Research and Design
How to Achieve Top Marks for Research Design

IIB Biology Higher Level (HL) is one of the International Baccalaureate science courses of the 2025 curriculum. The Biology HL course is a traditional science course, in which students develop a deep understanding of scientific concepts, including cell biology, viruses, genetics, ecology, classification, evolution, and human physiology. The course emphasises critical thinking, experimental design, and the application of biological knowledge to real-world contexts. The Biology HL course should be considered by students who are moderate to strong at science, and are interested in pursuing courses and pathways involving medicine, science, or engineering after their IB Diploma Program.

The IB Biology Higher Level course consists of three assessment items that contribute to a student’s overall score for the course. There are two exam papers and an internally assessed independent investigation. Paper 1 consists of multiple-choice questions and practical-based questions, and Paper 2 consists of short-answer, extended response, and data-based questions. The use of a calculator is permitted for both papers. The internal assessment requires students to conduct an individual investigation, demonstrating their ability to design experiments, collect and analyse data, and evaluate their findings. The assessment structure ensures that students are evaluated on both their theoretical understanding and practical skills in biology, preparing them for future academic and professional pursuits in biology and related fields.

There are two phases students progress through in their two-year IB Biology Higher Level course: the learning phase and the revision phase. The learning phase occurs in class, with their teacher and textbooks, where students first encounter and explore scientific concepts and consolidate their understanding by solving questions specific to that concept. The revision phase, which is what Revision Village is specifically designed for, is when students consolidate their understanding of all of the concepts in the Biology HL course and appreciate how the concepts are connected. In the revision phase, the most effective strategy is to practise lots of IB Biology HL exam questions to build confidence, reach mastery, and be prepared for the Biology HL examinations. The Revision Village Question Bank, Data-based Questions, Key Concept videos, Topic Quizzes, Revision Ladders, Mock Exam Papers, and Flash Card app are all designed to support this revision phase.

Revision Village is specifically designed to support IB students in the revision phase of their IB Biology Higher Level course. Revision Village has five main sections, each for different revision purposes: 1) Questionbank: a large library of IB Biology HL exam questions categorised by topic and ordered by difficulty, 2) Data-based questions: in an easy-to-use format which enables the development of skills required to tackle these Paper 2 style question, 3) Key Concepts: short concise videos and podcasts that recap the important theory in the Biology HL course, 4) Practice Exams: a carefully designed set of quizzes revision ladders, and mock papers for students to use in their final phase of revision, and 5) Past Paper Video Solutions: step-by-step video tutorials of past Biology HL exam questions, tagged to specific subtopics, taught by experienced IB Teachers. There is also a Revision Village app with terminology flash cards and plenty of multiple-choice questions to practice on the go! Revision Village is the perfect place for IB Students to learn, practice and prepare for their IB Biology exam stress-free, with all of the resources they need.