Like many aspiring medical practitioners - or in my case, formally aspiring medical practitioners - I took on the challenge of the Higher Level Biology and Chemistry combo. Deciding to switch my university major to something entirely unrelated a month prior to applications, I had to stick with the decision and ace the courses despite knowing I would never use that knowledge. Therefore, though through much pain, I created an approach that ensured I would achieve the predicted 7's in both courses.
In reality, everyone knows that taking Bio & Chem at HL is an extreme challenge. The sheer volume of content you need to memorize for each topic is overwhelming, without even considering the practical work for the Internal Assessment. Alongside that, the difficulty of content is unparalleled (maybe apart from Physics or Mathematics HL) - therefore, the biggest takeaway from my experience is to ensure that you NEED to take these classes as a prerequisite to your course before you actually make the decision.
Chemistry
Chemistry HL simultaneously made me take pride in my resilience through the suffering, and regret every decision I have ever made leading up to the choice to take it. I went from getting a 7 in every test in IB1, to getting less than 40% in IB2, due to the increasing difficulty of the course. Nevertheless, through much pain, I was able to maintain my predicted 7, and, incredibly shockingly, achieving the 7 in the Diploma.
The following collected resources, I credit for the achievement of a 7 in Chemistry HL:
NOTES: The complete collection of my personal chemistry notes, handwritten. Notes taken from the Cambridge Chemistry textbook, all presentations, and class sessions. Concise and comprehensive - perfect for revision for every topic.
PAST PAPERS: I cannot stress the importance of repetitively completing past papers. Questions always repeat in exams, even if worded differently, and getting accustomed to their format will make it or break it in exams.
The Chemistry For The IB Diploma Coursebook by Cambridge: Exam-style questions. The most comprehensive and complete revision questions for every topic.
EXAM-STYLE QUESTIONS: A collection of IB-style exam questions for each topic. I used these for every topic test preparation - it guarantees revision of each learning intention. [WITH ANSWERS]
EXAM-STYLE QUESTIONS: More topic-specific questions (Paper 1 and Paper 2). Perfect for last minute practice.
REVISION VIDEOS: MSJ Chem: in my opinion, the best chemistry videos to understand concepts. Just enough detail without overcomplicating.
Biology
Unlike chemistry, Biology was the class I looked forward to the most. I found that the resources accessible to me were far more comprehensive, and the memorization-type learning style of the course was far more fitted to my studying techniques. The best advice in taking Biology HL I can give is to find hands-on ways to learn the content, and make best use of visual aids like diagrams and graphs. For me, it was, despite having the most content in the entire IB Diploma programme, the easiest subject to revise and get tested on.
Below are the resources I found most useful in revising for Biology. I especially stress the quality of my personal notes, as I had given them extra effort in ensuring that the collection of notes, at least for me, was all I required to prep for final exams.
NOTES: The complete collection of my personal biology notes, handwritten. Notes taken from the Pearson and Oxford Biology textbooks, all BioNinja based presentations, and class sessions. Concise and comprehensive - perfect for revision for every topic.
BIOLOGY IA CHECKLIST: An excellent checklist for the Biology IA - ensures you do not miss any detail.
BIONINJA: The most famous IB Biology resource - BioNinja. Though a little too detailed for some (like me), it is the most comprehensive source of content for the IB Biology course.
BIOLOGY IA GUIDE: Comprehensive guide to the Biology IA by a student who'd achieved 23/24 on the IA.
ADVICE VIDEOS: Some videos on mastering the biology examinations.
LAST-MINUTE REVISION: Final revision resources - last minute videos on diagrams, exam question answering techniques, etc.
To conclude - taking Biology and Chemistry is a feat to beat, especially at Higher Level. With these resources, I hope that the burden lessens - and if not, at least you will always have bragging rights in taking some of the hardest HL's in the IB Diploma.
Next on HumanMadeArt IB Blog's repertoire: Ideas and Tips for the IB's Internal Assessments.
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