Optimising Your IB Study Space: 4 Key Changes

Your external study environment significantly impacts your focus, motivation, and overall productivity. A well-designed space can reduce distractions, minimise stress, and help you engage more effectively with challenging IB tasks, making your study sessions more fruitful and less overwhelming.

Using a timer, like with the Pomodoro Technique (25 minutes of focused work, 5-minute break), helps you work in concentrated bursts followed by short breaks. This 'refreshes' your attention, prevents burnout, and makes your study time more efficient and productive than long, unfocused sessions.

It means dedicating your full attention to completing one specific task before moving to the next. For IB students, this could be writing one paragraph of an Extended Essay or completing a single section of an Internal Assessment. This "chunking" approach prevents mental fatigue from task-switching and leads to higher quality work completed more efficiently.

An organised study space reduces visual clutter and helps your brain associate the area specifically with work. This prevents the mental conflict of trying to relax and work in the same spot (like your bed), leading to better focus, reduced stress, and increased productivity. A tidy space often translates to a tidier mind.

While having a dedicated study space is beneficial for routine, experimenting with different locations can also be highly effective if you find yourself losing focus or motivation. Some students thrive in libraries, cafes, or even different rooms at home. The key is to find what works best for your concentration and motivation, and don't be afraid to change it up.

Lanterna offers a free, no-pressure 20-30 minute consultation with an IB Student Success Expert. It's designed to help you or your child gain clarity on your current IB situation, address concerns about study habits, time management, or specific subjects, and walk away with a personalised plan for what to focus on next, with zero obligation to book tutoring.

Our Student Success Experts are experienced professionals with deep knowledge of the IB Diploma Programme. They understand the unique challenges students face and are skilled at providing guidance, setting priorities, and helping families navigate the IB journey effectively. They're here to offer expert advice and support.

Yes, the consultation is completely free, with no obligation to commit to tutoring. After your 20-30 minute session, you'll have a clear, personalised plan and actionable next steps to improve your IB performance, study habits, and reduce stress. You can then decide if you'd like to explore Lanterna's tutoring options further, but there's no pressure.

Our expert tutors, many of whom scored 40+ in the IB or have extensive teaching/examiner experience, can provide personalised strategies for time management, effective revision, and maintaining focus. They can help you implement techniques like the Pomodoro method, develop a study routine tailored to your specific needs and subjects, and overcome common productivity hurdles.

Absolutely. Our tutors are specialists in all IB subjects and components, including IAs, EEs, TOK, and exam preparation. They can guide you through refining research questions, structuring your work, improving analysis, and ensuring you meet all criteria for top marks, while always upholding academic honesty. We cover a wide range of subjects at both SL and HL.

Lanterna's tutors are highly qualified IB graduates (many with 40+ points), experienced IB teachers (with an average of 10+ years of experience teaching at top schools globally), and even former IB examiners. They bring a wealth of "insider" knowledge and practical strategies to help students excel across all IB subjects at both Standard and Higher Level.