In recent years the IB’s popularity has surged among schools and parents alike. But finding experienced IB tutors can be extremely difficult. A Minerva IB tutor is DBS checked, carefully vetted and has a proven track records in delivering engaging lessons to support pupils studying the IB programmes at any age, including PYP and MYP.

Our IB tutors are available face to face and online. On top of this we provide IB tutors to families around the world for residential placements, usually to support children at International schools.

Our dedicated team of professional IB tutors know exactly how to put your child above the competition. With plenty of learning materials and knowledge of the specific ways a child is expected to answer certain questions, our tutors are fully equipped to deliver an unrivalled tutoring service.

About.

The International Baccalaureate diploma is a classic international school and private school course that challenges students by taking 6 subjects with 3 at higher level and the other 3 at standard level. It is possible to choose four or five subjects at higher level but is not recommended unless a student can maintain their average. Many subjects are offered including business, psychology and philosophy. Certain schools offer more than others, and all the higher level courses go into further depth than the standard level courses. Having six subjects challenges the students to remain well-rounded with particular understanding in their higher levels. The IB requires the students to take mathematics, English, one science, one humanity, an extra language, and then a free slot for another subject.

The IB is graded out of 42 for subjects, with a 7 being the highest mark for each subject. There are many regulations for receiving the diploma, such as having 12 points or more in your higher levels, etc. What makes the IB diploma special is that it also requires a student to take the ‘Core’. The core includes the Extended Essay (EE), Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS).

The EE is a 4,500 word essay in any of the subjects a student is currently taking that explores an interesting and unique topic. The assignment is given in the Summer before the second year, and is submitted in the following April. Students must choose a professor who will help and mentor them through the essay. They will need to perform their own research into the subject and write an interesting argument.The EE is graded between A-E. The EE is a very important component so I used a IB tutor from Minerva to fine tune my essay and make the essay more cohesive which resulted in me getting a B for the essay.

TOK is a philosophy based course that challenges students to explore the different ‘Ways of Knowing’, and ‘Areas of Knowledge’. A presentation will need to be given at the end of the course, and this course lasts 4 terms, with the student changing professor and focus every term. This is also graded from A-E, and both the EE and TOK grades are added together and form between 1-3 points to make the total score 45. For example an A in the EE and a B in TOK equals 3 points, and vice versa, while any E will make you fail the diploma.

CAS is a requirement that must be completed with three objects in each category. Activity can include sport and a marathon, Service refers to helping children around the world or community service, while Creativity refers to any projects done that are different.

Having taken the IB two years ago I can accurately say that it is an intense course that highly values being organised and finishing work ahead of schedule. This is when one of Minerva’s IB tutors can help as receiving help for the EE, and your subjects will push you ahead and make a student’s life much easier. It could be that you receive tuition on previous chapters in one of your sciences, try to get as far ahead as possible during the summer, or receive help on planning and reviewing an essay. Most of the 70 students in my year had an IB tutor and the list of universities reflect this fact with: 3 students getting into Oxbridge, 3 to UPENN, 5 to NYU, 3 to UChicago, 4 to LSE, 8 to UCL, and many more.

Pros.

The IB’s USP is that they guarantee that their students will be a well-rounded individual, who shows skills in teamwork, leadership, creativity, and individuality. Furthermore, it is a challenging diploma as students must organise and learn to balance their time. Through taking the subjects and the core they ensure their students will be more unique. They also encourage that students use all resources available including their professors, IB tutors, online tutors, and online resources. The standard levels that a student may take can also be the prerequisite for subjects in university. Thus, meaning that the course taken in university doesn’t have to follow the higher levels, like in A-levels. This means you have more options for subjects in university, and are more likely to be selected for subjects outside your higher level focus.

The IB also require an Internal Assessment which is a 2,500 word essay in each of your subjects that requires thoughtful research and preparation. There is a standard format depending on the subject that needs to be followed, and presentation is a component of this grade. The IA counts for a set percentage of the final grade depending on the subject and the level. Though this range is generally between 15% – 30%. The IAs prepare you for writing and following schemas for research papers in university and onward. IB tutors are able to guide you through the process, while honing your research question and argument. My IB tutor helped me cut some words, and make my arguments flow better. The EE is another research paper that is close to how university papers are written, and should be accompanied by IB tutors who read through the essay, and help shape up the paper.

CAS and TOK are part of the IB requirement both bring unique aspects to a university application as CAS projects are highly appreciated by universities as they show that you are giving back to your community and helping without taking anything. TOK is a subject that is not taught in any other diploma and focuses on expanding the view through which the student looks at education, the world, and choices.

Cons.

For students who have 2 or 3 subjects that they want to focus on completely, and not have to do other subjects A-Levels will appeal to these students more. Thus, the IB’s disadvantage is that for students who have an ideal job such as a lawyer or a doctor the A-levels are more appealing.

The IB is not as preferred as the A-levels in the UK and the APs in America thus falling in the range in between and making it a harder challenge grade wise for universities.

The IB does teach you how to balance your time however a student needs to be prepared from the start to face challenges thus ensuring that they will not fall behind, as without an IB tutor it is easy to struggle in some subjects such as science and maths.