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March 7, 2025

Modern vs. Classic IB Literature: Which is Harder to Analyse?

Imagine this: You’re staring at two books from your IB Literature course on your desk....

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Modern vs. Classic IB Literature: Which is Harder to Analyse?

March 7, 2025

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Time and Futility in The Cherry Orchard and Waiting for Godot

March 4, 2025

Blog Exams IB

Do NOT Make These 7 Mistakes In Your IB English Lang Lit Paper 1 Exam

February 21, 2025

Blog General IB IGCSE Learning ToK University

From the CEO’s Desk: Balancing the Boardroom and the Classroom

February 14, 2025

Happy 2023! Past Year Reflections and Resolutions

04 Jan 2023

Blog, IB

5 Tips to Score a 7 in IB Economics

27 Dec 2022

Blog, IGCSE

IGCSE World Literature 0408, at a glance

16 Dec 2022

Blog, IGCSE

7 Tips to Improve Your Descriptive Writing

10 Dec 2022

Blog, IB

How to brainstorm for IB English Paper 1

03 Dec 2022

Blog, University

Tips for an 800 in SAT Math

28 Nov 2022

Blog, IB, IGCSE, Mental Health, University

Using Loci to Learn Effectively

18 Nov 2022

Blog, IB

How to Write an IB Media Analysis Essay

11 Nov 2022

Blog, IB, IGCSE, Mental Health, University

How Mind Maps Help You Study Better

05 Nov 2022

Another year has gone by. Disappointment, regret, anger, love, peace, joy, contentment – here’s a range of emotions laid out for you that you’ve probably felt in the past year. Is there any single emotion that you can describe 2022 in? How would you put it? We’d use the word ‘blessed’. It’s been an incredible year at Young Scholarz with new team members, new teachers, new students, and new learning experiences. We were able to travel more, survived another year through the corona, and welcomed the new year with straight As and A*s from ecstatic students. This blog post today is about reflections and resolutions on the year before and a cheerful welcome to the new year.

Was 2022 a good or bad year?

365 days is a large number when it comes to remembering things. You may not remember what happened last week! But there are many important events, instances, and feelings that stick around simply because they made a difference in your life. Ask yourself if this year was good or bad. Let’s reflect on all the things that happened in the past year. You can journal them down as well. This really helps close chapters that were either written well or ended roughly, and we can start again on a clean slate for 2023.

These are some questions that could help you reflect on the past year:

"Michael Jackson enjoying popcorn while captivated by something special, showcasing a moment of entertainment and delight."

Which moments seem special from the past year?

The best moments would still be at the top of your head, write them down, reminisce, and in retrospect think about what made them special.

Which moments were not so special in the past year?

Think about events that were not worth remembering, and brought in sad or negative emotions. Don’t just think about how you overcame that event/feeling. Also, think about how far you’ve come since that experience. This helps deal with any unearthed emotions so you can start anew.

What did you do right?

As humans, we’re born critics and tend to always pick out the flaws in ourselves. But we need to appreciate the little achievements and the goals that we’ve accomplished so far – they seem little but may impact us in ways bigger than we imagine. So, ask yourself what you’ve done right last year and how it makes you feel today.

What did you do wrong?

This could fairly be an easy question but the goal here is not to feel regret or self-deprecate yourself. Remember that you only learn when you make mistakes. So remember the things you’ve done wrong and what you did, or can still do, to make it right.

How do you feel you’ve grown up in the past year?

Are you the same person as in January 2022? Definitely a no; nobody is. But how have you changed? What changes do you notice about yourself? Would the “2022” version of you make this comment or have this opinion? A good change is a positive welcome and an achievement in itself. Pat yourself on the back for getting through the year, you deserve it!

Reflect on how you would have done certain things differently

Thinking about your past actions and experiences, you need to think about possible choices or decisions that you could have made – had you done so then the consequences would have been different. Consider them as alternate endings to your story. But don’t think about them with repentance, but take them as learning experiences for the future.

What are you thankful for?

This is something that we must always, always do. We must always feel grateful for the things that we have and yet strive for the things that we don’t. We often only look at the glass half empty and that’s where most of the problems begin. Gratitude is essential and so you must think about all those things that you are thankful for to have in your life.

What can you do to improve yourself?

Looking back at the errors you’ve made, the goals that you haven’t accomplished, a wrong decision, or even something as small as something you said or did that wasn’t right – how would you change yourself? How would you improve yourself so you don’t do it again? Think about it.

The importance of self-reflection

A new year is a great way to reflect on your past so you can work on your future. It’s like a term-end report or a year-end mark sheet that you receive after every exam. Just like you’d like to improve your grades, and we’d like to help you do so, you can also assess yourself and work on your errors to live a more fulfilling life.

But that does not mean that when you fail midway you give up and wait for the next year. The idea here is to motivate yourself every single day and not just when you’re given a reminder to kill it.

New Year resolutions and what you plan to achieve this year

Meme of a dog planning to achieve goals for the new year

There was a time when New Year’s resolutions were just a joke and a one-off event; that was before the pandemic hit the globe and had us stuck at home for a good few months at a stretch. It was exactly at that point that we had time to reflect on ourselves, and were given a chance to work on ourselves and make a few changes.

Since then, people have become more self-aware – some have gone the extra mile and accomplished insane goals like acquiring multiple degrees and starting successful businesses in their garages. Others may have achieved smaller goals like decluttering that attic which they wouldn’t have done in another decade due to lack of holidays and leaves.

Your goals don’t have to be physical, they can also be inner goals. Everybody makes goals to eat healthily and exercise regularly – but these are a given.

Instead, consider trying to be a better person, a kinder, hardworking, a more giving person – these are qualities that you can instill and accomplish as goals. These are all lifelong changes that you can begin with at any time, and not wait a whole year to be a better version of yourself.

We hope this piece has helped you and wish you a wonderful, joyous new year ahead!

gif of minions wishing you a happy new year

References

https://blog.getsetup.io/posts/new-year-new-me-reflecting-on-the-past-year-for-new-years-resolutions

http://spectrumeghs.com/new-years-resolutions-a-reflection/

https://www.presbyterianseniorliving.org/blog/reflections-on-leadership-new-years-resolutions

End of Year Reflection Questions for 2023 and 2024

Many students take IB Economics assuming that it’s an easy, scoring subject. Well, they’re wrong. If that’s you then you need to re-assess your subject choices. Although it may appear to be an easy A, it’s a tricky area and we’re here to help you with a few tips and tricks to help score a 7 in IB Economics.

Tip #1: Terminologies and Concepts

A good chunk of IB Economics consists of a plethora of terminologies that would make the subject sound like a foreign language to you. If it does, then you must learn it like one! You need to understand and learn to be able to define these terms. Your answer requires definitions and meanings of these terms. Pretend that your examiner does not know the meaning of these economic terms and explain them while maintaining the flow of your answer. This would give an impression that you know what you’re talking about and help get a good score on your paper.

Along with terms, also get the basics right. You cannot take a step further unless you’ve understood what you’re studying. Be it micro, macro, international or global economics, you need to learn and understand the basic concepts involved in the subject, and only then can you customize your answer based on the question.

Tip #2: Diagrams

Just learning and drawing diagrams perfect to the T is not sufficient to give you a high score, leave alone a 7. You need to study the diagrams in depth, what they mean, and the factors that would cause changes in a diagram, like in a graph. Along with that, you need to master drawing a diagram within a minute. It should not eat up much of your writing time, and you should be left with a sufficient amount of time to analyse and evaluate them in your answer.

Diagrams usually involve recollection and reflection, hence forming a significant part of Papers 1, 2, and even Paper 3. While creating a diagram, make sure the necessary conditions are met and the specific details are shown on them. Practice so much that you can draw a graph or a chart blindfolded. How would you achieve this? Read articles relevant to the subject, and draw a diagram that matches the description, meanwhile timing yourself to finish it in one minute.

This is an issue that we see many students dealing with, that being the management of time. If you use up the hour making diagrams and struggling with them, you’re left with less time to focus on the analysis bit of your answer. And if you don’t analyse well, what’s the point of your answer?
One more thing to keep in mind is labelling the diagram clearly and accurately. Make sure they aren’t left hanging. What do we mean when we say that? Even if the diagrams are complete, perfect pieces of art, not having a supplementary explanation can sabotage the goal of your answer. It’s best to practice diagrams right after class, making sure you can draw them from memory, explain them and evaluate them on your own.

Tip #3: Structure

Every answer is an essay, akin to an English language one. Hence, naturally, an essay requires a suitable structure and format to follow. Having a strong foundation is crucial to all IB DP Economics essays, and that means planning out a clear structure for your answers in Papers 1, 2, and 3.

Here’s a skeletal structure for reference:

Definition – you must begin by defining your key terms relevant to that question. Make sure that you maintain a good flow while you do this.
Diagram – draw the diagram necessary for that answer.
Explanation and evaluation – after drawing the diagram you need to explain what it means and what your main idea behind the diagram is. For example, short run vs the long run, the effects on stakeholders, the advantages vs disadvantages of a market economy, etc.
Examples – next thing to do is provide relevant examples to enhance your essay.
Closing statement – this could also be called the conclusion and includes a summary of the important points that you’ve covered in your answer. Make sure to wrap things up efficiently and address the question accurately and sufficiently.

Tip #4: Analyze and Evaluate

Now that we’ve touched base with the first 2 components, the next step is coming up with strong evaluations. How does one do that? The best way forward is to read and watch the news. Interlink newer economic situations with the ones taught in class. Combine news sources like The Economist with more mainstream sources like CNN, establishing a connection, in any, to understand textbook material with real-world examples.

Don’t just do it while you’re nearing the exams; begin on day 1 itself, while you’re in class. This habit of daily implicit analysis will help you come up with some interesting evaluations during the exam. Your display of original evaluation and analysis would show the examiner that you’re a level 7 IB student, in turn increasing the chances of scoring a strong 7!

The analysis and evaluation part of your essay is interconnected with the examples that you give from newspapers. Make sure you have the correct examples ready at your disposal while you scrutinize and form evaluations related to the question.

Tip #5: Examples from Current Affairs

Apart from the correct analysis and evaluation of the questions in an IB Economics paper, it is equally important to have the correct examples to complement it. This is a unique feature of IB Economics’s long answer questions, having a specific requirement to include examples during your explanations. Imagine reading the same example in millions of papers that you need to correct within a week’s time. Does it not sound agonising? After a point, you would probably want to mark them down for not including something else.

This is not just hypothetical but true indeed, which is why you need to think outside of the textbook and include real-time examples, perhaps from the paper that you read just the day before the exam. This wider knowledge of ‘the real world’ and the ability to exemplify your topic ideas backed with current affairs can even add a refreshing perspective for the examiner.

Reading newspapers and watching the news is definitely a no-brainer if you want to score a 7 in IB Economics. But apart from that, you need to involve yourself more by discussing with your peers, parents, or teachers what you’ve read in the newspaper.

Including the correct examples requires the correct amount of practice, where you need to time yourself and give responses with relevant examples and explanations. Make sure to bridge the gap between textbook and life to make your answer seem more relatable and 3-dimensional.

… and if you still need help and guidance, we at Young Scholarz are here to help you learn the subject effectively and thoroughly. Our group and solo sessions, and our detailed feedback system ensures that you know where you err, and improve them well before the exams. You can head here to take a peak at our IB Economics Course.

The world constitutes varied cultures, tribes, and societies, all embracing different attitudes and beliefs. Isn’t it exciting to learn and explore these different places and cultures through literature? If you’re an IGCSE student and wish to learn about various stories across centuries, you may want to opt for IGCSE World Literature 0408.

Introduction to IGCSE World Literature

The Cambridge IGCSE World Literature course encourages students to read works by authors from other nations and cultures. Students also develop lifelong abilities in interpreting and assessing texts by studying renowned novelists, poets, and playwrights from around the world. This provides knowledge to the learners on how to create and express a thoughtful personal response to literature.

This curriculum is created to be flexible so that schools and teachers can select texts that are pertinent to the situations of their students and their own specialized interests. The curriculum’s objectives are to help students improve their capacity to appreciate, comprehend, and react to literature from many cultures and countries that is written in English or in English translation.

The aim of this syllabus

It allows the students to appreciate reading literature from different countries and cultures.
Helps to comprehend and react to literary works in many genres (poetry, prose, and drama), as well as various nations and civilizations.
Students learn how literature helps develop their sense of aesthetics and creativity
It examines how literature aids in comprehending various societal issues.
It builds a firm platform for further study of literature.

Content overview

World Literature encourages students to practice the skills of close reading through the study of literary extracts, unseen texts, and whole texts. All students take three components under this curriculum.

The first one is the ‘course work’ where learners study two texts, one prose text and the other drama text.
The second one is ‘Paper 2’ where the learner prepares for one unseen poetry text.
The third one is ‘Paper 3’ which allows the learner to select at least one set text, though they have the option to study further texts if they wish to.

Subject content

While preparing for the Course work, students need to read and understand two texts; one drama and the other one prose text. In preparation for Paper 2 Unseen Poetry, learners study a range of poems of different types.

For Paper 3 Set Text, students study one set text and answer two questions, one from section A and the other from section B in the examination. (As an option, the students can study two set texts and attempt questions on different texts).

Every year for the examination, the set texts include international poetry, prose, and drama. If you’d like to view some past papers of 0408 and gain a better understanding of the mark scheme and question formats, click here.

Set texts for the year 2023

Here is the list of set texts for the examination in 2023.

The set text for Drama

"Cover of 'Yerma' - a key text for IGCSE World Literature students, exploring themes of passion and societal expectations in a captivating narrative."

Yukio Mishima – The Sound of Waves
Federico García Lorca – Yerma
Amy Tan – The Bonesetter’s Daughter
Nikolai Gogol – The Government Inspector

Collection of Poetry

"Cover of 'Songs of Ourselves,' the IGCSE World Literature anthology. A compilation of diverse literary works studied by students, exploring universal themes and cultural perspectives."

Songs of Ourselves, Volume 2 is a collection of 14 poems from part 2. If you’d like a resource, this website shares an analysis of poems relevant to the syllabus.

Collection of Prose

"Cover of 'Songs of Ourselves' - the essential IGCSE World Literature anthology. A diverse collection of literary works for students, exploring universal themes and cultural perspectives."

Stories of Ourselves, Volume 2, is a collection of 10 stories.

Details for the assessment

Component 1 Course Work

This coursework contains 50 marks, where students have to submit two written assignments, one critical essay, and one empathic response. They would be required to study one drama and one prose text from the Set text.

Paper 2 Unseen Poetry

This is a written 30-marks paper for 1 hour and 15 minutes. This paper does not have a set text and students have to answer two compulsory questions on one poem.

Paper 3 Set Text

This is another written 50-marks paper for 1 hour 30 minutes. This paper is divided into Section A – which has extract-based questions and Section B – which consists of essay questions. Students have to answer two questions, one from section A and the other from section B.

If you’re a teacher reading this blog post, here’s the link to the teacher’s guide for 0408.

The most essential and fundamental aspect of culture is the study of literature, since this is an education in how to picture and understand human situations.
Iris Murdoch

Conclusion

This is a brief overview of IGCSE World Literature 0408. If you plan to enroll for the subject and need guidance to prepare for the set text of your choice, you can check out our website ‘Young Scholarz’. We conduct both group and solo sessions for most of the set texts, with a wide range of assignments and personalized feedback that can help you understand your areas of improvement and score better.

References

https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/555745-2022-2024-syllabus.pdf

We all know that descriptive writing is a form of writing that gives a clear and concise description of events, people, locations, or things. Now there can be two types of Descriptive Writing – one where the topic is already given to us, and the second where a passage is given and we need to take ideas and details from it and write a piece of our own. For the 0500 IGCSE Paper 2, the Descriptive Writing component does not rely on a passage. Now, whichever type it might be, any good Descriptive Essay needs proper skills and a lot of practice. So, here are 7 tips that will help you improve your Descriptive Writing Skills.

Plan your essay

This goes without saying, but it’s a must. You need to plan the skeleton of your essay – ask yourself what each paragraph would focus on. Think of a suitable central theme for each body paragraph. Remember that planning your essay will not only ensure that you organize your ideas well – it functions as an excellent tool for brainstorming ideas in the correct order.

Image: Building blocks spelling out the word 'Plan,' symbolizing the foundational importance of constructing a well-thought-out plan in the process of descriptive writing.

Make your introduction game strong

The next step is writing a great, compelling introduction. Writing a good introduction is very important in any form of writing, so you need to pay attention to it. Begin with a hook – the rabbit hopped and leaped into the garden as it had just been set free. Spring has begun! You may add some interesting facts about your topic, like a rhetorical question, or a humorous description to keep the readers hooked to what is about to come. Your introduction should include a suitable thesis statement that defines the rest of your essay, making sure that it sets the correct tone and mood as well.

Image: Text prominently featuring the word 'Intro,' underscored by dynamic design elements, conveying the significance of a powerful introduction for capturing attention and setting the tone.

Add sensory details

All of us are familiar with the five senses which are sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Adding these to your writing is very important as these will add depth and detail to your Descriptive Essay. Use them in a way to bring life to your writing, and create a 360-degree scenery around. Write in a way that the reader can effectively paint the same picture in their mind that you’re trying to create. For example, if you are explaining a garden, add the sensory details, like the soft pink colour of the roses, the sweet smell of the jasmine flowers, the lush green of the grass, the buzzing of the bees drinking nectar from the honeysuckle, the cool breeze and how it feels on your face, etc. The correct usage of sensorial imagery ensures that the reader wants to continue reading more.

Show not tell

The devil for Descriptive Writing is in the details. Don’t just state what you are trying to say, instead paint an image with your writing. For example – If a girl is scared, describe her actions instead of just telling her that she is afraid. Imagine the expression that a scared little girl would have, imagine she’d be trembling with fear, explain the colour being washed off from her face. Use your imagination till the best of your abilities – that’s how your Descriptive Writing skills will come to light. Readers will not get the sense if you only state something, so get into the nitty gritties and create a living picture with words.

Add figurative language

Figurative language refers to the use of words in a way that deviates from the conventional order and meaning of words in order to convey a more complicated meaning. It promotes colourful writing, clarity, or evocative comparison. So, adding it to a Descriptive Essay is very useful. For example, instead of writing “the man was cruel and insensitive”, replace it with “the man had a heart of stone”. The different types of figurative language that you can use are – Simile, Metaphor, Personification, Hyperbole, Allusion etc.

Image: A woman confidently discussing her height, both in a literal sense as she stands tall, and in a figurative sense as she expresses her self-assurance and pride in her personal growth and achievements.

Stay concise

You might be wondering how one can write a Descriptive Essay in a concise form – both of these are literally the opposite. But trust us when we say that nobody likes reading long essays. We’ve marked many papers on Descriptive Writing, and have noticed that the essence remains better in an appropriate length of an essay. Set your word limit and try to stick to it – the beauty about this essay is that you combine your ideas logically and make use of complex and compound sentences. If the passage is already given, annotate the important points and add them to your essay. Writing concisely is an art but you can master it if you practise enough.

Image: A balance scale with a red ball on one side and a stack of green balls on the other, symbolizing the concept of 'less is more' in a minimalist and balanced way.

Conclusion

As important as you know the introduction is, so is the conclusion. Like for any other essay format, all 3 are crucial to the organisation of your essay. The conclusion gives an appropriate answer or closing statement to the thesis statement in your introduction. If you end your essay with a suitable conclusion, it also helps with your score. Summarise all the key takeaway points from your essay and you have a complete, cohesive answer ready for review!

…And there you have it: 7 Effective Tips to Improve Your Descriptive Writing. The next time you are stuck while writing a descriptive essay, remember these points and these will definitely help you plan, write and enhance your descriptive writing.

Do you need further guidance for this component? Look no further – Young Scholarz has workshops designed for specific modules in group sessions and solo sessions. Along with assignments we will provide you with detail-oriented feedback for a higher score.

Are you still mulling over it? Click on this link to know more.

Be it as a group exercise or for an essay writing paper, brainstorming is an effective way of putting your ideas out there. They don’t have to be great, they don’t have to be groundbreaking, but they’re all building towards a goal that you need to achieve. Whether it’s brainstorming for IB LangLit Paper 1 or for IB Lit Paper 1, this is one of the first steps to answering a question. Let’s discuss how to brainstorm for IB English Paper 1.

But before that, what is brainstorming?

Brainstorming in the very essence of the term, is storming your brain with multiple ideas pertaining to a specific question. These ideas could be great ideas. They may also be inconsequential and redundant. But, the purpose behind this exercise is to produce and fabricate thoughts pertaining to that text, literary or non-literary.

Brainstorming for IB English Paper 1

For IB Literature Paper 1 as well as IB LangLit Paper 1, the text in both papers is unseen and cannot be prepared for in advance. In that case, the only material that you have is in hand while sitting for the exams – which is great, because that builds a framework for more accurate ideas.

Types of brainstorming

Positive brainstorming

As the name suggests, positive brainstorming is writing down points that you know. Anything that is relevant to the text – your thoughts, opinions, literary terms, and tools that you can identify – jot them all down. Its use can be decided in the next step.

For example, consider the text in the poem ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost. Ask yourself: What do you know about it? The road can be a metaphor for life, a path to choosing your career, or any decision that you take. While reading the poem, you have come across many examples of imagery, simile, and personification. So, you write them down in your brainstorming session, along with relevant examples and how they contribute to the overall meaning of the text. This is positive brainstorming.

"Image demonstrating effective techniques for brainstorming English Paper 1. Enhance your writing process with creative and organized brainstorming methods."

Negative brainstorming

Also known as reverse brainstorming, negative brainstorming is the opposite of the previous technique – write down everything you don’t know about the question. Now you’d ask, how is that possible? If you’re aware of what you don’t know, brainstorming will help you find an answer and work your way around it. For example, you’ve picked out the literary devices fairly well, but you don’t know much about the rhyme scheme and how it creates meaning. Brainstorming will help you focus and gain a better sense of direction.

"Visual guide to negative or reverse brainstorming technique for IB English Paper 1. Explore innovative problem-solving by considering and flipping potential challenges for creative solutions."

Brainstorming techniques

1) Annotate the text

This is an easy yet crucial step to brainstorming. While reading the text the very first time, with a pen/pencil in your hand, underline the important words and phrases that will later on help you generate ideas, analyze them, or come to a suitable conclusion with them. Although this is a common practice, it is often overlooked. Annotating a text is key to identifying important words, patterns, and concepts.

2) Free writing

After you’ve read, understood, and annotated the text, remove 10-15 minutes and dedicate it to a grueling, highly productive brainstorming session. Ignore grammatical errors, ignore self-judgment, put all inhibitions aside, and just freely write what you think and what points you can deduce from the text. Once you’ve laid the foundation, you can easily choose and cancel what you need and don’t need.

"Image depicting the practice of free writing in IB English Paper 1. A creative process where ideas flow freely to generate insightful and expressive responses."

3) Graphic Representation

There’s a talented bunch of you who can be the graphic designers of a literary essay. Some like to use Mind Maps, which we absolutely endorse, and some prefer Venn diagrams for their brainstorming points. Some even like creating columns to separate out body paragraphs according to the topic ideas. All of these methods are excellent while brainstorming – you also get the added benefit of planning and organizing your essay while you generate your ideas.

Visual representation of mind maps for IB English Paper 1. A strategic tool illustrating connections, themes, and ideas to enhance organization and creativity in writing.

4) Use the Description

The description of a scene or a passage is an effective way of formulating ideas. For example, the question involves a journal entry by a botanist. Think of all the senses involved in the study of a Venus flytrap. The sight, touch, smell – you cannot taste or hear it, so that is stricken off. But the rest are clues to describing the plant, how it catches its prey, the correct conditions that sustain the plant, the kind of insects or animals it feeds off – and how these aspects are used by the author to create appeal.

What should you do after brainstorming?

Short-listing!

Once you’ve come up with some ideas, the next step is to scrutinize their relevance and significance. Is the micro-analysis of the title important to the appeal of the poem? Is the color of the leaves important to the carnivorous nature of the plant? Circle what’s important, and cancel what’s not.

Even if you’ve crossed out many points, don’t lose heart. It’s not a waste of time if that idea has given birth to a newer, different, and more effective idea than the one crossed off. This being a flow of ideas, traversing from one to another, it is a natural way of panning out your essay and reaching a suitable conclusion.

Brainstorming is the nexus of ideas
Dr. Asa Don Brown

So, the next time you practice an IB English essay, keep these points in mind and let us know how they helped you!

"Alison Brie enthusiastically high-fiving IB English Paper 1 students, celebrating success and camaraderie in mastering the exam's challenges."

Aiming for a Perfect 800 in SAT Math? Well, It might seem impossible at first but with proper guidance, skills, and the right strategy you should be well on your way. The SAT Math test evaluates your understanding to apply mathematical concepts and skills to different types of problems in college and real life. There are two portions on the SAT Math test. The first section will be for 55 minutes with 38 questions where one can use a calculator. The second section for 25 minutes with 20 questions, using no calculator. To know more about what the SAT comprises, read our older blog post on “What you need to know about the SATs”.

While scoring within the range of 680-750 is acceptable, you may want to raise your scores by answering all the questions correctly. This will help you earn an 800 on this section! This is especially key when you’re trying to get into a field of study that requires extensive Math knowledge.

"Image: A triumphant student surrounded by mathematical symbols, holding a perfect 800 score in SAT Math. Illustrates success and mastery in achieving a top score."

So, why do you need to get an 800 in SAT Math?

If you’re planning to get admission to one of the top universities such as Harvard, Princeton, MIT, etc. your score needs to meet the quantitative bar set by them – an 800. You’ll need to be in the top percentile for these highly selective technical colleges as a lower Math score makes you seem underprepared to meet their courses’ rigorous requirements. Another reason why getting an 800 in your Math test is crucial is because it helps make up for the potential weaknesses in other sections, be it reading or writing. The competition is cut-throat and you’re up against some of the best mathematical minds so an 800 will help improve your chances of being considered for admission.

Before we dive into some of the tips to ace your Math section, remember to keep a positive mindset. The most important tip is to stay calm. Yes, the test is important. Yes, you’re aiming for a perfect 800, but don’t let that pressure get to you. Try to be mentally strong, believe in yourself, and know that you can do it.

SAT Math Tip 1 – Find your weak points

Self-analysis is a prime step before you start preparing for your test. This will help you know your flaws beforehand, allowing you to work on it and master them. Here is something you could practice to know your weaknesses. Take two practice tests, one with the test conditions and another without any time constraints. If you score less even without time limits then you’ll need to work on understanding the content of your test, but if you score well with unlimited time then you know, it’s the time management you need to work on.

Identifying your weak spots and working on bettering them will help you be more strategic about your preparation. Remember, for the most part, the SAT is about studying smartly and mastering the proven strategies!

SAT Math Tip 2 – Master the concepts

The Math test focuses on three major topics:

Heart of Algebra – 19 questions
Problem Solving and Data Analysis- 17 questions
Passport to Advanced Math – 16 questions

The remaining questions will test your understanding of topics such as

Area
Volume
Circles
Triangles
Trigonometry

Make sure you have a strong and deep understanding of each topic – move beyond the basic level of these topics and practice past SAT questions that are in line with the various concepts. Identify and analyze your content gaps and familiarise yourself even with the topics that don’t come too often in the exams.

Memorise formulae and postulates that will help you move through questions with ease.

SAT Math Tip 3 – Practice, Practice, Practice.

Image shows spongebob squarepants practicing his SAT Math to score a perfect score of 800

If your target is 800, you don’t have an option to leave anything. Your practice and preparation need to be on point. If you commit a mistake, make it your mission not to repeat it. Just knowing your mistakes is not enough, you need to understand the cause of your mistake and work towards eradicating it from the roots. Make sure you practice different varieties of questions. This acts as an exercise to your brain. There are multiple practice tests you can take on various sites. If you don’t always have the time for full practice tests, then attempt practice questions that’ll help build your prowess.

SAT Math Tip 4 – Avoid careless SAT mistakes

Imagine solving an entire question correctly only to mark the wrong answer on the answer sheet. That would be galling! Always pay attention while marking the answer, especially while bubbling your answer sheet, make sure you mark the correct question and not above or below it. When using a calculator, check if you’ve entered the correct digits. Careless mistakes are to be avoided at all costs and at all times! Practice the presence of mind while doing the SAT so you’re well aware of what, how, and why you’re doing it.

SAT Math Tip 5 – Get help from the experts!

While self-studying is good and commendable, working with an expert will prove to be more effective. You wouldn’t want to give up an opportunity to learn from someone who is highly experienced and could help you earn the scores of your dreams. Do you?

An SAT tutor will help you identify your weaknesses and strengths and teach you at your own pace. You’ll receive the guidance you need and access to learning materials you perhaps couldn’t get your hands on before! If you wish to enroll yourself for a prep class or personalized class for your Math SAT prep, read up more about our support here and register here.

Conclusion

Those are a few strategies/ tips that can help you improve and get that 800 in your SAT Math! Start your preparation early and most importantly, stay calm and focused.

For tips on the SAT English Reading and writing, check out our blog on “Proven Strategies to Perfect your SAT Score”

What is the Method of Loci?

“The method of loci (MOL) is a mnemonic device that relies on spatial relationships between “loci” (e.g., locations on a familiar route or rooms in a familiar building) to arrange and recollect memorial content.” In Latin, Loci means location or place. Now you may ask what is a mnemonic device or what are mnemonics. Well, mnemonics are basic strategies for encoding information with the sole purpose of making it more memorable.

In simpler terms, the method of Loci works by linking something you need to remember, to a location or place that is familiar to you.

We often think that we are bad at memorizing and remembering things. We can’t remember faces, we can’t remember names, phone numbers, etc. and we tend to forget what we have studied. This is true for people of different age groups. We envy people who have excellent memory power and imagine they are born geniuses or have some sort of magical skills.

Visualization of Sherlock Holmes' highly active and organized brain, showcasing the intricate neural pathways responsible for his brilliant deductive reasoning and exceptional memory. He is using Loci method.

Take Sherlock Holmes, the brilliant detective, as an example. He effortlessly stores vast information, recalls details, and skillfully deduces solutions to complex mysteries. How does he do that? In BBC’s ‘Sherlock,’ the creators gave him an ancient Greek mnemonic device, aiding him in unraveling the most mysterious cases. That device is called The Mind Palace or the Method of Loci.

Other names used are

Memory Journey
Memory Palace
Journey Method
Memory Spaces
or Mind Palace technique.

Step-by-step visual guide to the Loci method, a memory technique. Highlights include selecting locations, associating items with those locations, and enhancing recall through spatial memory.

How to use the Method of Loci?

It might sound like a lot of work but once you grasp the method and follow the steps below, it will be easy to do.

Part I

1. The very first step is to decide on the mind’s location. That is to think of a place you are very familiar with and that you can recreate easily in your mind. For example, it can be your street or a walk from the bus stand to your house or anything else.

2. Then you have to walk around that familiar area (all in your mind, of course).

3. All you need along that area are a few set points that you can remember without having to think deliberately about. You already know that there’s always a zebra crossing, a mailbox, a specific shop, a tree, or whatever, just the things that you are very familiar with.

4. Let’s say the first thing you have to remember is to take your silk dress to the dry cleaners and you have to do that the next day so you have to make a bizarre image of that thing.

5. Imagine a glowing beautiful white dress, the glow is so much that you can barely look at it.

6. Now you attach the image of the glowing white dress to the image of the mailbox. Imagine if someone has dressed up the mailbox in that dress.

7. Making this bizarre image in your mind is very important and useful. This helps you to link the two images.

8. Now you can forget about it and you don’t need to think about it until the next day or when you need it.

Part II

9. All you do the next day, or whenever you have to remember it, is just mentally walk down that route again. That is when you think of the mailbox your mind will automatically recall the bizarre image of the glowing white dress, which will then help you remember that you have to take the dress to the dry cleaners.

10. And in a similar pattern, you can go on attaching bizarre, silly images that you don’t forget to the locations or spots you are familiar with.

11. Just remember one thing the bigger your area of locations the better. The image above helps depict the steps we’ve just discussed.

"Visual metaphor of two puzzle pieces discussing mnemonics and memory, symbolizing the interconnected relationship between mnemonic techniques and memory enhancement."

How is the method of Loci useful for learning?

The Method of Loci is used for memory enhancement; hence you can remember things by using it and also enhance your power of memorization. It is not specific to any age bar, be it an adult or a child anyone can use it. Plus, it is fun and creative and it’s unlikely you will get bored using it.

For this method, a real location is not necessary. In the video game era, memory palaces can be constructed using game maps. These offer a creative and accessible approach to enhancing memory skills. Not only locations or maps but any other images can also be used in this method. You just have to remember this – you need to match permanent or familiar items with the temporary information you want to remember.

This method is very useful for students. Students, burdened with memorization, find ease and reduce stress by employing effective learning techniques for enhanced recall. Along with memorization, it also helps us to comprehend things properly. For example, if a school student is unable to understand a particular text from their book, he can use this method. It will help him comprehend as well as memorize the important things they need from the text.

Conclusion

While it may seem like an extraordinary feat to create a functional mind palace, it is quite achievable with a bit of practice. The next time you have a lot to memorize, try the Method of Loci. If you struggle to recall names or find yourself forgetting tasks, it’s a valuable technique. Who knows, you might become the next real-life Sherlock Holmes.

IB Media Analysis Essay – now this section of the IB English paper is a challenge for many students because of its nature. It’s an unseen text with no hint beforehand. The only way to ace this paper is lots of practice, getting your basics right and maybe some magic dust!

Easy? Then skip the article and score away! No? Read ahead then.

IB LangLit Paper 1 at a glance

As if choosing between IB LangLit and IB Literature wasn’t a conundrum on its own, it is essential especially for someone new to the IB DP to understand the paper pattern for IB LangLit.

The IB LangLit component consists of 2 papers. Bear in mind that there’s an SL (Standard Level) and an HL (Higher Level) in these papers; and there is a choice between these levels in all 6 subjects of the IB DP. IB LangLit Paper 1 SL is a paper of Media Analysis, aka the subject of our blogpost today. This analysis is delivered in an essay format, and the structure of your essay will also play a key role in scoring well.

What’s the difference between SL and HL?

The only difference between SL and HL for particular components (post 2021) is that the former has one question on the media analysis of a non-literary text whereas the latter has 2 questions on 2 different texts.

Types of texts involved in IB LangLit Paper 1

So what type of texts are we talking about? The term ‘Media Analysis’ is a lucrative and frankly generic term which refers to many text types spanned across multiple modes of media. It could be a magazine article on real paper, or a tabloid piece on the web. Apart from these, there are advertisements, posters, comic strips, newspaper articles, infographics, interviews, travel stories, service/product reviews, opinion pieces, blog posts and even journal entries – you name it. Seems like a lot, but trust us, you just need to get your basics right and you can analyze any type of text or media.

For that, let’s move on towards our Young Scholarz (YS) Approach to IB Media Analysis.

The YS Way of Analyzing text

Here are a few ways to approach and build your skills for IB Media Analysis:

1. Identify the text and its purpose

We’ve given you the ammunition – the entire list of possible text types. Once you’ve successfully identified the type of the text, you can approach it with full gusto and many ideas also come into being. For example, let’s take a look at this interview with Minoli Salgado. Spend some time studying the text at a glance.

A few questions to ask yourself:

What is the mode of this text?
Has it been published online, or does the layout look like that of a newspaper/magazine?
Who is the author of the text, what is the purpose of this text?
What type of content do you see?
What’s the tone and mood of this text?

2. Identify the themes, global issues, and its brief overview

These are key to your analysis – structure your essay on the basis of its themes. Let’s look at the interview mentioned above – some questions to ponder on:

What themes could you come up with?
What would the overview or main idea of this advert be?
When we look at it, we see a range of themes – race/ethnicity, feeling of belonging, women empowerment, voice of the oppressed, bias against diasporic writers.

Based on these, you need to build up on your ideas. Try to come up with the main idea for this text and many supporting ideas can come to light.

3. Apply ‘The Big 5’

The essence has been conveyed above, but narrowing it down to these 5 aspects will help you structure a much better, well-organised answer. Famously called The Big Five, or the acronym ACTSS.

Audience and Purpose
Content and Theme
Tone and Mood
Stylistic Devices
Structure

Keep these 5 things in mind while analyzing the text and you’re sure to achieve a win.

Do you find this cryptic and difficult to follow? Reach out to our experts for an in-depth understanding of this section with individual, one-on-one focus.

4. Plan, plan, plan

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again, but you HAVE TO plan your essay before beginning your answer. There’s no way out of this. Believe us when we say that we’ve seen a huge difference between student answers where they have blindly dealt with their essay and those where they have planned and organised their ideas before they begin. Divide your essay into subtopics, and include relevant examples, literary devices and stylistic features for each of your ideas.

This works for just about any literary answer and makes a TON of difference to the quality of your answer.

5. Annotate as you read

How do you extract important points from the text? Use a pencil and underline those words, images; put those grey cells to use as soon as you’ve begun on the title of the text. Circle, doodle around, but make sure to highlight any bits of information that add value to your ideas. This could be words, images, colour schemes, font size and style – these are crucial to your answer.

Annotating the text is a great way of ensuring that you’ve picked up information without reading the text a second time, saving extra time to focus on your essay.

6. Study the stylistic features

As we’ve mentioned before, the essay is broken down into different aspects that you need to identify. You need to study what stylistic features and literary devices are beforehand, and this is key to analyzing any text type. The ability to identify the role that images, colours, font-sizes and layouts play in achieving meaning and effect upon the reader is all that the question is about. You’ve got your main idea, themes, and examples from the text. All you need to do now is practice.

7. Practice, practice, practice

We’re confident that this blogpost has laid out key pointers for you to attempt the LangLit Paper 1, but you know it’s not that easy!. We have students coming in every day but yet, we don’t give them a grade 7 after their very first practice assignment. Why? Because practice and ONLY practice will help you out with scoring well. Along with that, you also need to know your errors and work on them.

At Young Scholarz, we can help you do just that. With detailed and personal feedback, we have seen students go from a 4 to 7 in just a few months’ time, depending on the student’s inputs too of course.

Now that we’ve brushed up on tips, would you be able to analyze this text/ blog post you’ve just read? Leave comments below – we’d love to hear from you.

Do you want to study in a more organised way or are you tired of the traditional note-taking method? Do you want to organise your thoughts and ideas in a more structured way? Well, in that case, read on to see how Mind Maps help you study better!

What are Mind Maps?

Mind Maps are visual thinking tools that help us utilise our cognitive abilities to the maximum. We use these as a study aid to clarify our thoughts, structure information, simplify complex ideas, memorize information, and take notes efficiently. Individuals have used visual diagrams, including branching and radial maps, to map information for centuries. The term ‘mind map’ gained popularity through Tony Buzan, a renowned British psychology author and television personality.

A colorful mind map chart featuring interconnected branches, nodes, and keywords, visually representing organized and structured information.

Why use Mind Maps to study?

You might be wondering why we need mind maps when the traditional note-taking method already exists. Well, mind maps or mind mapping can do just more than note-taking! Let’s see how useful mind maps are and how they can help you study better.

Mind maps help you to learn and analyse new concepts, comprehend and generate new ideas in a better way.
Students can benefit greatly from using Mind Maps for studying, as the format enhances information recording and creative problem-solving abilities, ultimately aiding better memorization.
Mind maps are versatile tools, aiding in note-taking, planning, organizing information, creative thinking, studying, and more. They efficiently break down large topics, presenting a visual and manageable overview. This way, you can plan effectively without getting overwhelmed or forgetting something important.
Mind Maps are not lengthy like conventional notes and often take up just one side of the paper.
Unlike conventional or linear notes, mind maps are visually more attractive, enabling you to see the better-connected relationships between different ideas or concepts.

How to create a mind map?

To create a mind map, you need to start with a specific topic or central idea and then follow these steps –

You need to place the central theme or main idea in the centre of the page. Placing the page in landscape orientation might be helpful for drawing purposes.
You need to draw lines/ arrows/ speech bubbles/ branches as ways of showing the connection between the central theme/main idea and the other ideas that stem out from that central idea. These branches are very important.
As you go on brainstorming, you can go on adding more branches from the existing branches adding more information to the primary idea till the point of completion.
The sub-branches will contain more detailed pointers or branches for overall understanding which will help you develop and elaborate on the overall theme of the mind map.
Including images and sketches can make your mind map visually attractive.

A thoughtful girl contemplating the creation of a mind map as a study aid, with a pen in hand and surrounded by study materials.

A Mind Map pro tip –

You can create mind maps either on paper or on a computer using mind mapping software such as Bubbl.us and MindMeister, enabling us to edit as we create. Check out another mind map article here for more tips!

Conclusion

Now that you know how using mind maps for studying can be effective, we hope you’ll try them out! If you’d like to see how mind maps can be used in a subject/ topic, book a 1:1 session with us! Our teachers at Young Scholarz can help guide students towards grasping concepts better through mind maps.

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Was 2022 a good or bad year?

These are some questions that could help you reflect on the past year:

Which moments seem special from the past year?

Which moments were not so special in the past year?

What did you do right?

What did you do wrong?

How do you feel you’ve grown up in the past year?

Reflect on how you would have done certain things differently

What are you thankful for?

What can you do to improve yourself?

New Year resolutions and what you plan to achieve this year

Tip #1: Terminologies and Concepts

Tip #2: Diagrams

Tip #3: Structure

Tip #4: Analyze and Evaluate

Tip #5: Examples from Current Affairs

Introduction to IGCSE World Literature

The aim of this syllabus

Content overview

Subject content

Set texts for the year 2023

Details for the assessment

Conclusion

Plan your essay

Make your introduction game strong

Add sensory details

Show not tell

Add figurative language

Stay concise

Conclusion

But before that, what is brainstorming?

Types of brainstorming

Positive brainstorming

Negative brainstorming

Brainstorming techniques

1) Annotate the text

2) Free writing

3) Graphic Representation

4) Use the Description

What should you do after brainstorming?

Short-listing!

So, why do you need to get an 800 in SAT Math?

SAT Math Tip 1 – Find your weak points

SAT Math Tip 2 – Master the concepts

SAT Math Tip 3 – Practice, Practice, Practice.

SAT Math Tip 4 – Avoid careless SAT mistakes

SAT Math Tip 5 – Get help from the experts!

Conclusion

What is the Method of Loci?

How to use the Method of Loci?

Part I

Part II

How is the method of Loci useful for learning?

Conclusion

IB LangLit Paper 1 at a glance

Types of texts involved in IB LangLit Paper 1

The YS Way of Analyzing text

1. Identify the text and its purpose

2. Identify the themes, global issues, and its brief overview

3. Apply ‘The Big 5’

4. Plan, plan, plan

5. Annotate as you read

6. Study the stylistic features

7. Practice, practice, practice

What are Mind Maps?

Why use Mind Maps to study?

How to create a mind map?

A Mind Map pro tip –

Conclusion

Ready to start your lifelong journey with us?