IB Economics HL Tutoring
One-to-one online preparation for the Economics Higher Level syllabus
IB Economics HL tutoring runs a separate track for Paper 3, the HL-only paper, whose calculations and policy-recommendation questions catch out even students who know the theory well. In 90-minute sessions we pair diagram drawing with the evaluation paragraph that reaches the top band, and for the portfolio we go right down to which news article you choose.
Quick Answer
Because the Economics HL portfolio is three commentaries spread across the year, starting in IB 1 works best; one 90-minute session per commentary is usually enough. Paper 3 gets a block of its own roughly three months before the exams, once the rest of the theory is in place.
HL
Level
Fully Online
Format
90 min
Lesson length
€85 per 90 min one-to-one lesson
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HLIB Specialists
Experienced Team
About IB Economics HL Tutoring
Our IB Economics HL tutoring programme fully covers the Economics Higher Level syllabus, one of the most popular and practical social science courses in the IB Diploma Programme. We work from the theory through to how it applies in today's global economy. Our experienced IB teachers make abstract economic theories concrete with real-world examples and current news.
The microeconomics topics covered look at how markets work at the individual and firm level. Supply and demand analysis (including elasticities), market equilibrium and the price mechanism, consumer and producer surplus, government intervention (price ceilings and floors, taxes, subsidies), market failure (externalities, public goods, asymmetric information, market power), the theory of the firm (production and cost concepts) and market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, monopolistic competition, oligopoly) are studied in depth.
Macroeconomics is the second core pillar of the IB Economics HL syllabus. We systematically cover the aggregate demand and aggregate supply model, economic growth and development, types and causes of unemployment, inflation and deflation, the money and banking system, central bank policies, the tools of fiscal policy and their effect on aggregate demand, and supply-side policies. Our teachers bring macroeconomic concepts to life with graphs and diagrams.
International economics matters more than ever in a globalised world. We cover in detail international trade theories (comparative advantage), the benefits and costs of free trade, the tools of protectionism (tariffs, quotas), economic integration (trading blocs, the EU), the balance of payments, exchange rates (fixed and floating systems) and the dynamics of the foreign-exchange market. Current trade wars and economic agreements are examined as case studies.
Development economics is an important part of the IB Economics HL syllabus and is key to understanding global inequality. We cover the concept and measurement of economic development (GDP, HDI, the multidimensional poverty index), barriers to development (institutional, political, economic factors), development strategies (import substitution industrialisation, export-led growth, market-oriented and interventionist approaches), international aid and borrowing, and the sustainable development goals.
The advanced HL-only topics are what set IB Economics HL apart from SL. For HL students we additionally cover the theory of the firm (short- and long-run cost curves, economies of scale), the detailed graphical analysis of all market structures, price discrimination, the fundamentals of game theory and oligopoly behaviour in depth. These topics require a higher level of analysis and evaluation in the exam.
The Internal Assessment (IA) portfolio makes up 20% of the IB Economics HL grade. We provide support during the IA: choosing a suitable news article, linking it to economic theory, using graphs and diagrams, and writing analysis and evaluation. The three commentaries come from different units of the syllabus (excluding the introductory unit) and each must use a different key concept as its lens; we guide all three separately.
Every programme is built around the student's level and career goals. A strong Economics HL grade is a major advantage for students aiming for university programmes in business, economics, finance, international relations or public administration. Together we plan the content, the problem-solving practice and the exam strategy each student needs to reach an ambitious target.
IB assessment experience
Lessons are planned with teachers who have relevant subject experience and a strong command of the IB assessment criteria. Matching is done by subject, level, the student's current standing and teacher availability.
Syllabus Topics
And what does the board look like at SL?
The same topics, taught at SL
SLExam Papers
IB Economics HL exam structure and focus areas
| Paper | Duration | Weighting | Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 1 hour 15 minutes | 20% | Extended response, one question from a choice of three, 1 hour 15 minutes |
| Paper 2 | 1 hour 45 minutes | 30% | Data response, one question from a choice of two, 1 hour 45 minutes |
| Paper 3 (HL) | 1 hour 45 minutes | 30% | HL extension, policy paper, 1 hour 45 minutes |
| IA | — | 20% | Portfolio – 3 Commentaries (800 words each) |
Source: the assessment components and weightings on this page follow the IB Economics HL subject guide published by the International Baccalaureate Organization. Your school's IB coordinator can access the current session documents. ibo.org
About grade boundaries: According to the grade boundary documents the International Baccalaureate Organization publishes for each exam session, the total percentage needed for a 7 varies by subject, level and session in a band of roughly 55–85%. Your school's IB coordinator can access the relevant May/November Grade descriptors and boundaries document. In our one-to-one lessons we review the student's realistic grade range together using past-session boundaries and mock results.
IA / Written-Task Support
Where do one-to-one lessons help with the Internal Assessment and written tasks?
An article you can actually draw
The hardest part of the portfolio is not the analysis, it is choosing the article. An interesting story often refuses to sit on a single diagram. Before an article is settled we work out which diagram it will carry, what goes on the axes and which shift you will show.
Three commentaries from three different units
The commentaries have to come one each from microeconomics, macroeconomics and the global economy, and the articles must come from different sources. We build the calendar around that at the start – otherwise you end up holding two macro articles and one of them is unusable.
The publication date of the article
The article you use must have been published no more than a year before you write the commentary. Students who leave submissions to the end find that the article they liked months ago no longer qualifies. We record each chosen article with its date.
Leaving room for evaluation inside 800 words
Most students spend the word limit explaining the theory and leave no room for evaluation. Before you write, we set the word budget paragraph by paragraph: how much for definitions, how much for the diagram, how much for evaluation.
Feedback on drafts
Schools can usually give formal feedback on one draft per commentary. We read at the article-selection stage and again on the full text. We do not write the commentary for you; the IB's academic integrity rules do not allow that.
Comparing Preparation Paths
How self-study, group classes and one-to-one support compare for IB Economics HL
| Preparation path | Pros | Limitations | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working on your own |
|
| Students confident with diagrams who can edit themselves down. |
| School lessons and group courses |
|
| Students meeting the syllabus for the first time. |
| One-to-one online lessons with us |
|
| Students who know the theory but lose marks on the portfolio or Paper 3. |
Lesson packages
Not happy after your first lesson? Full refund. Split 10- and 20-lesson packages across any subjects you like, with no expiry date.
Study Plan Framework
A typical five-phase plan for IB Economics HL in one-to-one lessons, adapted to the student's exam date.
Setting the portfolio calendar
week 1, during IB 1
- Deciding which unit each of the three commentaries will come from
- A calendar counted back from your school's deadlines
- Which sources you will follow for candidate articles
Microeconomics
weeks 2-7
- Elasticities, government intervention and market failure
- The HL-only theory of the firm and market structures
- Drawing every diagram in the topic by hand yourself
Macroeconomics and the global economy
weeks 8-14
- Connecting the AD-AS model to policy questions
- Trade, exchange rates and development
- Writing the commentaries that come from these units
Paper 3
4-5 sessions, around three months before the exam
- Showing your working on calculation questions
- Writing the policy recommendation with its justification and its limits
- Working through each question type in this paper separately
Exam practice
the last 6 weeks
- Writing diagram and evaluation as one piece in Paper 1
- Data-response technique in Paper 2
- Full-length past papers under timed conditions
This framework is a sample plan; it is customised for each student based on exam date, target grade and current level.
How One-to-One Lessons Work
How IB Economics HL sessions are structured
The diagram and the evaluation are written as one piece
Most students draw the diagram correctly and then describe it in words. The marks are not in the description: they are in saying who the shift favours and who it costs, which assumption it holds under, and what changes if that assumption fails. In the session you build the diagram and the paragraph beneath it together.
Paper 3 is treated as a subject of its own
This paper does not exist at SL, and knowing the theory well is not enough for it – calculating and writing a policy recommendation are separate skills. So we do not fold Paper 3 preparation into the syllabus work; it runs in its own block.
Article selection happens in the lesson
The student brings candidate articles and we sift them together for the one that sits on a diagram. Rescuing a commentary written from the wrong article takes longer than writing a new one.
A written progress report every two weeks
We share which topics were covered, how many commentaries the portfolio is at and what comes next, in writing.
IA Grader
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IA Preparation Checklist
Check the key elements of your IA report before moving on to scoring.
0/13 completed
0%Focus
Knowledge
Critical Thinking
Investigation
Communication
Criterion-Based Scoring
Assess yourself on each criterion. Use the slider to set your score.
Focus and Significance
0/6The choice, focus and significance of the Economics research topic.
The topic is unclear or irrelevant.
Knowledge and Understanding
0/6Application of Economics concepts, theories and terminology.
No concepts or theories are used.
Critical Thinking
0/6Skill in analysis, evaluation, argument and synthesis.
No evidence of critical thinking.
Investigation
0/6Data collection, methodology and use of sources.
No research methodology.
Communication
0/4The structure and organisation of the report, its terminology and references.
The report has no structure.
Total IA Score
Areas for Improvement
Want feedback on your IA from a teacher?
Work one-to-one with teachers who know the IB assessment criteria and IA rubrics inside out, and strengthen your report with feedback on each criterion.
If you'd like personalised feedback on your IA from a teacher, you can work with one of our tutors. This tool produces an estimated score; it does not replace official IB assessment.
Where Students Struggle
Our experienced IB teachers help you get past each of them.
Our Teaching Approach
IB-Focused Methodology
Work with teachers who know the IB assessment criteria inside out.
Where We Start
The first lesson sets the level, and the topic order follows from it.
The IA and the Exam
From the research question to the report, from past papers to mark schemes.
Past-Paper Focused
Real exam questions and mark scheme analysis.
Share before your first lesson
The information below helps the lesson plan focus on the student's real needs from the very first minutes.
- Target IB grade (e.g. 6 or 7) and exam date
- Current level: latest mock grade, predicted grade or weak topics
- School curriculum: the textbook used, IA / EE topic, deadlines
- Study schedule: lessons per week, available days and time slots
Who Is This Programme For?
Frequently Asked Questions
How much maths does IB Economics HL need?
Can you help with the Economics IA portfolio?
Does IB Economics tutoring help with Paper 3 preparation?
Programme Features
- The calculation and policy-recommendation questions in Paper 3
- Diagram and evaluation paragraph built together
- Choosing the news article behind each commentary
- Three commentaries spread across the school year
- Writing evaluation inside a tight word limit
- HL-only development and trade topics
- Fully online lessons (through our own teaching platform)
Contact us for a lesson plan
Tell us your target grade, where you are now and when you sit the exam, and we will work out the weekly schedule with you.
Quick Info
Tutors who teach this course
- İlker B.
IB Economics HL Teacher
- Deniz E.
IB Economics HL Teacher
- Burak Ş.
IB Economics HL Teacher
- Melis Ö.
IB Economics HL Teacher
Our teachers are currently working in IB schools, so we cannot share their full surnames.
Our tutors provide mentoring, structure suggestions and feedback during the IA / EE process. IB Courses does not write a student's IA or assignment for them.
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Go to the IB Global Politics HL Tutoring pageLet's work out where to start with IB Economics HL
On a free intro call with our experienced IB teachers, we'll decide together how many lessons you need and what to focus on.
The intro call is free and non-binding. We do not guarantee a specific IB grade.