IB Global Politics HL exam-day guide

Finish content review and switch to active recall. Write out from memory the structure of each paper, the command terms you will meet, and the assessment criteria for the internal assessment. Build a one-page mental map of your strongest cases: for each, be able to state the actors, the power dynamics, the contested concepts involved, and at least two competing perspectives.

Do at least one full timed paper under exam conditions, ideally in the same time of day as your real session. Mark it against the criteria, then list the three specific weaknesses that cost you most marks. Work only on those in the remaining time.

Rehearse essay planning rather than full essays. For a set of past-paper or teacher-written prompts, spend ten minutes each producing an outline: a clear thesis, three or four developed arguments, named evidence, and an explicit engagement with counter-perspectives. Practise the fifteen-minute plan that keeps your writing organised.

Review the key concepts that recur across the course, such as power, sovereignty, legitimacy, interdependence, inequality, and justice. For each, be ready to define it, apply it to a case, and note how different theoretical lenses would interpret it.

Do a light review only. Reread your case-study summaries and your list of common errors. Stop substantive study in the evening. Pack your bag with ID, pens, pencils, clear case, watch, and water, and check your route and start time.

Confirm with the provider the exact room, reporting time, and any materials rules you are unsure about. Set two alarms. Avoid discussing the exam late at night with peers, as anxiety is contagious and adds little.

Eat a proper meal and arrive early. Skim only your case-study list and paper structure, not new content. Once seated, before the start signal, note on scratch paper the timing split you planned for each section.

Read the instructions and all questions before writing. Choose optional questions deliberately, based on which cases and concepts you can support with specific evidence, not on which question looks shortest.

Spend a short, fixed period outlining each essay: thesis, argument sequence, evidence for each point, and the counter-perspective you will address. A visible plan earns credit for structure and keeps you from drifting.

Answer the question asked, using command terms precisely. Define contested concepts, anchor every claim in a named real-world example, and evaluate explicitly rather than only describing. Reserve time to write a genuine conclusion that resolves the tension you set up.

Check that every required question has been attempted and that your candidate details are correct. Use remaining time to strengthen conclusions and correct unclear sentences rather than adding new arguments.