The IBDP program, requiring students to take three Higher Level and three Standard Level subjects, is notorious for its heavy workload and long syllabi. No matter which subjects we choose, note-taking is inevitable, so it’s essential for an IB student to know how to take effective notes. Remember, note-taking is not just about making your notes look “aesthetic”. It’s about how much it helps you retain the material that you are learning. Although note-taking strategies vary between students, I want to share some note-taking tips for subject groups 1-5, which may help you determine the methods that work best for you!
Before we start…
I want to give some general tips for note-taking, specifically in the DP:
- First, although it is much more comfortable to open Google Docs or any other digital platform, to jot down your notes, it is crucial to remember that IB exams are written by hand! Although it may not seem like a big deal now, familiarising yourself with long hours of writing by hand will aid you tremendously in your exams! This is especially noteworthy if your handwriting tends to be illegible – please work on improving it so that you avoid losing any marks in the final exams!
- Although taking notes by hand is essential, that doesn’t mean that you have to resort to traditional paper all the time. If you feel more comfortable using an iPad or a tablet, which allows you to write by hand, feel free to use them! This can also be a nice switch-up if you feel tired of writing on paper during revision sessions.
Group #1: Studies in Language and Literature
As an English Literature HL student, I had my fair share of assignments and homework in my DP1 year, which taught me the objectives of the course and what the examiners are looking for. For any Language A course, I recommend having a notebook in which you store notes regarding all of the literary works that you study. Particularly, I recommend having notes of both the discussions that take place in the classroom and any external research that you may decide to do.
When you finish reading a book, your objective is to have a clear idea of the themes and devices used in it. If you are a visual learner, I recommend using different colors of highlighters or pens to differentiate literary devices or themes. In the beginning, it may also be useful to have a mind map of the characters so that you better understand their relationships. Mind maps are also effective for understanding the literary devices used in the work. In the center, I recommend writing the stylistic device, and then around it, examples and quotes from the book that will help you in your literary analysis. You can also try dividing your notebook by using physical tabs so that in the end, you have easily accessible and understandable notes for each of the works that you have studied!
Group #2: Language Acquisition
I currently take two subjects from this group: French B and Italian Ab Initio. Hence, I have developed some note-taking techniques for both improving your skills in a language you already know and for rapidly learning a new language.
For both subjects, I recommend having multiple notebooks. It is evident that the first notebook has to be for jotting down new material learned during classes. This can be new vocabulary or new grammatical structures that you learn. However, passively taking notes is not going to help you develop your language skills. Furthermore, since various materials may be learned during one class, your notes may get messy and incomprehensible.
That is exactly why I recommend having two more notebooks: one for vocabulary, the other for grammar. First, let’s start with the vocabulary notebook. Since all Language B subjects are divided into subtopics, it is useful to have sections of your notebook dedicated to each topic, along with the relevant vocabulary. You may also include some text types that may be associated with them, or briefly list the grammatical structures that will help you in writing about those topics.
The grammar notebook is quite simple, and is exactly what it sounds like — a notebook dedicated to grammar rules. Ensure to include not only the rules but also a couple of examples or irregular verbs that will help you use them more correctly. Since IB examiners appreciate the use of diverse grammar structures, it is nice to look back at all the grammar that you know and find ways to incorporate it into your text.
The best aspect of this “three notebook rule” is that it is fully customizable and will help you stay more organized and less stressed during your language learning journey. By having everything compartmentalized, you will avoid scrambling to find the correct vocabulary for given topics, or googling each grammatical structure that you may have forgotten.
Group #3: Individuals and Societies (Economics)
Economics is a theoretical subject and requires you to understand the topic – not just memorize the terms. Truly understanding a concept is dependent upon your personal learning preferences, for instance, if you memorize better when you write by hand or by orally recalling the material. Personally, I have found that in Economics, I understand topics when I am able to fully explain them without difficulty. Hence, I prefer to use Quizlet flashcards to go over past topics and test my knowledge in them. Although there are many pre-made Quizlet sets available, I recommend that you create the flashcards yourself. To some, this may sound like a waste of time, but typing the material out helps you better structure your thoughts rather than re-reading someone else’s flashcards. Remember that passively revising topics is not going to help you memorize them! It is better to spend extra time now and ensure that you truly understand the material rather than cram it the night before your exam.
Despite Quizlet sets being an extremely useful tool for active recall and note-taking, we must once again remind ourselves that the exams are written by hand. To ensure that I don’t over-rely on online platforms for note-taking, I physically take notes of the following:
- Graphs
- Calculations
- Topics that I found difficult
Having a section of your notebook dedicated to graphs will help you easily access them whenever you are doubting if your graphs are correct or not, or if you forgot how to sketch some of them. While the graphs at the beginning of the course are fairly easy, they get difficult over time. Hence, to avoid mixing the graphs up, having a display of them will help you better memorize their appearance.
The second point is especially important for HL students. As with graphs, the course doesn’t start out with many calculations in the beginning. However, more and more equations get added to the syllabus as you go along with your studies, and it is nice to have them physically written down rather than typed out online.
As for the third point, I found that physically writing about the topics that I initially found hard helps me to understand them more than taking online notes. Personally, I found the HL microeconomics part fairly difficult in the beginning. In order to understand it, I first consulted other online IB sources that gave me additional information and explanations. Next, I took my notebook and tried re-explaining the topic in my own words. Each time I finished writing, I checked my book and the online sources that I’ve read and added any points that I missed. If I found that I still didn’t understand certain parts, I researched them even further. Doing this multiple times helped me reinforce my knowledge and truly understand the topic rather than memorizing it.
Group #4: Sciences (Biology)
As with Economics, Biology is also a subject in which you need to truly understand topics, as many questions require you to apply your knowledge to unknown situations and experiments.
I first want to start off by recommending not to try to make your Biology notes look pretty. Remember, notes are supposed to help you understand the topic, and they don’t exist solely for aesthetic purposes. If you need to memorize structures such as cell structures, it is better to have an imperfect sketch that shows all the essential parts rather than a detailed, colored drawing. If you are asked to sketch a given structure in your exams, you won’t have access to pretty highlighters or pencils! Hence, focus on understanding the structures instead of spending hours drawing them.
Second, I recommend using a “question-response” approach whilst writing your notes. What is meant by this is that instead of giving your notes a title such as “photosynthesis”, try to make up questions regarding the topic and answer them as if you were writing an exam. This note-taking technique will help you better understand concepts and make you practice writing in exam-like conditions!
Group #5: Mathematics
Mathematics, no matter the level, is a subject that tends to stress out students the most. The long syllabus with its accompanied time constraint is what constitutes that stress, making students lose their focus and succumb to their nerves. Although some might think that there are virtually no notes to take for this course, especially since it includes a formula booklet which you can use during your exams, some tips can still be taken into account while taking DP mathematics.
Along with your main notebook, I recommend having an additional small notebook in which you write the rules and exceptions for each topic you cover. First, make sure to consult the formula booklet to avoid spending too much time on memorising the formulas that are included in it. Having all formulas laid out will be extremely convenient, as you will have easy access to them whenever you need them.
Final Thoughts
The note-taking methods that you employ during your DP journey are completely dependent on you, and the way in which your brain absorbs information. Playing around with study and note-taking techniques, such as the ones mentioned above, will help you discover the ones that work for you, helping you succeed in your studies!