The Most Important Thing for New IB Economics Teachers

This week, I want to focus on the single most important thing I wish I had known when I started teaching IB Economics: It’s not just about the content.

It’s about the skills.

When you first step into an IB Economics classroom, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the syllabus, the assessments, and the pressure to “cover everything.”

I’ve been there.

But after years of teaching this course, I can tell you this—what truly makes a difference for students is not just the content you teach, but the skills you build.

If you want to set your students up for success, your number one focus needs to be on The Five Essential Skills of IB Economics.

The Five Essential Skills Every IB Economics Student Needs

Think of the content as the vehicle for teaching the real heart of the course—the skills that drive success on IB assessments. If students master these five essential skills, they can handle any IB Economics question thrown their way.

1. The Language – Economics is its own language. If students don’t master key terms, definitions, and command terms, they won’t be able to articulate their answers effectively.
2. The Calculations – IB Economics is light on math, but the calculations students do need to know must be embedded into their understanding of economic concepts.
3. The Diagrams – This is where IB Economics truly comes to life. Students who can accurately draw, label, and explain diagrams have a huge advantage in structuring their responses.
4. The Analysis – A well-organized response is critical. Teaching students clear writing structures for IB Economics essays and data response questions is one of the most valuable things you can do.
5. The Evaluation – The most difficult skill to master. Strong evaluation is what separates good students from great ones, and giving students a structured way to evaluate policies, trade-offs, and impacts is essential.

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Why These Skills Matter More Than Just Content

When I first started teaching IB Economics, I thought covering content was the goal. I spent time making sure I got through demand and supply, market failure, fiscal and monetary policy, development economics—all of it.

But then, something clicked.

My students knew the content, but they struggled to apply it on assessments.

The turning point was realizing that IB Economics isn’t just about memorizing definitions or knowing policies—it’s about being able to explain, apply, and evaluate them in a structured way.

Once I shifted my focus to skills first, content second, my students became more confident, more analytical, and ultimately, more successful on their IB exams.

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What This Means for Your Teaching

Every daily lesson should be designed to intentionally teach at least one of the Five Essential Skills.

Some days, that might mean:

• Running quick recall drills on key definitions to build their Economics language fluency.
• Setting up calculation challenges that focus on exchange rates or elasticity.
• Diagram drawing competitions where students must clearly label shifts and explain changes in market outcomes.
• Practicing structured essay writing where students organize their analysis using clear templates.
• Pushing students to evaluate economic policies by considering short-term vs. long-term effects, winners vs. losers, and trade-offs.

If you design your teaching around skills rather than just rushing through content, your students will not only retain knowledge better, but they will also apply it more effectively when it matters most—on exams and in the real world.

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The Takeaway

When I mentor new IB Economics teachers, my biggest piece of advice is this:

Teach the skills, not just the content.

IB Economics is a skills-based course, and if students can master the language, calculations, diagrams, analysis, and evaluation, they will thrive.

If you are just starting out, focus on building the essential skills, and the content will take care of itself.

Your students will be more confident, more engaged, and far more successful on their IB assessments.

I hope that helps.

See you next week!

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Whenever you are ready, here are three ways I can help:

​IB Economics On-Demand Teacher Workshops - Join me for my on-demand teacher workshops that cover all aspects of the IB Economics curriculum including the Internal Assessment, Extended Essay, Understanding IB Assessments, and content-based courses on Teaching Macroeconomics, Market Power, and The Global Economy.

​IB Economics Teacher Collaboration Program - A one-on-one teacher collaboration program where we can share new ideas on lesson plans, new writing strategies for students, and perspectives on teaching the IB Economics curriculum.

​IB Economics Online Courses - Join 25,000+ students and teachers who have purchased these online Economics courses: Introduction to Economics, Microeconomics, Market Power, Macroeconomics, and The Global Economy.

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