Our Timeline
Having years of teaching experience, Tychr is committed to expanding horizons for students through its state of the art teaching methodology. In addition to educational excellence, we strive to develop individuals that exhibit impeccable personal and professional integrity. With a focus on enhancing creative and intellectual faculties of students, we equip them with desired cutting edge competencies to excel in the ever dynamic 21st century ultimately serving the global student community.
The IB is a rigorous two year programme that provides both disciplinary and interdisciplinary education, designed to academically challenge students and broaden horizons. It is absolutely essential for students to be organized and follow a timeline as proper time management is crucial in successfully completing the IB programme. At the commencement of year one, students must pick six subjects from a maximum of six groups that pave the way to their desired career, based on their strengths and interests. Typically, students start researching colleges in September and decide which standardized tests to prepare for— such as the SAT, ACT or IELTS— while getting accustomed to all IB requirements.
After preparation for the SAT, students can take it up in December and continue preparing for semester exams that take place in January, which are then used to calculate predicted grades. Students must then start to research topics for their IA and EE and attempt to finalize the first draft by the end of year one. Furthermore, students get another opportunity to take up the SAT in March and can then progress to prepare for the SAT subject tests, if needed. Students must also brainstorm ideas for the TOK exhibition and ensure that they complete it by year one. Once the IB releases the TOK essay prompts, they can spend their summer finishing multiple drafts. As year two may be more strenuous, it is preferred for students to explore and take up extracurricular activities in creativity, activity and service throughout year one.
During year two, students spend most of their time finalising all documentation and prepping for the final examinations. Students also receive their predicted grades and finish college applications in August. While most CAS activities are taken up during the first year, it is still recommended to continue in the second year as well. The next few months are focused towards working and finalising their IAs, EE and the TOK essay so that the students can then start to prepare for the second semester exams in January. Once they have submitted final drafts of all documents in February, students must meticulously prepare for the IB exams throughout March and April.
Once a detailed study of various textbooks for each subject has been done, students must go through subjects guides to see if all topics are covered and practice as many past papers possible. Depending on whether the school conducts mock examinations or not, students will have to create their own study plan accordingly. As the pressure of exams begins to settle in, emotional support, advice and guidance is essential to be on the right path and to ensure stability. Finally, the students take up the final IB exams in the month of May. While each IB school may follow their own timeline, it is important to stick to one that suits your needs in order to ensure academic excellence. Moreover, it is important to keep an open mind and be flexible when taking up the IB.
The A-levels are an internationally recognized program, that spans the last two years of high school. The program can be divided into two halves, the Advanced Subsidiary and the A2, each covering a year. A Level, also known as A2, is the final year following the AS level and it continues the syllabus where AS leaves off. Although the papers vary greatly, the A2 exam also incorporates a lot of which is covered in AS. The marks obtained in this year, for each subject, are combined with those obtained in the previous year and a sum of both are provided as the final A-Level grade, signifying the completion of Secondary School.
Being the last year of school, A2 can be quite tough to cope with, especially considering our need to perfect everything from academics to college applications. Often, by this year students have an idea of which of their subjects require greater effort and which need the same diligence. Students tackling more than the minimum subjects required, may often decide to drop subjects that are not contributing to their overall grade or goal, prioritizing the quality of their grades over quantity of subjects.
Regardless, getting together the right schedule that incorporates study time for school exams and language tests along with time to work on college essays and applications can be tough. This is why Tychr helps curate a flexible schedule that allots time to each alongside providing any materials and guidance needed during their preparations.
The A levels are an internationally recognized program, that spans the last two years of high school. The program can be divided into two halves, the Advanced Subsidiary and the A2, each covering a year. The Advanced Subsidiary is the initial half, immediately following the I/GCSEs, and tends to cover about half the A-level syllabus and weigh heavily in the overall A-Level score.
But it is often also the year a lot of students struggle to catch up in. Not only can students from other boards find it difficult to adapt but even students from the GCSEs may find it tough. The AS level comes with a change in approach to the subjects alongside a jump in the information one has to absorb. But due to its significant contribution- which may vary for subjects- in the calculation of the overall A Level marks, one can not afford to slack this year. In fact, from personal experience I can ensure you that working harder during your AS could substantially decrease the pressure in your last year of school, allowing you to kick back and relax.
This is why, we at Tychr help you make the perfect schedule for your entire year, helping lighten the workload and enjoy the last years of high school. Through insight from alumni and careful consideration of what your academic life requires, from exam preparation to college research and application, we have designed a flexible guideline that allows students to enjoy their academic experience and also excel at it.