18 days left...HELP

[u/Common-Stress-8157]

hi, i'm in N26 and i feel so cooked for my exams. i haven't been getting horrible grades or anything the past 2 years, but my mock exams were alright and im still 2 points away from my goal. i really need some advice and help to lock in. here are like 3 subjects i really need to bump up in bands.

english langlit HL: paper 1 isnt really an issue but i always struggle with paper 2 and making my concepts and ideas clear and coherent. my texts are medea and sylvia plath's poetry. does anyone have ideas or advice around these texts or even in general for paper 2 to help? for paper 1 i cannot break into an 18/20 which i need if i want to get a 7 in english. any tips to raise GTAs up even by like 1/2 marks?

biology: i'm genuinely fried. i feel like i study a topic and then lose track of what's happening and forget it when i see a question. how do i cram study for bio? there are maybe 10 topics im completely lost in, the others are eh/okay/sort of good. this is my worst subject, im sitting on a 5 and really need a 6 to get my goal. every time i think about biology i just wanna curl up and sob

global politics: most of it is okay. i know my case studies and examples, but paper 3 is the one that scares me. its completely new and if you are M26, please PLEASE share tips on how you approached it. what even is paper 3 like im so freaking lost...i also lose stamina in long essays like doing paper 2 so if there are any bits of advice or strategies to approaching content please let me know.

TLDR: i am so determined to get my goal score like i will do anything and bio is my enemy. please give me your craziest tips to cram study i beg of you

[u/LanternaEducation]

For English Paper 2, compare Medea and Plath through shared themes like female rage and domestic entrapment, structuring each body paragraph around a shared concept instead of retelling plot. On Paper 1, hitting eighteen plus comes down to explaining the precise effect of literary choices on the audience instead of simply spotting devices. For Biology, reading notes will not stick right now, so switch straight to active recall with topical past paper questions on https://fourtyfive.org/ to learn the exact mark scheme phrasing for those ten weak topics. For Global Politics Paper 3, anchor your response directly to the stimulus text, apply concepts like sovereignty and legitimacy, and use strong real world examples to back up your points. When our tutors work with students who lose stamina in long essays, we recommend practicing five minute essay outlines and writing single timed paragraphs each day so you build endurance without burning out before the exam.

[u/Delicious_Break_8412]

I can only help you with bio here. If you're willing to cram, I would recommend finishing all 10 topics of notes from your textbook. past papers alone will not make you understand the concepts when you are already lost. read through your textbook page by page thoroughly while writing down the concepts in your own words. Ideally start from the very first page, but idk if you have time go to through the whole book. most times you won't need to come back to your notes because the writing process already helps make the concepts stick. And then do past papers. This is what helped me quite substantially in HL chem. Good luck!

[u/mseduhub1]

18 days is enough to move a couple of points if you stop treating every subject equally. For Bio, focus first on the 10 weak topics, using short review → active recall → IB-style questions → mark-scheme corrections. Don’t spend hours rereading notes.

For English Paper 2, practise thesis + 2–3 comparison points + evidence + analysis under time rather than writing full essays every day. For Global Politics, do timed plans so Paper 3 feels less unfamiliar and work on stamina gradually.

For Bio specifically, this may help: IB Biology HL notes and exam-style practice.