Student Stories: How To Get the Perfect IB Score
The highest score of 45 in the IB Diploma Programme is a remarkable accomplishment. As we celebrate the incredible achievements of all IB students worldwide, we also recognise the outstanding performance of the 179 top-scoring students.
These IB students scored the maximum mark in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP). It is an exceptional achievement that requires students to score seven in all six major subjects in the IBDP, and extra three points in both the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge elements.
WhichSchoolAdvisor asks students what it takes to score full marks in the IBDP, and what happens next?
Ady Lam, ESF Island School (Hong Kong)
How did you feel when you found out you had achieved 45 in the IB?
"When I found out I got 45, I started crying with tears of happiness and shock because I really did not expect it.
"When I came out of the exam hall one month ago, I really felt like I'd bombed several of my papers and it was really reassuring to find that I did actually achieve what I really want."
What advice would you give to students who are doing the IB?
"My advice to students would be to definitely work hard in your coursework because if for some reason on the day of the exam, you don't feel too good, or the exam itself is particularly hard, you have your coursework to rely on so you won't necessarily do that badly as you assume."
What are your plans after the IB?
"An immediate future goal, which would be to get more sleep in this summer and long term, I would hope to, of course do well in university and perhaps I think I will like to pursue a career in research because I think research is so interesting. You come up with perhaps like a new contribution to society and you could really help people have that."
Next steps: Cognitive Science at the Northwestern University, United States
Vianca Ng, ESF King George V School, Hong Kong
How was your IB experience?
"The experience was overall stressful but the most stressful part was actually the part before the final exams where we had to do all the ideas and apply to universities. But of course, like towards the exams, you feel a lot of pressure and it's just but like I found that to be not as stressful as the parts before."
What advice would you give to students who are doing IB?
"My biggest advice would be to really manage your time effectively. Don't just cram at the end and also actually focus in class and learn the content very well throughout the year rather than leaving all the learning towards the end.
"Because if you understand the content throughout the year, then at the end when you actually have to cram for the exam, it's actually much easier because you don't have to waste time understanding. You can just review it and go for it."
Next steps: Medicine at the University of Hong Kong / Chinese University of Hong Kong
Cedric Poon, ESF Renaissance College, Hong Kong
How would you sum up your overall IB experience?
"There are definitely ups and downs throughout the journey, for example, with all the IA, EE, and TOK essays, there are definitely times where you feel like you're about to break down from all the stress. And you also have to balance your university applications and all those things.
"But then I think it sort of balances out with sort of the fun experiences you got to experience throughout IB Like hanging out with your friends, doing different CAS activities, and just sort of like seeing your hard work pay off at the very end, so yeah, it's overall an up and down journey."
What advice would you give IB students?
"My advice for future IB students would definitely be to manage your time well and to think carefully about what you really want to do in the future."
What are your plans after IB?
"My plans after IB will be to attend university in Hong Kong. I will either be studying global business or I'll be studying law.
"My overall aspirations would be to sort of experience different cultures all around the world, maybe travel around different countries, as during COVID, we didn't really have many opportunities to do that, so I really want to sort of like build that experience back."
Next steps: International Business and Global Management / Law at the University of Hong Kong
Kadence Wong, ESF Sha Tin College, Hong Kong
How do you feel about getting a perfect score for your IB exams?
"It was honestly a very surreal experience because I personally was working really hard towards getting that achievement. To actually see it there on the screen with my family around me, cheering me on, it was honestly such an honour. Especially since I myself have worked very hard to get to this moment and my friends, my teachers and my parents, they have all supported me on this journey so much."
What is your most memorable experience of the IB?
"I think my most notable example was my CAS project, which was VOiCE XX, my school's literary magazine. I was co-editor-in-chief alongside another student, and I thought it was a very informative experience for me. Not only did I learn teamwork and how to work with people of different backgrounds, I also learned how to organise activities and from there gained a lot of skills from that.
" In the end, I was really proud of the result because as a result of my amazing team's work, we were able to launch a magazine which was read by over 500 people on the internet."
Next steps: Medicine at the University of Hong Kong / Chinese University of Hong Kong
IB Results 2023
