If your child loses marks on the written explanations in IB Physics, you may be wondering what a tutor could do about it. An IB Physics tutor can sit with your child and one returned answer, read what the question asked for, look at what your child wrote, and talk through the thinking behind it.
Four things a tutor can look at
- The wording of the question, because that decides what a full answer needs.
- The answer your child wrote, including the parts that were left out.
- The thinking behind it, which your child can say out loud on a shared whiteboard.
- A later attempt at a similar question, so the two answers can be compared.
A returned answer is a good place to start
A test or a piece of homework that has come back with marks on it gives a tutor something real to work from. The question is there, the answer your child wrote is there, and the marks show how much credit the answer received. That is more useful than a grade on its own.
The first thing to read is the question itself, because its wording decides what a full answer needs. A question that asks your child to explain something wants a reason, not just a fact. The answer can then be read against that. Nothing is assumed at this point: the calculation might be right or wrong, and the physics might be secure or not. Reading the question and answer together gives a tutor a starting point for that conversation.
Our guide, How to Get a 7 in IB Physics?, has a section on Paper 2 and on what the different question words ask for.
Would you like a tutor to go through a returned answer with your child?
Tell us which topic the test covered and what kind of question cost the marks. A tutor can start from that answer with your child.
Ask about a tutorHow an IB Physics tutor in Bahrain goes through the answer with your child
Lessons are online, on a shared whiteboard, so the tutor and your child look at the same question and the same answer. The tutor can ask your child to say out loud what they were thinking when they wrote each line. Sometimes the physics is all there in their head and only half of it reached the page. Sometimes a line is written confidently and rests on something that is not true. Sometimes the working before the explanation went wrong, and the explanation followed it.
A tutor can use your child’s explanation to decide what to explore next. Where a step is missing, they can ask what connects one line to the next. Where a line is wrong, they can revisit the idea behind it. If a calculation affects the explanation, they can work through that calculation with your child.
A look inside the online classroom
This clip shows a maths lesson recorded in Pencil Spaces, the online classroom used by Greenhill Academics.
For Physics, a tutor can use the board to put a diagram, a calculation and a written explanation alongside each other. Your child can explain how they connect, and the tutor can ask questions about any step that needs another look.
What a second attempt can show
After discussing one answer, a tutor can offer a related question for your child to attempt independently. Comparing the answers can help them review which steps your child has included and which need another look. The tutor can also ask your child to explain the reasoning behind the new answer.
One better or weaker answer does not, on its own, establish how well your child understands the topic. A tutor can discuss the differences with your child and use further questions to help decide what to practise next.
Our IB Tutoring in Bahrain: A Parent’s Guide covers online IB lessons across the programme for families in Bahrain.
Would you like a tutor to work through a Physics answer with your child?
Tell us which topics your child has covered this term. A tutor can choose a question that asks for a written reason and work through it with your child on the shared whiteboard.
Send an enquiryMeet our Physics tutors
Hugh holds a First-Class MSci in Theoretical Physics from Imperial College London and completed a DPhil in Surgical Sciences at the University of Oxford. He teaches Physics at all levels, from GCSE through to university entrance, as well as IB Maths, and has more than ten years of tutoring experience.
Ashruf holds a BA (Hons) in Information and Computer Engineering from Clare College, University of Cambridge. He tutors Mathematics and Physics at GCSE and A Level and also supports university admissions.
Lucas tutors Mathematics and Physics. He holds an MRes in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Cambridge and an MEng and BEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cagliari. His teaching experience includes university tutorials and support with Physics and Engineering admissions.
Would you like to ask about one of our Physics tutors?
You can read their profiles above and tell us about your child’s IB course when you enquire.
Ask about a tutorFive questions about written answers in Physics
My child gets the number right but loses marks on the wordy questions. Is that a writing problem or a Physics problem?
It could involve the physics, the way the answer is expressed, or both. A tutor can ask your child to explain their reasoning and compare that explanation with what they wrote.
Does this apply at Standard Level as well as Higher Level?
Yes. Written answers are part of the course at both levels. The tutor works from the level your child is taking.
What should we have ready for a tutor?
A returned answer, with the question and any marks or teacher comments, can give a tutor a starting point. Your child’s course and level also help the tutor put that work in context.
Are online Physics lessons practical from Bahrain?
Yes. Online lessons use a shared whiteboard, where your child and the tutor can look at the same diagram or line of working and discuss it together.
Does practising written answers take time away from the calculations?
A tutor can choose a question that combines a calculation with a written explanation. That gives your child an opportunity to practise both and discuss how the calculation supports the explanation.
Is your child losing marks on the written answers in IB Physics?
Tell us what your child would like help with. In online lessons, a tutor can work on the written part of a Physics answer with them, one question at a time.
Send an enquiry