How to not fail again or receive low marks

No one likes to fail or get ‘bad marks’ at school. But since we’re humans and make mistakes and blah blah blah, there might be a time (let’s say in our high schooling career for the sake of this blog) when we fail on a test, assignment or even a subject. Without really meaning to.
Frankly, some of my marks for some of my subjects have fell after being in the IB program. I know the same has happened to more than a few of my cohorts. The MLIIB posts on My life Is IB is further evidence.

However, this does not mean you should either a) not to IB or b) drop out of IB or c) become a robot and have no fun by working your metallic but off 24/7. Its life, you succeed at some things and can suck (or fail) at others. So the best thing to do is to suck it up and fix up your mistakes.

Here's a very general how-to

Tests

• Get the correct answers for questions you have answered incorrectly. Do this as soon as you receive your test back.
• If you don’t understand your teacher’s method/wording, find a classmate to get the correct answer from.
• Redo the question without looking at the correct answer.
• If possible, redo the test (at least the incorrect questions) at home, either mentally or writing by it all down.

Assignments

• Read the assessment criteria and see where you have lost marks
• Get feedback from your teacher, even if they have given written feedback.
• When doing the next assignment, read the assessment criteria and know where your weakness is, so you can avoid it.
• If a new assignment is similar to your low marks/failed assignment (i.e: commentary for English, lab practical write-up for Biology), refer back to your low marks/failed task to check you're not repeating the same mistakes (e.g: having a poor intro for a commentary, not providing limitations in discussion for Biology write-up)

Subject

• Most likely failed or received a just passing grade due to tests and assignments which have been failed or have received low marks. So do the above do avoid failing them.
• Talk to your teacher about your weaknesses and how to overcome them (either on report collection day or even at recess/lunchtime)

Note: Confidence in yourself is quite important, as well as actually putting in effort. Stressing and being nervous can also be good, since some people work better under these conditions.

Ally!

Ally is an IB student from the other side of the world (me:Australia/Ally:U.S). She will be a contributing blogger on this blog. Ally will cherish upon us her version of the delights of IB and impart some of her wisdom.

You can view her CAS blog here.

From Ally:

Hi there!

My name's Ally and I'm a junior at an IB school in the U.S.!
I'll be posting helpful/random things now and then...

My subjects:
Visual Arts HL
Math Studies SL
English A1 HL
Physics 1
Spanish B SL
History HL
Health

Maths SL

Many of the link I've provided also have Maths studies and HL notes available. I'm only providing the links of the subjects which I've undertaken (in this case Maths SL).

Mathimatikos revision/reference notes for SL(?) topics in pdf format
IB Maths powerpoints for SL topics
IB Maths worksheets, notes and practice papers (GDC/GDC free)
MM II (IB Calculus) Mrs. Shim's IB Calculus notes and worksheets
IB Maths SL Wikibook notes and formulae for SL topics
Haese and Harris IB SL textbook pdf document, useful for extra practice questions
Maths SL syllabus excellent to use as a guide of learnt concepts and for exam/test preparation
IB Maths IA guide hints, tips and general information for writing Maths IA

Lingo yo!

So, I figured since I'm doing IB, therefore using IB terms, and some people might not know what IB is, I've compiled a list of words which you might see on this blog.

In no alphabetical order.

HL: higher level

Three out of the total six subjects undertaken by an IB student must be HL. Higher Level subjects included more content and depth than a Standard Level subject, and also involve more hours, assessments and and extra exam paper. They also have more credit (eg: if a student takes Maths HL, a 4 or 5 is equal to a Maths SL 6 or 7). Mark boundaries are also lower.

SL: standard level
Out of six subjects, three must be SL. SL subjects require less hours and assessments than HL subjects. The course doesn't have as much depth as a HL subject and there are two exam papers to be done. Mark boundaries are higher than its HL counterpart.

EE: extended essay
Generally a 3500-4000 word essay (for science subject this varies) on a very specific topic of the student's choice. The student completes this essay over the time period of their diploma.
Successful completion of the EE component adds one point to the maximum of 45 points. Failure to do so results in failing to receive the full IB diploma.

TOK: theory of knowledge
A philosophical class, similar to epistemology. How do we know? Can we trust the things we know? The roles of perception, language, reason and emotion effecting what we know and how we know. Know, know, know...
A maximum of 2000 word essay on a question (provided by the IBO) is to be completed by the second year of IB in order to gain one point out of the total of 45.

CAS: creativity, action and service
150 hours must be divided equally between creative, physical and service activities. Journal entries/logs must be made for each activity and outcomes must be achieved. Completing the CAS requirement gives one point out of the maximum of 45 possible points.
Some see this as a forceful way of going out into the community to learn about others and yourself. Others see this as a great opportunity to do schoolwork but having fun too.

IA: internal assessment
Assignments and pieces of work which contribute to the final subject grade. These are marked by the teacher who teaches you that subject. A random sample of selected students work (names chosen by the IBO) are then sent to the IBO for moderation (to ensure teachers are marking fairly).

Commentary
A hideous requirement of IB English. It is a time-suck and requires the student to analyse literary devices and techniques and provide their own response to an excerpt or poem. Most students like to practise BS skills whilst completing a commentary.

My Life is IB

In the IB and don't know about this site yet? Where have you been?
Click here.

Warning: procrastination begins at the click of the link.

French

The list of links are more useful for French ab initio and perhaps even French B SL students.

Languages Online a Victorian government sponsored site. German, Chinese, Indonesian and Italian also available.

French Language Exercises Quiz activities on indirect, direct, passe compose, imparfait, negatives, etc..
Quia French All sorts of quiz type activities. The link I've listed is the search page.
Beginners French Listening Exercises page with links for improving listening and comprehension skills.
Cool French Want to start an argument? Want to say colloquial expressions? A fun interactive site for all levels of French (and to use on others)
BBC French A site by the BBC containing a wealth of learning exercises, videos, fun activities and audio for those who are learning or already know French. Suitable for all levels.
TV5 Monde Apprendre le Francais A French television channel's educational site, with activities in French for those learning the language. Suitable for SL students. Ab initio students advised to use site with a teacher's help (there are no English prompts or guides on the site).
Intense Cogitation French SL/HL notes on grammar and assessments in French (oral and written expression).

How to write a commentary

You need to write a commentary on some random piece of literature. Great, you now know that at least two hours will be spent at the computer typing, deleting and retyping, all whilst you're trying to channel into the author/poet's mind, trying to express exactly what were they thinking when they've written "...the pentacle of sorrow".
Fear not. I shall tell thee how one doth write a commentary (for homework purposes only- where there's no time limit).

1.Read the given piece. What's the pace? What is the piece about overall? What's the format of the piece?

2.Annotate baby! Whatever ideas you have, let them spew out of your mind. Even if it sounds a bit weird, just list keywords and short sentences. What connotations do certain words carry (positive or negative?). Is the author's tone changing?

3.Hunt down those literary devices. Identify what's their point in the written piece. Does it add rhyme or give a continuous flow in reading? Is it to provide greater detail (identify the form of imagery)?

4.Note down the punctuation (more important in poetry than plain ole' text from a novel/play).

5. Start writing!

This is how I usually set out my commentaries:
- Introduction (author's name, the given piece's title, the overall context of the piece, list some literary devices used, the tone of the piece)
- Body (if it's poetry, then I usually do one paragraph for each verse. If it's prose, then each point with it's evidence [a quote from the piece] and affect on reader in a paragraph on its own)
- Conclusion (state the tone at the ends of the piece, the reader's reactions, summarise what happened in the piece, i.e: someone died, a man cried, etc...)


There is no 'perfect formula' for writing a commentary. There are many ways to go about. You can write it sequentially (start from the beginning of the piece til the end). Or you can write it in themed paragraphs (i.e: paragraph one discusses literary devices, paragraph two is about the author's perspective, tone and mood, paragraph three details certain examples of imagery and its affect on the reader, etc...). However, you must remember to be clear and eloquent in your writing, and must remember to explain the affect on the reader. A commentary is not a rewrite, it's an explanation and discussion of the thoughts and language in the written piece.

Here is a much lengthier Wikibook guide on writing a commentary (an excellent resource, no doubt).