Every year, my G11 IB Business students surprise me with strong performance in Paper 1, yet many struggle with Paper 2. I always suspected the finance component was the reason, but until I analyzed the standardized data visually, I didn’t realize how clear the gap truly was.
About the Exams
Paper 1 primarily tests structured responses and conceptual knowledge. Paper 2, on the other hand, is heavily quantitative:
balance sheets
cash flow forecasting
break-even analysis
investment appraisal
Students often describe Paper 2 as “the confusing one.”
The question was: How big is the performance gap? And who needs the most support?
Insight: What the Data Reveals
The redesigned visualization highlights three clear insights:
1. Paper 1 Performance Is Consistent
Most students score between 70%–90%, showing strong understanding of theoretical business concepts.
2. Paper 2 Scores Drop Sharply
When sorted descending, the blue bars reveal a steep decline and several scores below 30%.
3. The Weakness Is Skills-Based, Not Knowledge-Based
Even strong Paper 1 students struggled in Paper 2. This indicates a clear pattern: Students grasp business theory well, but lack confidence in financial reasoning.
Call To Action: Turning Insight into Teaching Strategy
This analysis was not just descriptive; it became prescriptive.
Based on the data, I am implementing:
Weekly finance skills clinic
Step-by-step financial examples
Mini case studies integrating calculations
Targeted support for students below 30%
Low-stakes finance practice sheets
Conclusion
Visualization transformed a vague assumption into a targeted teaching strategy. The data makes the story visible, and the story drives the action.
In the world of investment, it often feels like all the obvious opportunities are taken. We’re all looking for that next smart investment, the next area for growth, but the map looks crowded. The “obvious” winners are saturated, and the undeveloped areas seem to lack potential.
But what if we’ve been looking at the map all wrong?
I’ve been analyzing the tourism landscape, and the data tells a fascinating story. At first glance, it shows exactly what you’d expect.
Take a look at this chart. It plots the “Tourism Index” (think of this as the raw appeal of a town its beaches, history, or natural wonders) against its “Available Hospitality Infrastructure” (the hotels, restaurants etc..).
For the most part, the data points fall into predictable patterns. In the top right, you have the “obvious” winners: towns with high appeal and high infrastructure. They are successful, but they are also saturated markets, expensive to enter. In the bottom left, you have towns with low appeal and no infrastructure. No surprise, and no real opportunity.
This is the world as we see it today. But if you look closer, an exception appears, a powerful imbalance.
Do you see that cluster of red dots? That’s the real story.
These are towns with a world-class Tourism Index, scoring a 9 or 10 out of 10. The market has confirmed that people want to go to these places just as much as the most popular destinations on the chart.
But now, look at their infrastructure score. They aren’t high at all. They’re sitting at the floor.
This is the conflict in our story. This is the gap. We have towns with proven, high-value appeal but virtually no hotels, no quality restaurants, and no services for the tourists who want to be there.
This isn’t a problem. It’s a goldmine.
While everyone else is fighting for scraps in those crowded blue markets, we have a clear, data-driven signal pointing to an untapped market. This is our “what could be.”
Imagine being the first to build a quality hotel in a town that already has a “perfect 10” appeal. You’re not just hoping for demand; you’re meeting it. You’re not just competing; you’re creating the market.
These red dots aren’t just data points; they are invitations. They represent jobs we can create, local economies we can grow, and a smart, strategic investment with a powerful first-mover advantage.
The real opportunity isn’t in the crowded part of the map. It’s here, hidden in plain sight, in the gap between what is and what could be.
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2021, waking up to news of people passing away due to symptoms complications became the norm, but in the midst of the overwhelming news, one man’s story hit us hard. His name was Nader, a 46-year-old from Baabda, a man known for his loud laugh, strong coffee, and long Friday lunches with friends. We knew him as the “office guy”; he was in fact there for everyone, until the day when his lungs failed him. He caught COVID, the symptoms escalated quickly. Within days, his oxygen levels dropped, and despite being admitted to the hospital, the virus was already overpowering a weak cardiovascular system. Everyone was in shock, since Nader was just in his mid-40s, and we expected he’d beat the virus easily. But once the doctors informed us he didn’t make due to his overworked cardiovascular system, we understood it was beyond COVID-19, and not only Nader’s lungs have failed him, but a whole lifestyle and healthcare system.
This raised a bigger question for us: Which areas in Lebanon have unusually high levels of chronic disease that make its residents more at risk during crises? To explore this, we analyzed health data across governorates, focusing on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and hypertension (HTN). We first explored how the percentage of COVID-19 cases out of national totals was distributed, with Mount Lebanon leading in this area.
To understand further the extent of the health risk, we compared these chronic disease patterns to COVID cases in all Lebanese Governorates. What we saw flagged Mount Lebanon as a hight risk Governorate as it has the regions with the highest burden of CVD and HTN also recorded the highest COVID cases. This means that in these areas, the symptoms of COVID-19 will be exacerbated by the existing chronic disease, which leads to more complicates and higher hospitalization rates.
The highest-risk governorate being Mount Lebanon isn’t only about pandemic response. It’s about addressing the silent epidemic of chronic disease that makes future health crises even more dangerous. Based on our analysis, we believe it’s time to expand early screening programs, increase community-level hypertension detection, and strengthen preventive care. Preventative measures are needed so that the most vulnerable groups are able to cope with unprecedented health emergencies. If we focus on prevention now, we can reduce risk and help ensure that stories like Nader’s don’t repeat themselves.
