Brad Cartwright

The IB Exam Review Strategy

I Wish I Had Known Sooner

March 28th, 2025

At the beginning of my career teaching IB Economics, as I was preparing my first group of students for their exams, I had an idea. I thought that students aiming for a 7 should focus on advanced skills—analysis, evaluation, complex problem-solving—while students aiming for a 5 should focus on foundational understanding.

It turns out, I was wrong.

What I’ve learned over the years is that the best advice for IB Economics exam success applies to every student—whether they’re aiming for a 7, a 6, or a 5.

And it’s much simpler than I originally thought.

The Two Most Important Skills for IB Economics Exam Success

Of the Five Essential Skills—language, calculations, diagrams, analysis, and evaluation—students should focus their review time on just two:

1. The Language – They need to memorize and master all 250+ terms in the IB Economics glossary.
2. The Diagrams – They must be able to flawlessly draw every key diagram from memory.

That’s it.

If they master these two skills, they will be prepared for anything the IB exam throws at them.

Why This Works (And Why My First Approach Was Wrong)

When I first started teaching IB Economics, my review strategy was all over the place.

• I tried to review everything, which is impossible.
• I had students practice writing analysis and evaluation paragraphs in the final weeks before the exam.

But here’s the thing:

No student can review two years of content in just a month or 10 lessons.

And if I’ve done my job throughout the two years, my students already know how to write an analysis and evaluation. The structure is there. The frameworks are there. What they really need in the final stretch before the exam is complete mastery of vocabulary and diagrams.

How This Strategy Makes Everything Easier

Here’s why focusing on just language and diagrams is the most effective IB Economics review strategy:

• Language mastery gives students the ability to analyze.  If they know every term in the IB Economics glossary, they’ll be able to explain what’s happening in a diagram. And explaining a diagram is analysis.
• Language mastery gives students the ability to evaluate. If they understand all the economic problems and solutions embedded in those 250 terms, they’ll be able to evaluate trade-offs, policy effectiveness, and long-term implications.
• Diagrams are the foundation of everything. The most efficient way to answer an IB Economics exam question is to use a diagram. If a student can draw it, label it, and explain it, they can answer almost any question that comes their way.

The IB Exam “Hack” That Students Need to Know

If you ask students, “What’s the best hack for the IB exam?” here’s what I would tell them:

Be a Quizlet master of every IB Economics term and be able to draw every key diagram flawlessly.

Because if they:

• Know the definitions cold, they can describe and explain anything.
• Know the diagrams cold, they can structure every response effectively.

And when those two things come together, students will have everything they need to analyze and evaluate any question that appears on the IB exam.

Why it matters to you...

If you’re thinking about how to structure your IB Economics review, here’s the approach I wish I had used from the start:

• Don’t waste time trying to “review everything.” It’s impossible.
• Don’t spend review sessions practicing writing analysis and evaluation. If you’ve taught those skills well over two years, students already know the structure.
• Focus on complete mastery of language and diagrams.

No matter what grade a student is aiming for—7, 6, or 5—this strategy prepares them equally well.

And oh, how I wish I could go back to my first IB Economics class and apologize for not knowing this back then.

See you next week.