How to Revise for IB Exams: A 12-Week Plan

IB revision is a different problem from IGCSE or A-Level, and most revision advice ignores why. You aren't revising three subjects. You're revising six, across two levels, while an Internal Assessment, an Extended Essay, and TOK are all still live — and CAS hasn't gone away either.

That's not a motivation problem. It's a scheduling problem. A plan that ignores the coursework will collapse in week three, because the coursework has deadlines and the exams don't yet.

Start with the calendar, not the content

Before any subject planning, write down every fixed date:

Mock exams (usually January or February for a May session)
IA deadlines for all six subjects — internal school dates, not the IB's
EE final submission and any supervisor check-in dates
TOK essay and exhibition deadlines
Remaining CAS requirements
Your first written paper in the May or November session

Now work backwards from that first paper. If it's twelve weeks out, the plan below fits. If you have six, run weeks 5–10 and accept that you'll prioritise past papers over relearning content.

The rule that makes IB revision work

Coursework first, because coursework marks are bankable now.

An IA sitting at 70% finished is worth nothing. An hour spent finishing it converts directly into marks on your final grade. An hour of Paper 2 revision twelve weeks out converts into maybe marks, discounted by everything you'll forget.

This is the single most common IB mistake: starting exam revision while three IAs are unfinished, because revision feels more like work. It isn't. Finish the coursework, then revise.

Anything that can be marked before exam season is worth more than anything that can't. Coursework isn't a distraction from revision — it's the highest-return revision you have.

Our IA survival guide covers hitting the criteria efficiently, and how IB points work explains why the EE and TOK bonus points deserve more attention than most students give them.

Weight your time toward HL — but not evenly

HL and SL subjects are both worth 1–7 points, so a point is a point. But HL points cost more work to earn, which means equal time across six subjects quietly underfunds your HLs.

The better allocation rule is not "HL gets more" — it's proximity to a boundary gets more:

List your six subjects with your current predicted grade.
Mark each secure, borderline, or below.
Rank the borderlines by how few marks separate you from the next band.

Our free IB points calculator adds this up for you and flags any diploma condition you'd fail on the way.

That ranking is your priority order. A borderline SL subject two marks from a 6 outranks a secure HL subject you enjoy.

The weekly rhythm

Six subjects will not all fit in every week. Rotate them instead.

Block	Length	Used for
Deep focus	50–60 min	Hard content, full exam questions, IA writing
Active recall	25–35 min	Definitions, command terms, formulae, vocabulary
Timed paper	60–120 min	Full or half papers — weekends work best
Review	15 min	Mark scheme check and error log

Aim for two deep blocks per subject per fortnight minimum, with your two priority subjects getting a third. That's realistic. Six subjects × three blocks a week is not, and planning it guarantees you abandon the plan.

The 12-week plan

Weeks 1–3: Clear the coursework and map the content

Finish every outstanding IA. Ruthlessly.
Get the EE to final draft. TOK essay planned.
Build a RAG checklist per subject from the syllabus: red (can't explain it), amber (shaky), green (could teach it).
Do not start heavy exam revision yet.

Output: nothing markable is outstanding, and you know where your gaps are.

Weeks 4–6: Attack red topics

Two deep blocks per subject per fortnight, weighted to your priority ranking.
For each red topic: learn it once, close the book, write what you remember, fix the gaps.
Start topic-level questions — not full papers yet.
Layer daily active recall on definitions and command terms.

Active recall and spaced repetition is the technique that makes this stick; re-reading notes will not move a red topic to green.

Weeks 7–9: Papers under timed conditions

Switch from learning to performing.

One full timed paper per week, rotating subjects.
Topical past-paper questions on remaining amber topics.
Mark yourself against the official mark scheme, harshly.
Keep an error log: topic, mistake type, fix.

The past papers method covers the marking and error-log loop in detail. It applies to IB exactly as it does to IGCSE and A-Level.

Weeks 10–12: Technique and polish

Work only from the error log. No new content.
Drill command terms — evaluate, discuss, to what extent, justify, deduce. IB mark schemes are built around them, and a good answer to the wrong command term earns little. Our command words guide covers the distinctions.
Rehearse paper timing per subject, including how long you can afford on extended responses.
Light review the day before each paper. No all-nighters.

Practise per paper, not per subject

IB subjects are examined across multiple papers that test different things, and revising a subject as one undifferentiated block wastes effort.

In the sciences, for example, one paper is typically multiple-choice, testing breadth and precision, while another rewards extended explanation and data analysis. Those need different preparation: MCQ practice trains recall speed and eliminates careless errors; extended-response practice trains structure and command-term discipline.

Check the paper structure for each of your subjects and ask, for each one: what does this specific paper reward? Then practise that, rather than practising "Chemistry".

Six-subject rotation that actually holds

A workable pattern for a week, adjusted to your own priority ranking:

Day	Focus
Mon	Priority subject 1 — deep block + recall
Tue	HL subject — deep block; SL recall (20 min)
Wed	Priority subject 2 — deep block + recall
Thu	HL subject — topic questions; TOK or EE if live
Fri	Lighter: recall across three subjects, error log review
Sat	Full timed paper (rotate weekly) + marking
Sun	Rest or one deep block on the week's weakest topic

The rest day is not optional. Twelve weeks is long enough that burning out in week six costs more than the sessions you'd gain.

If you're studying in the UAE

Mocks usually land in January or February for a May session, which collides with IA deadlines. Plan for that overlap in December, not in January.
Ramadan timing shifts each year. Many students in Dubai and Abu Dhabi do their strongest work after Maghrib — build blocks around your actual energy rather than an imported schedule.
Private IB tuition runs at the top of the UAE market, often above AED 250 an hour for HL subjects. See what private tutoring costs for how families cover daily support without hourly bills, and online tutoring across the UAE for the alternative.

Common IB revision mistakes

Starting exam revision with IAs unfinished
Splitting time evenly across six subjects
Leaving TOK until it becomes an E-grade risk
Revising "a subject" instead of a specific paper
Doing past papers untimed and marking generously
Ignoring command terms until the final week
Planning eighteen study blocks a week and completing five

Support that knows the IB

The IB's difficulty isn't only content — it's the volume, and the specific way IB mark schemes want answers expressed.

Solve works HL and SL questions through step by step, in the assessment language IB examiners credit.
The AI tutor adapts across your six subjects at HL and SL, including IA direction and paper technique.
Study sets turn your own class notes into flashcards, MCQs, and practice tests — which is how you keep six syllabuses warm at once.

Write your six subjects down tonight and mark each secure, borderline, or below. Then start a free trial and spend this week on the two closest to a boundary.