The first weeks of IBDP in Hong Kong come with a new vocabulary: HL, SL, IA, EE, TOK, CAS. Subjects go deeper. Tasks last longer. The useful first move for parents is not to tutor every subject at once. It is to see how the school has actually set the diploma up, then help the student keep a plan they can see and finish this week.
DP1 does not need a two-year calendar on day one. Get the subject combination straight, notice where the first term is catching, and keep one place for homework, questions and a weekly check.
What does the IB Diploma actually include?
The IB Diploma Programme has six subject groups plus the core: Theory of Knowledge (TOK), the Extended Essay (EE), and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS). Which subjects, and which are HL or SL, come from the school. Do not write “IB Maths” and stop there. Mathematics: analysis and approaches and applications and interpretation are different courses.
Sit down and make one page:
- full subject names and HL / SL
- the teacher
- what this fortnight is teaching
- main tasks, internal tests and due dates
Get the school handbook and the dated calendar. Internal deadlines are often earlier than the official IB ones. Another school’s timetable online can show you the shape of the year. It is not your child’s deadline.
Three DP1 sticking points — they are not the same problem
Depth. They can recite a definition and then freeze when the data arrives. The old knowledge is there. Using it in a messier question is not.
Task management. Short homework and longer research sit on the same week. If everything starts two days before it is due, there is no time to read, redraft or ask the teacher.
Working alone. They have to start judging what they actually understand, which question needs feedback, and what to practise after class. That is not the same as “not disciplined enough”. Clear next steps and one weekly review grow that skill faster than a lecture about effort.
More tutoring hours will not automatically fix a crowded week. Another worksheet will not fix “I know the definition and cannot use it”.
One task list the student will actually open
You do not need three apps. Pick one place they will use: a notebook, a calendar, a shared document. For each item write the subject, the due date, the next action, what they need, and where it stands.
| Too vague | A clearer next step | What should be left behind |
|---|---|---|
| Revise chemistry | Redo a marked calculation set and mark the first error | The reason it went wrong, plus one new attempt alone |
| Do English | Pick evidence from a set passage and draft one analytical paragraph | Their paragraph and one question for the teacher |
| Start research | Read the set source, note the citation and a first question | Traceable notes and something to ask the school supervisor |
Put immovable school events in first. Then the work that needs a quiet hour. Leave a gap. If the same task sits untouched for two weeks, it is probably too big or unclear. Split it. Do not only slide the date.
Use the first month to see what is actually needed
Watch three ordinary things: which subject eats the week, which homework leans on shaky earlier knowledge, and whether they can name their own question.
If maths is always slow, ask whether the time goes on reading the question, choosing a method, or the arithmetic. If English analysis keeps retelling the plot, practise linking a detail to a point — not another ten pages of reading.
Agree one short target. “Two specific questions after each lesson.” Or “On a new question, choose a method and say why.” Check it against new work, so the next conversation has something real to hold.
How Achievers supports IBDP students in Hong Kong
In Wan Chai, Prince Edward and online, an Academic Consultant first talks through subject priorities, the weekly load and the direction of travel. Subject tutors then teach to the actual course and the HL / SL split: the idea, the practice, the feedback. We currently support more than 550 students. IB families rarely stay on one subject for long, because the HL mix, IA timing and school tests have to be read together.
If the idea is still loose, we start with Conceptual Learning. If they follow the lesson and the written answer falls apart, Exam Techniques. If six subjects plus the core are colliding, Academic Coaching. If they are already fine in class and want a harder problem, Acceleration & Enrichment.
Hannah K. on our Student Success page is one published IBDP case: Mathematics AA HL from 4 to 7. That is one path. It is not a DP1 timetable for everyone.
Bring to a consultation: the subject and HL / SL list, recent marked work, the school’s current pace, and the weekly activities. Then we can say whether support should follow this week’s topic or first repair a gap that is blocking several topics.
IA and EE: keep the learning with the student
Any outside help has to follow IB academic integrity and the school’s rules. The research decisions, the writing and the data belong to the student. A tutor cannot write the work, generate the data, or turn their own analysis into the submission. The student should be able to say what help they received and where each source came from.
If you are unsure whether a kind of feedback is allowed, ask the subject teacher or the DP coordinator first. Honest citation is part of what the diploma is for.
Frequently asked questions
Does a DP1 student need tutoring in every subject from week one?
No. Look at recent work, how the student feels, and what the school has said. Concentrate on one or two priorities. Leave time for them to do school work themselves.
What should parents understand about HL and SL?
HL usually means more hours and more depth, but the real difference sits in that subject’s guide and how the school teaches it. Plan from the levels the school confirmed. Do not borrow another school’s HL timetable.
Can an external tutor help with IA or EE?
They can talk through method, timing and how to read feedback. They cannot do the work. Align any arrangement with IB and school integrity rules. If that is unclear, ask the DP coordinator.
How often should parents check in?
Start with one short weekly review: the next step, the stuck point, who can help. Daily item-by-item chasing is usually too much.
What should we bring to an Achievers consultation?
The subject and HL / SL combination, one or two marked pieces, and what school is teaching this week. That is enough to talk about IBDP tutoring at The Achievers in concrete terms.
If DP1 already feels noisy, start with the school’s combination page and the work in the bag. You can also read The Achievers Methodology, or contact us for Wan Chai, Prince Edward or online.