Unlocking the secret to get a perfect 45 in IB
Dulwich College Suzhou is proud to announce that Yewon L, our graduate of the Class of 2024, has earned the prestigious distinction of achieving the full score (45 out of 45) in IB this year. This remarkable accomplishment is attained by only a highly select number of students globally each year. Yewon’s success is a testament to her determination, resilience, and the quality of education provided at DCSZ and a true example of the Dulwich Difference. Following an interview her recently here is her story and special insights.
Q: During the IB journey, what was the biggest problem, or the challenging subject for you and how did you encounter it?
Time management was the greatest challenge for me during my IB journey. Balancing textbook revision with coursework like internal assessments and the extended essay, which collectively influenced 20% of my final grade, was tough. I often found myself prioritizing subjects that I enjoyed, sometimes overlooking areas where I needed improvement. To tackle this, I adopted a specific scheduling approach. I divided study time into 30-minute blocks, alternating between textbook study and coursework to maintain focus and to fight boredom.
I also formed study habits, like solving math problems right after dinner or reading my English paper 2 text just before bed, adopting studying as a routine. This approach was particularly effective for subjects that I found less enjoyable or had neglected, making study sessions easier to initiate.
Q: How did your parents support you - from a daughter perspective, what was the best thing they have done for you?
The best thing that my parents have done for me is providing me with new perspectives whenever I was stuck with an assignment or a problem. For instance, when working on my TOK essay, I had many insightful conversations with my parents. These discussions gave me a fresh viewpoint that was crucial in shaping my essay. They were there for me not just academically, but emotionally as well. My parents encouraged me to explore activities outside of academics, like boxing or yoga classes.
Taking part in physical activities played a key role in reducing my stress levels during exam seasons and keeping me healthy. Also, from an early age, they encouraged me to take charge of my time and make my own schedule, allowing me to cultivate essential time management skills that were highly beneficial during my IB journey. I am immensely grateful to my parents for supporting me throughout my high school years.
Q: Is there any teacher you particularly want to say thank you too and why?
I cannot thank my teachers enough for always being there for me. IB is special because it requires extensive conversations between students and teachers. These discussions were valuable lessons in life that really helped me broaden my perspectives and become a better person. I also want to thank them for being so patient with me when I asked them countless questions via late night teams messages. It was their patience that allowed me to continue on my curiosity to discover more about the world around me.
Q: Are there any other challenges you have gone through in particular during your IB journey and why? Any practical study habits you would like to share with us?
English has consistently been the most challenging subject for me since IGCSE, particularly when it comes to interpreting symbols and key messages in more visual-oriented texts like magazine covers and comic strips. I believe that for IB English, the focus is on extracting precise messages from a text and analyzing it using original insights.
To refine my interpretation skills, I made a habit of actively contemplating about symbols and messages in visual texts that I could see in everyday life (webpages, advertisements etc.) This habit allowed me to be more confident in answering the common IB paper 1 prompt of “discuss how visual and textual features are used to create meaning.” I believe that repetition is also vital, such as re-writing a paper that you have already done or reading the texts you study in class multiple times. This way you can better understand your mistakes and understand how you could improve them.
I am also greatly thankful to Mr. Lehman for his amazing feedback and lesson resources. Reading the mock papers and revising my English writing according to Mr. Lehman’s feedback really helped me to transform my predicted score of 6 to a 7 in the finals.
Beyond IB English, I read online news articles and opinion columns in my free time. These resources allowed me to broaden my knowledge and enhance my vocabulary, which contributed in writing my TOK Essay and Extended Essay.
Mr David Massiah, Head of College
“A huge well done to Yewon for achieving a perfect 45 in the IBDP. She really reflects scholarly excellence and holistic development. She has pursued leadership by being our DCSZ Head Prefect and caring about the well-rounded development of her peers. Since talking about promoting financial literacy in her Head Prefect interview we could see that Yewon reflects a real depth and breadth of critical thinking, communication and care for others that all makes her a great role model. She is ready to achieve great success in medicine and make a real difference with the mindset, work ethic and smile that she uniquely has!”
Mr Stewart Paterson, Assistant Head of Senior School , IBDP/CP Coordinator
"A huge congratulations to Yewon L for achieving a score of 45 points in the IBDP. Yewon has worked incredibly hard on her academics and in her student leadership role as Head Girl. It has been a pleasure to see Yewon grow and thrive through her IB and DCSZ journey, and I wish her every success going forward.”
At the same time, we are thrilled to share more incredible news about our IB results! Following the successful remark process, our school's IB average score has risen to an extraordinary 37.6, significantly surpassing this year's global average of 30.32 and giving DCSZ the highest average IB grade in the Dulwich group of schools.
Congratulations to everyone of our Class of 2024 students!
