IB3 min read
Why ESS SL Paper 1 Section A credits the verbs, not the nouns
Section A credits the verbs, not the nouns: naming a flow scores at the bottom band, pointing to the arrow and both storages moves you to the top.
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IB posts
Browse all of our blog posts in the IB category here.
IB3 min read
How to read an ESS SL Paper 2 extended-response mark scheme
Section B is banded on level descriptors, not tick points. Four answer frames, a word budget per band, and the descriptive drift that caps you at band 3.
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Why ESS Paper 1 data-response marks are won in the second read
On the second read, check the depth test: one accurate statement earns 1 mark, a causally linked extension earns the second. Describe is not explain.
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A 7 in IB Chemistry Reactivity 2 starts with stoichiometry
A senior-tutor walk through IB Chemistry Reactivity 2: how much, how fast, and how far. Mole ratios, rate expressions, and equilibrium constants mapped to Paper 1 and Paper 2 marks.
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Why IB Chemistry Reactivity 3.4 depends on the lone pair
A senior IB Chemistry tutor's reading of Reactivity 3.4: how curly-arrow mechanism answers are actually marked, and the scoring habits that separate a 6 from a 7.
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Why IB Chemistry Reactivity 3.3 separates a 5 from a 7
IB Chemistry Reactivity 3.3 electron sharing reactions: curly-arrow rules, HL mechanism drawing, SL pattern recognition, and rubric criteria that decide a 5 from a 7.
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How to balance a half-equation in acid for IB Chemistry
IB Chemistry Reactivity 3.2 electron transfer reactions: how examiners mark oxidation numbers, half-equations, and redox titrations on Papers 1 and 2.
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How to score a 7 on IB Chemistry Reactivity 3.1 weak-acid
IB Chemistry Reactivity 3.1 proton transfer reactions: Brønsted–Lowry, Lewis, Ka, pH curves, and the conjugate-pair writing that decides a 6 from a 7.
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IB Chemistry Reactivity 2.3: why 'how far' is a number, not a feeling
IB Chemistry Reactivity 2.3 explained: Kc, Kp, Le Chatelier, ICE tables and the Paper 1/Paper 2 split that decides a 5 from a 7 in the IB Diploma.
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