If you need more guidance regarding the structure of IB Digital Society Paper 3, this post is for you! Here, we will provide a thorough breakdown of IB Digital Society Paper 3, ensuring you are familiar with the exam format and know what type of questions to expect to help you tackle the exam confidently.
Paper 3 contains questions that address an intervention related to an HL extension challenge outlined in a pre-released brief.
The pre-released statement will describe the real-world nature of a selected challenge and is 250-400 words long. It will be released 4 months before the exam.
Paper 3 is only for HL students.
A separate booklet is provided containing the source for Paper 3. Students will have to write their answers on an answer sheet and not directly on the source booklet.
It is important to note that the source and pre-released brief are not the same thing. The source will be a previously unseen text, while the pre-released brief can be accessed before the exam.
Paper 3 assesses conceptual understanding, critical thinking, and evaluative skills in analyzing contemporary digital scenarios.
One unseen source such as a news article, report, or multimedia description is provided in Paper 3. Students must answer one extended-response question based on this material as well as some short-response questions.
Paper 3 contributes 25% to the overall subject grade.
The maximum score attainable is 30 marks.
Students have 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete Paper 3.
Answer all questions. Refer to the sources in the accompanying source booklet, the pre-released statement, and your own related research.
Identify two reasons why it may take time for the Happy Parking app to be regularly used by a large number of people. [2 marks]
Describe one feature of the mobile interface that helps drivers use the Happy Parking app. [2 marks]
Explain two ways in which the Happy Parking app might mitigate the challenge of air pollution. [6 marks]
Evaluate the potential effectiveness of the Happy Parking app in terms of equity and acceptability. [8 marks]
Governments, organizations and private companies are considering a range of digital interventions to address the challenge of pollution caused by traffic flows and congestion. With reference to the proposed app and your own inquiries, recommend a digital intervention that would most effectively address the challenge of pollution caused by traffic flows and congestion. [12 marks]
Solve past papers – This helps you get used to the type of questions that could be asked on the exam and helps you develop skills in learning which concepts to apply. You should try to solve past papers using a timer to simulate exam conditions and check your answers against a markscheme to identify areas for improvement.
Practice applying key concepts – Review core topics like change, identity, data, artificial intelligence, sustainability, health, environment, etc. Identify which concept is relevant to each question, source, and the pre-released statement. Practice writing answers based on these relevant concepts from the syllabus.
Read the pre-released brief thoroughly – Since this is released 4 months before the exam, it gives students ample time to get an idea of the main topics and concepts that the source in the exam might be on. Ensure to thoroughly read the pre-released brief and make a list of potential syllabus areas that relate to the content covered in the pre-released brief.
Review the HL content – Since Paper 3 is an HL-only paper, it will test the knowledge from HL areas in more depth. Make sure to thoroughly revise HL topics such as global well-being, governance and human rights, and sustainable development. However, ensure you also revise the other syllabus content as they can help strengthen your arguments in Paper 3.
Plan before writing – Organize your thoughts before beginning your essay to ensure your response stays focused and well-structured. Before you start writing, create a quick draft in bullet points of what you want to base your answer on. Highlight key words or phrases in the source and pre-released statement that can help you organize your thoughts. Do not simply rush to begin writing, as this could lead to your thoughts being disorganized, which could impact the examiner's perception of the quality of your response.
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