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In our previous article, we discussed the importance of starting university admission preparations during the second semester of the first academic year in the IB preparatory course.

But why is that necessary?

Second semester: January to June

From September to December of the IBDP second year, most universities, especially top-tier ones, commence their application processes - so students must prepare early.

Moreover, having a clear direction early on can help students use their summer vacation to further prepare for university enrolment, which we will discuss later.

Apart from planning their university application, students also need to start preparing for internal assessments and extended essays.

Internal assessments are crucial as they account for 20 percent of the total grade for each subject. High scores in IAs can significantly ease the pressure of the IB final examination and directly influence the final IB results, so they should not be taken lightly.

As for the extended essay, students are required to complete a 4,000-word essay, fulfil the requirements of creativity, action, service, and complete the more philosophical theory of knowledge. The former requires completing 150 hours of extracurricular activities and writing a 4,000-word essay; the latter involves an oral report and a 1,600-word essay.

These three components can contribute three points to the total score of 45. Therefore, in the semester from January to June in the IBDP first year, students should start preparing for these components and establish their research topics and directions.

For the extended essay, students should start considering their research topic and direction early, and begin collecting information.

The topics chosen should ideally relate to the student's interests and the subjects they plan to study in university. This is particularly important when crafting a personal statement/essays for university applications. If the subject you're applying for is related to the topic, and you mention your own research in the personal statement, it can enhance your application.

Another critical aspect is managing the final exams to attain desirable grades. When applying to university, schools consider the predicted grade provided by the student's school as a significant factor in the application. UK and Hong Kong universities can use these estimated grades to make conditional offers. Hence, the first-year final exam should not be taken lightly.

IB schools generally use final exam results as the basis for predicting grades, which means students with high final exam results have a better chance of getting desirable predicted grades. It's clear that compared to the final examination results, predicted grades carry more weight in determining whether the student receives a school offer.

Considering all these factors, it's evident that the IBDP first year is a critical year.

Don't ease up during summer vacation

Even though classes don't run during summer vacation and the pressure of learning is reduced, students still need to continue working hard in three key areas.

Firstly, without the obligation to attend classes, students should seize this opportunity to catch up on any lagging course progress. Many use this time to strengthen their basic skills and often return to school in the new academic year with vastly improved grades.

Secondly, summer is a valuable time for students to further prepare for their extended essay and internal assessment. For example, they can use this time to conduct more research for their essays and participate in extracurricular activities to complete the required hours.

Collecting information should ideally be completed during the summer vacation, as there isn't much time once the school year begins. Students must submit the first draft of their thesis to their teacher for review and revision, so it's crucial to use the vacation wisely.

Thirdly, students should prepare for their personal statement/essays for university applications, and for university entrance examinations (standardized test) and interviews. Once school starts, it can be challenging to balance university applications and coursework.

We will continue discussing other summer vacation preparations and tips for managing the remaining time in the next article of this series.