An IB study planner should protect coursework deadlines while turning exam revision into specific daily actions. The most reliable system combines a master IB deadlines calendar for IAs, the Extended Essay, TOK, CAS and school commitments with a subject-based revision planner.
RevisionDojo’s Study Planner is useful for the second task. It builds revision plans around examination dates, available weekdays, topic confidence and linked IB resources. It should complement, not replace, the deadline calendar supplied by your school.
Why one to-do list cannot balance the IB workload
IB tasks require different kinds of attention. IAs progress through planning, evidence collection, analysis, feedback and editing, while the Extended Essay requires sustained research and writing. TOK, CAS, ordinary homework, activities and university applications add further demands.
A list containing “finish Chemistry IA,” “work on EE” and “revise Maths” hides the real workload. Each item is too broad to begin immediately and does not define a measurable result.
Convert every commitment into a next action. “Work on EE” could become “evaluate three sources and update the research log,” while “revise Maths” could become “complete eight differentiation questions and correct every error.”
Use a two-layer IB study planning system
Separate fixed dates from flexible study tasks.
| Planning layer | What belongs there | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Master deadline calendar | IA submissions, drafts, EE meetings, TOK deadlines, mocks, examinations and personal commitments | Reveals fixed dates and deadline collisions |
| Weekly study planner | Questions, drafting, analysis, reading, flashcards, corrections and timed papers | Defines the work for each study block |
This distinction matters because RevisionDojo primarily converts subjects, topics and examination dates into revision activities. A personal calendar remains necessary for meetings, lessons, travel, activities and coursework checkpoints.
Build your IB deadlines calendar first
Start with dates confirmed by teachers, supervisors and your DP coordinator. The IB communicates administrative deadlines to schools, but schools normally set earlier internal deadlines for authentication, marking and submission. The date governing your work is therefore the date communicated by your school.
The official IB pages covering Extended Essay submission deadlines and TOK deadlines explain this distinction. For examinations, consult the official IB examination schedule and ask your coordinator to confirm your examination zone and local arrangements.
Record four types of date:
- Final school deadline: the last date your school accepts the work.
- Feedback deadline: the permitted date for submitting a draft.
- Personal deadline: your planned completion date before final submission.
- Checkpoint: a smaller deliverable, such as a dataset, outline or revised section.
Never treat another school’s IA, EE or TOK calendar as official. Internal schedules differ substantially.
Copy this IB coursework planner template
Use one row for each assessed component and replace these examples with school-confirmed dates.
| Component | Final deadline | Personal deadline | Next checkpoint | Next physical action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biology IA | 20 October | 15 October | Analysis by 8 October | Produce two processed-data graphs |
| History IA | 12 November | 7 November | Section 2 by 28 October | Write one evidence-led paragraph |
| Extended Essay | 5 December | 28 November | Meeting on 6 November | Evaluate four sources and update the outline |
| TOK essay | 18 January | 11 January | Argument map by 10 December | Draft one claim and counterclaim |
| Mathematics revision | Exam date | Weekly target | Functions review on Friday | Complete and correct ten questions |
The next physical action is essential. If you must decide what a task means before beginning it, the task remains too vague.
How to use the RevisionDojo IB Study Planner
The Study Planner feature page explains how the planner creates a focused plan for one subject. This prevents a six-subject schedule from becoming an unreadable list of generic tasks.
Create a subject plan
Open the planner and choose Create Study Plan or Add Study Plan. Select an official IB examination session for final-exam preparation, or use the assessment option and a custom date for a class test. Choose the subject and confirm SL or HL where required.
Enter realistic availability
Select the start date, study weekdays and daily minutes you can consistently protect. Account for lessons, travel, meals, activities, coursework and sleep rather than entering an idealized schedule.
If Tuesday already includes an EE meeting and an IA block, do not assign two additional hours of revision. A planner becomes unreliable when its inputs ignore the rest of your calendar.
Rate topics using evidence
Give weaker topics more attention instead of distributing time equally. Base confidence ratings on recent tests, teacher feedback and attempted questions. A weak topic is one you cannot yet explain or apply independently, not simply one you dislike.
Follow and adjust the schedule
The planner distributes activities across available days and connects them to resources such as the Questionbank, Study Notes and Flashcards. The Study Planner help guide explains how to mark tasks complete, drag them to another day and switch between Week and Month views.
Review completion at the end of each week. Move unfinished high-priority tasks, reduce plans that repeatedly exceed your available time and increase practice for topics that continue to produce errors. Jojo AI can clarify misconceptions or turn an unclear goal into a smaller action, but it should not generate assessed IA, EE or TOK content for submission.
Sample week balancing coursework and exams
| Day | Coursework block | Exam revision block |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Biology IA graph, 50 minutes | Mathematics questions, 40 minutes |
| Tuesday | EE source evaluation, 60 minutes | English essay plan, 35 minutes |
| Wednesday | Buffer or rest | Chemistry questions and corrections, 60 minutes |
| Thursday | TOK claim and counterclaim, 50 minutes | History source analysis, 40 minutes |
| Friday | History IA paragraph, 45 minutes | Mixed retrieval, 25 minutes |
| Saturday | Biology IA analysis, 75 minutes | Timed paper and marking, 90 minutes |
| Sunday | EE outline, 60 minutes | Weekly planner reset, 20 minutes |
Revision should not disappear during an IA-heavy week. Short retrieval and question sessions preserve subject knowledge and reduce later relearning.
How to prioritise when deadlines collide
Ask four questions:
- Is the date fixed? A final submission or examination normally takes priority over a movable checkpoint.
- What becomes blocked by delay? Postponing data collection may stop an entire IA, while formatting usually does not.
- Does another person depend on it? Feedback windows and supervisor meetings may be difficult to rearrange.
- What is the smallest useful output? Complete the analytical paragraph before adjusting headings and fonts.
Keep one buffer block each week. If nothing overruns, use it for corrections, citations or rest rather than filling every minute in advance.
RevisionDojo compared with generic planners
| Tool | Strongest use | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Generic calendar | Fixed dates, recurring events and reminders | Does not generate IB revision activities |
| Task manager | Projects, lists and custom workflows | Requires students to design the system |
| Paper planner | Simple daily focus | Harder to reschedule or link resources |
| RevisionDojo Study Planner | IB topics, dates and connected resources | Still needs a calendar for coursework and personal events |
RevisionDojo is particularly useful when the problem is deciding what IB content to study next. Generic calendars remain better for maintaining a complete overview of appointments and fixed commitments. The most effective setup uses a calendar as the source of truth for deadlines, then RevisionDojo to fill protected revision blocks with purposeful work.
Common IB study planner mistakes
- Recording final deadlines without drafts, feedback windows or personal completion dates.
- Writing vague tasks such as “EE,” “TOK” or “revise Biology.”
- Allowing coursework to eliminate exam practice for several weeks.
- Planning every evening at full capacity without buffers or rest.
- Moving every missed task forward without removing lower-priority work.
- Using AI to produce assessed content rather than support independent thinking.
The RevisionDojo guide to managing IB deadlines offers further checkpoint strategies. For individual assessments, the IA time-management guide explains how to divide the process into workable stages.
Conclusion
A dependable IB study planner separates verified deadlines from flexible study actions. Use a master calendar for IAs, EE, TOK, examinations and personal commitments, then convert each component into tasks that fit one session. RevisionDojo’s Study Planner, Jojo AI, Questionbank, Study Notes and Flashcards can help turn those protected blocks into focused IB work.
