IB DP Geography: Paper-by-Paper Exam Preparation

The assessment revision notes set out each paper’s weighting and timing. These notes turn that into an exam-day plan – how to pace each paper given its specific time allowance, and how to handle Paper 2’s resource-based questions – with a worked scenario and a checklist.

First: confirm your school’s optional themes

Paper 1’s optional themes are chosen by your school from the syllabus options, so revision material that assumes a particular set of themes may not match what you were actually taught. Before doing any Paper 1 exam preparation, confirm with your geography department exactly which themes (two at SL, three at HL) you are being examined on – this single check prevents wasted revision time on content you will never be tested on.

Paper 1: optional themes (1h30 SL / 2h15 HL, 35% at both levels)

Because Paper 1 keeps the same 35% weighting at both levels but HL students cover one extra theme with 45 minutes more, the time per option is exactly the same at SL and HL: 45 minutes (90 minutes for two options, 135 minutes for three) – pace practice papers accordingly, allocating equal time to each option’s questions rather than assuming HL’s longer paper means more time per theme.

Paper 2: the compulsory core (1h15 at both levels, 40% SL / 25% HL)

Paper 2 is the one paper every DP Geography candidate sits on identical content, which makes it the paper where structured, close revision pays off most reliably – there is no ambiguity about what might be examined. Because SL’s 1h15 covers a larger share of the SL grade (40%) than the same 1h15 does at HL (25%), SL students in particular should prioritise Paper 2 preparation highly relative to Paper 1.

Resource-based questions specifically test reading unfamiliar material – a map, graph, photograph or data table you have not seen before – so practising with genuinely unfamiliar resources, not just ones already discussed in class, builds the specific skill these questions reward.

HL Paper 3: the synoptic paper (1h + 5 min reading, 20%)

Paper 3 is HL-only and demands more extended, synoptic answers – drawing connections across different parts of the syllabus on global interactions, rather than answering from one isolated topic. The 5 minutes of reading time before writing begins is meant to be used for genuine planning: identify which syllabus areas the question draws on and sketch a brief structure before writing, rather than starting to write immediately.

Worked practice scenario: a resource-based question

A Paper 2-style question gives a choropleth map showing a country’s regional unemployment rates, ranging from under 5% in the capital region to over 18% in a peripheral rural region, and asks: “Using the map, describe the pattern of unemployment shown, and suggest one reason for it.”

Weak answer:    "Unemployment is higher in the countryside." -- vague, no use of
                specific values or regions named on the map.

Strong answer:  Describe: unemployment is lowest in the capital region (under
                5%) and rises with distance from it, reaching over 18% in the
                most peripheral rural region -- reading and stating approximate
                values directly from the map's key. Suggest: this pattern is
                consistent with a core-periphery structure, where economic
                activity, infrastructure and investment concentrate in and
                around the capital, leaving peripheral regions with fewer
                formal employment opportunities.

The strong answer does two things a resource-based question specifically rewards: it reads and states approximate values directly from the resource (satisfying “describe”), and it links the pattern to a named geographic concept rather than a generic guess (satisfying “suggest”) – this describe-then-explain-the-pattern structure applies to any resource-based question, whatever the specific map, graph or data table shows.

Before/during exam checklist

• Before the exam: confirm your school’s specific options for Paper 1; prioritise Paper 2 preparation given its uniform content and, at SL, its larger weighting; practise Paper 3’s synoptic style specifically if sitting HL, using the reading time to plan before writing.
• During Paper 1: pace questions evenly across your options rather than favouring one.
• During Paper 2: read unfamiliar resources carefully and state approximate values directly from them before explaining the pattern shown.
• During HL Paper 3: use the 5 minutes’ reading time to identify which syllabus areas the question draws on and sketch a structure before writing.

Why timing awareness matters more here than in most subjects

Because Paper 1’s duration itself differs between SL (1h30) and HL (2h15), Paper 2 carries a different weighting at each level and Paper 3 is sat at HL only, a generic “spend X minutes per mark” rule copied from another subject will not transfer cleanly to Geography. Work out your own per-paper timing plan from the actual weightings and durations above – roughly, time spent per question should track its mark allocation within that paper’s own time limit, rather than assuming every DP subject’s papers are timed the same way.

Self-test

1. Why should you confirm your school’s optional themes before starting Paper 1 revision?
2. Why does Paper 2 reward close, structured revision more reliably than Paper 1?
3. What should HL students do with Paper 3’s 5 minutes of reading time?
4. In the worked scenario, what two things does a strong resource-based answer do?

Answers: 1. Because the optional themes are chosen by each school from the syllabus’s options, so generic revision material may not match the specific themes actually taught and examined at your school. 2. Because Paper 2’s core geography topics are the same for every DP Geography candidate, regardless of school or choice of options, unlike Paper 1’s school-chosen optional themes. 3. Use it to identify which syllabus areas the question draws on and sketch a brief answer structure, rather than beginning to write immediately. 4. It reads and states approximate values directly from the resource to satisfy “describe,” and links the pattern to a named geographic concept to satisfy “suggest,” rather than guessing generically.

Official syllabus

International Baccalaureate Organization, Geography subject brief (Diploma Programme), 2017 – the same source cited by the assessment revision notes. The worked scenario above is an original example written for this resource, not a reproduction of any official past or sample paper question.