Doing the International Baccalaureate is the hardest things that I have ever done (still doing actually). It requires a painstaking amount on studying and even then just studying does not guarantee a good grade on your final exam or even complete understanding of the topic. This is were sources come into play. Having good sources is, in my opinion, one of the most important parts of the IB.
The subjects I am taking: Chemistry HL, Biology HL, English A Lang & Lit HL, French B SL, Mathematics SL, History HL
Here are the sources that I could not live without in the IB
For everything
Best Textbook = Pearson
Personally, our school gave us Oxford textbooks and let me tell you, I hated it. The Pearson textbook is so much better, it explains the concepts in a much clearer way, has more practice questions and the explanations for the answers to the questions are excellent! So if you don't have the Pearson textbook, try your best to get it (for example here- ibdocuments)
Best Textbook = Oxford
I like the Oxford textbook more than the Pearson one mostly for its illustrations. But honestly, both are great.
Best Textbook = No textbook
Our class didn't use any textbooks for this course
Best Textbook = I really don't like the Cambridge textbook (which is what our school uses) but I couldn't find anything online :( If you have anything please let me know.
Best Textbook = Oxford
Don't have much to say about math, it was never really especially difficult for me so I didn't search for any sources. I use the Oxford textbook and its pretty good :)
French SL
Best Textbook = Pearson
Our school used to use the Bien Dit textbook and it was alright. The texts are quite difficult to read and understand (they are quite advanced in my opinion). My teacher said that they would prepare us for the exams better as they are harder, but honestly, I don't really agree as I literally can't understand the text without google translate. I would recommend the Pearson book instead even though I have only done a few packets from that book (but those packets were better than the Bien Dit book)
If you can't find some of the textbooks or other sources, email me and I will do my best to get them going your way :)
PS- This post is not sponsored in any way, I am just sharing links that have helped me out immensely.
Do you know any good IB sources? Leave them in the comments below :)
The subjects I am taking: Chemistry HL, Biology HL, English A Lang & Lit HL, French B SL, Mathematics SL, History HL
Here are the sources that I could not live without in the IB
For everything
- This all-time most amazing source often gets taken down but trust me if you can get a hold of it when it is still up you won't regret it. You will find all past papers and textbooks that you would ever need for the IB (just keep this link in your bookmarks and keep checking it every once in a while to see if its working :) - ibdocuments
- Quizlet is an amazing source for studying. Period. Here is my account with a bunch of sets I have made that helped me out a lot - quizlet
- Exam- mate has all the past IB exams that you would ever need. Just sign-up to create a free account and enjoy your revision - exam-mate
- The IB Reddit community is incredible, you will always have your questions answered and sometimes you can find some astonishingly kind and smart people who can help you out - reddit
Best Textbook = Pearson
Personally, our school gave us Oxford textbooks and let me tell you, I hated it. The Pearson textbook is so much better, it explains the concepts in a much clearer way, has more practice questions and the explanations for the answers to the questions are excellent! So if you don't have the Pearson textbook, try your best to get it (for example here- ibdocuments)
- This guy really knows what he is talking about, but he does talk quite quickly and does not cover basic material so I would recommend watching his videos after you have already taken notes in class or from the textbook- Andrew Videos
- Oddly specific BUT when you are writing your Chem IA and need to write down the risk assessments use this- CLEAPSS
- Here is another secret weapon for your IB sciences (especially for IAs). Open up this website an copy paste that link from a scientific article that you need to pay for in order to read the whole thing. Just plug in the link and get your scientific article (aka amazing IA source) for free!- sci-hub
Best Textbook = Oxford
I like the Oxford textbook more than the Pearson one mostly for its illustrations. But honestly, both are great.
- The holy grail. You probably know about this textbook and if you don't welll your life is about to be changed. This website has AMAZING notes for all topics of the IB biology course. This is my favorite IB source- Bio Ninja
- I love taking notes from her videos. They are extremely clear and helpful - Cheryl Haus Videos
Best Textbook = No textbook
Our class didn't use any textbooks for this course
- As nearly everyone will read different books it's hard to pick out some generally good sources. However, crash course videos are always helpful- Crash Course
Best Textbook = I really don't like the Cambridge textbook (which is what our school uses) but I couldn't find anything online :( If you have anything please let me know.
- Nonetheless here are a few documents of notes I found one evening while scrolling through Reddit: https://www.scribd.com/doc/100943973/IB-History-Origins-of-Cold-War https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f8h2XJd_vPHmVyAAYUxPYksxbvuHLzqXbf3yOB9s0a8/edit# https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gpYlmM9AXL4b-LrEs_OT_elj9xavs7pbil-c_0Izl0I/edit#heading=h.f2oqsdmp6px4
Best Textbook = Oxford
Don't have much to say about math, it was never really especially difficult for me so I didn't search for any sources. I use the Oxford textbook and its pretty good :)
French SL
Best Textbook = Pearson
Our school used to use the Bien Dit textbook and it was alright. The texts are quite difficult to read and understand (they are quite advanced in my opinion). My teacher said that they would prepare us for the exams better as they are harder, but honestly, I don't really agree as I literally can't understand the text without google translate. I would recommend the Pearson book instead even though I have only done a few packets from that book (but those packets were better than the Bien Dit book)
- Don't have many sources for French either. BUT there is this cool website with free French films (and Hollywood films with french voiceovers) with subtitles and I would totally recommend using it especially if you love watching films like me :D - FlimFra
- You already know - Google Translate
If you can't find some of the textbooks or other sources, email me and I will do my best to get them going your way :)
PS- This post is not sponsored in any way, I am just sharing links that have helped me out immensely.
Do you know any good IB sources? Leave them in the comments below :)
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