✏️ Stressed out by essays? Here's how to perfect your writing skills and secure that 7 💯
Wednesday, March 23, 2022
Hello!
Can you believe it? This will be one of the last newsletters you get from us, co-founders Imogen and Katie… Amid all the recent interviews our Team Leads have been conducting with incredible applicants, we’ve been recruiting for a Communications Lead to step into this role. They’ll be bringing NEW energy + enthusiasm to this newsletter, so look forward to welcoming them into your inbox❤️
It’s been a joy to send out newsletters every week (ish!) since July 2020, when we first started IBlieve. This Substack community has grown to an incredible 2,500 people, with even more joining us on Instagram. We hope the advice and stories have been helpful and a positive part of your IB experience so far!
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s newsletter:
Essay writing tips!
Blog posts: Essay advice
Blog posts: Language A (Group 1) tips
IG Sneak Peak: 5 Tips for Weekend Productivity!
Cheering for you always,
Imogen and Katie
✏️ Essay Writing Tips
Essays are an important part of the IB experience. Whether that be the 4,000 word marathon of the Extended Essay or a weekly English homework essay, writing and structuring your ideas effectively is vital to securing a good grade.
Here’s a summary of our best tips, from IB grads and current university students across the world:
Plan! This is important to getting a good structure. Ensure you have an idea of what each paragraph will argue and how it contributes to your overall thesis.
Outline! If you prefer to dive into writing with less planning, outline your essays after you’ve written them. This helps check that you’ve got a clear, progressing arguments, to reflect on if you’ve rambled too much or confused your ideas.
Signpost! Make your teacher/ examiner’s job easier by showing what you’re arguing when. State your argument clearly into the introduction and start each paragraph with a topic sentence, encapsulating the paragraph’s argument.
Proofread! Read your essay over - you can print it out, read it out loud, or turn on ‘tracked changes’ to ensure you’re paying attention. Make sure each sentence flows and your meaning is clear.
Be clear! A good rule of thumb is to write how you’d talk, while editing a little to make it academic-appropriate. Overly formal language can often sound unnatural and complicate your argument. Make sure it sounds like you!
For more tips, check out the blog posts below, covering a range of subjects in more detail!
Happy essay writing 🙌
📚 Blog Posts!
Whenever you have a question about IB, check out our Blog! With over 250 posts, you’re sure to find super helpful advice from our amazing IB graduates and High School Ambassadors. Here are all our most recent articles!
💬 Essay Writing Tips
How to write an academic essay - Luisa
How to write a History essay - Victoria
How to write the TOK Essay - Joseph
Tips for the Psychology EE - Divyanshi
🫂Language A Advice
Tips for Group 1 Standard Level exams - Vaishnavi
How to ace your English L&L IO - Anagha
Tips for Spanish A Literature - Domenica]
📲IG Sneak Peak:
Find beautiful illustrations of our best advice on our Instagram and Facebook. Here are Bonnie, our Design Lead’s, great tips on weekend productivity!
👋 See you next week!
Thanks so much for reading this week! We believe in you!
Sending virtual hugs,
Imogen and Katie
IBlieve Co-Founders, from the Philippines 🇵🇭 and the UK 🇬🇧
IBlieve is an open, positive community for IB students by IB students. We pro