IB Geography HL exam-day guide
IB Geography HL · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Confirm your exam session time and venue or school arrangements
IB Geography HL is normally taken in a school exam hall during the May or November session. Confirm the exact start time, room, seat allocation, and reporting time with your school's IB coordinator, since local schedules vary. Arrive early enough to complete seating and any identity checks without stress.
Photo ID and admission documents
Bring the identification your school or exam centre requires (often a passport or national ID, and sometimes a school-issued admission slip). Requirements differ by centre, so confirm with the provider exactly which document is accepted. Keep it in a clear folder with your candidate number written down.
Candidate number and session details written down
Write your candidate number, session (May or November), and subject level (HL) on a small card. You will need to enter identifying details on answer booklets and cover sheets. Having them pre-written reduces errors under time pressure.
Black or blue ballpoint pens (at least two)
Answers are handwritten. Bring two or three reliable pens of the same colour plus a spare, and test them beforehand. Check with the provider whether pencil is permitted for diagrams; if unsure, plan to draw diagrams in pen and label clearly.
Pencil, eraser, and sharpener
Useful for rough work, sketches, and any diagram work. Confirm with the provider whether rough work must be crossed out or handed in. Keep a small clear pencil case if transparent containers are required.
Ruler and calculator if permitted
A ruler helps with sketch maps, cross-sections, and graphs. A calculator may be useful for data-response and fieldwork-style calculations, but confirm with the provider whether calculators are allowed in your paper and which models are approved. Do not assume permission.
Clear water bottle with labels removed
Hydration helps during a long written paper. Many centres require bottles to be transparent with labels removed. Confirm local rules with the provider, and avoid bringing snacks unless explicitly allowed.
No phone, smartwatch, or notes in the exam room
Leave phones and smartwatches outside the exam room or switched off and stored as directed. Bringing unauthorised material into the room can lead to misconduct procedures. Confirm the centre's storage arrangements in advance.
Review the paper structure and command terms
Know that Paper 1 is short-answer and data-response, Paper 2 is extended response with structured options, and Paper 3 is the HL extension paper based on a geographic issue. Rehearse command terms such as describe, explain, evaluate, and to what extent, and match answer length to mark allocation.
Prepare case-study and example recall sheets
Geography rewards specific, located examples. Build one-page recall sheets for your optional units and core themes with place names, dates, key data, and management or response strategies. Use these in the final days rather than rereading textbooks.
Plan timing per paper and per question
Work out roughly how many minutes each mark is worth from past-paper practice and confirm the paper duration with the provider. Decide in advance how long to spend on each section and when to move on if a question stalls.
Check permitted equipment and paper-specific rules with the provider
Some details, such as calculator use, pencil for diagrams, and whether rough work is collected, can vary. Confirm these with your IB coordinator or exam centre rather than relying on rumour. Mark any unresolved items for review before exam day.
Plan the day
Shift from learning to retrieval. Spend most time on active recall: cover your case-study sheets and write out key facts, figures, and place-specific examples from memory, then check gaps. Do one timed section or full paper under exam conditions, ideally at the same time of day as your real exam. Review command terms and mark schemes to understand how marks are awarded. Prepare your equipment, ID, and candidate details, and confirm venue and timing with your coordinator. Protect sleep; avoid late-night cramming that reduces alertness.
Do light consolidation only: skim your one-page summaries, core theme definitions, and optional unit examples. Rehearse the structure of longer answers, such as introducing a case study, giving evidence, and evaluating outcomes. Check your bag: pens, pencil, eraser, ruler, permitted calculator, ID, candidate number card, water bottle. Confirm travel plans and set two alarms. Eat a normal meal and aim for a full night's sleep rather than last-minute revision.
Eat breakfast and hydrate, but avoid heavy or unfamiliar food. Arrive at the venue with time to spare and follow seating and ID instructions. Keep away from panicked last-minute discussion of topics you have not covered; instead glance at your summary sheet for structure and command terms. Once seated, read the front of the paper carefully, check the number of sections and questions, and note the total time before you start writing.
Read the whole paper briefly and allocate time by mark value, leaving a few minutes to check. Start with questions you can answer confidently to build momentum, but do not overrun on early short-answer items. Match response length to marks: a few precise sentences for low-tariff questions, structured paragraphs with evidence for high-tariff ones. Use specific named examples, data, and place detail. Label diagrams clearly and annotate them. For extended responses, plan briefly, state a clear line of argument, and evaluate or conclude where asked. If time runs short, write bullet-point outlines for remaining high-value questions rather than leaving them blank, and cross out rough work if required. Check that your candidate details are correct on every booklet before handing in.
Rules to check
Follow all instructions from invigilators and your IB coordinator. Seating, reporting time, and room conduct rules are set locally, so confirm the specifics with the provider before exam day.
Bring only permitted equipment and materials into the exam room. Phones, smartwatches, and unauthorised notes must be stored as directed; possessing them in the room can trigger misconduct procedures. Confirm what counts as permitted with the provider.
Carry the identification and candidate documents your centre requires and keep them visible if asked. Accepted ID varies by centre, so confirm the exact requirement with the provider rather than assuming a passport is sufficient.
Breaks and supervised rest periods are governed by local centre rules. If you need to leave the room, raise your hand and wait for an invigilator; do not assume you can leave and return freely. Confirm break arrangements with the provider.
Marks are awarded against the mark scheme, so answer the command term directly and support claims with located examples and data. Longer answers are not automatically better; precision and relevance score higher than volume.
Write legibly in the required ink and keep your candidate details consistent across all booklets. Illegible or misidentified work may not be credited, and errors in candidate numbers can cause administrative problems.
Do not communicate with other candidates during the exam or discuss paper content in a way that breaches confidentiality rules. Follow the centre's instructions on when discussion is permitted.
If you believe there is a problem with the paper, equipment, or conditions, tell an invigilator immediately and ask your coordinator about the centre's procedure. Do not try to resolve it yourself or assume it will be handled automatically.