!

[@NatashaIbrahim]

I found your channel from Cathrn Manning! Awesome tips, I didn’t do IB but my brother did and it is no joke! Also so LOVE Lisbon, I’ve visited Portugal 3 times, it’s one of my favorite countries 😍❤️ I make videos about travel and mindset would love if you checked me out and subscribed 😝 I just subbed to you😁

[@MarkosDrakos]

Awesome! Thank you! Your channel looks pretty amazing!

[@NatashaIbrahim]

Markos Drakos thank youuu! 😁😁

[@parthx2433]

Are you greek?

[@MarkosDrakos]

Half cypriot!

[@abaanaasif4871]

Cr7iuuuuuu

[@MarkosDrakos]

Ahahahaha

[@anonym-pw9od]

Am I the only one finding the fact he is wearing earpods while talking to us quite unpleasant? He seems like not being focused at all...

[@MarkosDrakos]

Hi, I agree, wearing AirPods doesn’t really give off a great vibe. I thought using their mic would increase the quality of the audio but then I realized it does absolutely nothing so my later videos are all AirPod-free!😁

[@sigridmiller2801]

He does a 20min video explaining the IB course for no personal benefit, and your only comment is a complaint? How rude can you be

[@tjskoda450]

shut it mate. He's done an excellent vid and all you can focus on is a irrelevant detail. If you're butthurt go and complain about something else you dweeb

[@ahmedsarhan142]

Stop moving your neck

[@MarkosDrakos]

Thanks for the tip, I guess?