All of the following information is based on the following IB pdf, outlining the changes to the May 2021 examination session due to COVID disruption. This blog post will be updated when the IB releases more information.Â
With the many months of stagnated learning due to moving teaching online in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IB decided to change up the May 2021 examination session. In most subjects, the IB has removed or amended parts of the final exams in order to reduce the amount of content that students will need to get through. What does this mean for you as a student? Let’s take a look at what changes the IB has made to the sciences!Â
ChemistryÂ
Paper 3: Removed
Group 4 Project: Requirement Removed
BiologyÂ
Paper 3: Removed
Group 4 Project: Requirement Removed
PhysicsÂ
Paper 3: Removed
Group 4 Project: Requirement Removed
So, paper 3 is removed for everyone, no matter which of the major sciences you’re taking and no matter if you’re doing SL or HL! We at Lanterna think this is one of the changes to the May 2021 Examination Sessions that will help you the most. Paper 3s are notoriously difficult within the sciences, primarily because so many students are forced to self-teach them as they don’t have time to go through them in class!Â
With the removal of Paper 3 you will almost certainly be able to go through the whole syllabus with your teacher in class (whether in-person or virtual), ensuring that there’s nothing on the day of the exam that you haven’t seen before!
The only drawback that you could claim with this change is that as a result of one paper being removed the IA, Paper 1, and Paper 2 will now be relatively weighted more. However, we think the time that you gain from not having to look at the option will more than offset any drawbacks!Â
The IB has not yet published official information about the new weighting of the IA, Paper 1, and Paper 2 after the removal of the Paper 3, but as soon as we find out we will update this blog post so stay tuned!Â
