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Practical advice on Anki, revision and the Extended Essay.

SL, SL + HL or HL Add-On: which Anki deck do you need?

SL, SL + HL or HL Add-On: which Anki deck do you need?

Every IB Biology deck in the shop comes in three versions. They contain different cards, so the right choice depends on the level you take and on what you already own. You take Biology at Standard LevelChoose SL only. You get every SL card and nothing you don't need, sorted into subdecks by subtopic. You take Biology at Higher Level and own nothing yetChoose SL + HL. HL students are examined on the SL core as well as the extensions, so this version puts both in one deck. Each card is...

How to choose an Extended Essay research question that actually works

How to choose an Extended Essay research question that actually works

Most Extended Essay problems begin with the research question. A question that is too broad or impossible to investigate will cost you far more time later than it takes to fix now. Start with a topic, then narrow it twiceA topic is something you could write a book about. A research question is something you can answer in 4,000 words. Narrow by asking which specific case, which specific variable, or which specific text you actually mean. Run four tests* Can it be argued? If the answer is a...

How to use Anki for IB Biology without burning out

How to use Anki for IB Biology without burning out

Anki works by showing you each card shortly before you would forget it. That only pays off if you keep your daily reviews small enough to survive a normal school week. Most people who quit Anki did not quit because it failed. They quit because they added too much too fast. Set your limit before you startAnki's default is 20 new cards a day, and today's new cards become tomorrow's reviews. At that pace a deck of 1,200 cards takes 60 days to introduce, so work backwards from your exam date and...