Check an online IB resource before building revision around it
An online resource is useful when it fits your subject, level, cohort and learning need.
Identify the task the resource must support
An online resource is useful when it fits your subject, level, cohort and learning need. Begin with those details before searching. Are you trying to understand a concept, practise application or check a submission requirement? One website may support the first task while giving outdated advice about the third. A resource audit helps you choose how to use material rather than classify an entire site as universally good or bad.
Check provenance and currentness
Look for the author, sources, publication or review date and course version. Confirm assessment claims through current official or school guidance. A recently updated page can still describe a legacy task, so check the actual content. Preserve the link and date in your notes. Where evidence is missing, treat the material as something to verify instead of adopting its claims because the presentation looks confident.
Try an old assessment guide
Imagine finding a revision guide that describes a task no longer used in your cohort. Some subject explanations may remain helpful, but its submission structure should not guide your work. Compare the task name and requirements with your school-issued course guide. Record which parts are usable and which need replacement. This is more precise than either rejecting everything on the page or following it unchanged.
Test the explanation independently
After using a short section, attempt a new question or explain the idea without the resource. Check against trusted course material. If the explanation is fluent but you cannot apply it, choose a different practice task or seek clarification. Verify generated questions and answers before relying on them. Do not assume that an answer key is correct simply because it is presented beside the question.
Build a small resource library
Keep a limited list with resource, task, cohort, strengths and limits. Remove duplicate material that adds searching without improving learning. Prefer a few understood resources to a large collection you never use. Ensure permitted access and preserve your own work separately from the site. The library should make the next practice action easier to select, not become another project to maintain.
Run a one-page audit
Choose one resource and answer four questions: who produced it, what supports its claims, which cohort it fits and what task it helps you perform. Then complete that task and record the result. Where a claim remains uncertain, bring the relevant passage to a teacher. This diagnostic tests credibility and usefulness together, while keeping current requirements attached to appropriate sources.
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Official references
This is an original practical guide from IBvia. The examples are illustrative; your subject guide, assessment year and school instructions determine the requirements.
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