12 replies to this topic

[zoelau]

i am in year 11 (gcse year) and we have to decide soon what we have to take in the 6th form. My school offers IB and A-level however I am not sure which one to do.
I feel i am a better all rounder (subject wise) that why i should do IB however I am not sure if i will struggle with the work load. Is IB only for really smart people??
I have heard many negative comments about IB and i wanted to know if anyone regrets taking IB and wish they choose a-level instead.

[Trololol Marf]

I have joked around often saying how much I hate IB, but when you ask it as a serious question, I'm really not sure. I have almost no knowledge of A-levels, so I can't help you there. I've heard on this community generally that IB is better than A levels... But keep in mind these are only opinions from an IB2 student.

IB isn't for smart people. It's for people that are more academically inclined that the average batch of kids. It's for the people who are willing to work harder than others to do well later in university. Certainly you may have heard of the tremendous workload and stress most of us feel while studying in the IB, and I can tell you, that is not fun at all. All-nighters and everything. But if you have very high self-discipline, the workload is fairly manageable, and that stress nonexistent.

I don't regret taking the IB (I would even take it if I were to go back in time) but there are certain things I strongly dislike about it. But why I don't regret taking it is part of my masochistic attitude or more so, some stupid principle of mine to follow through with something (which is pretty irrelevant to your post). I realize academics is important, and I've heard university is a struggle for a lot of first years, and I know IB will help me in that aspect. One of the things I really struggled with was my lack of knowledge of what I was about to embark- you should really check out what is in store for you, so do some research, get some opinions from some good, older friends who know more than you do.

You say you are the all round type of person; that is good. IB will make you even stronger in that aspect. Don't worry, not everyone is smart in IB! Some are, but others just work harder to make up for it. But with all of this in mind, it is important to know IB isn't for everyone. If you need any more advice feel free to throw me a PM.

[Award Winning Boss]

zoelau, on Jan 14, 2012 - 23:12, said:

i am in year 11 (gcse year) and we have to decide soon what we have to take in the 6th form. My school offers IB and A-level however I am not sure which one to do.

talk to A level students at your school and the IB students. Do NOT talk to the teachers. One half will just be IB propaganda machines and the other won't want to say anything so you'll just get annoyed talking to them.

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I feel i am a better all rounder (subject wise) that why i should do IB however I am not sure if i will struggle with the work load. Is IB only for really smart people??

No it isn't reserved for really smart people. That's a myth. I do the IB

If you are really undecided about what you want to do then pick the IB.

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I have heard many negative comments about IB and i wanted to know if anyone regrets taking IB and wish they choose a-level instead.

You'll hear that ALL the time.

My opinion (even though i'm only in the first year) is that the IB is a good program no doubt about it but whether it's worth the effort is debatable. If you want to apply abroad then pick the IB.

With the work load thing, it'll start to pick up in the second year but if you work on improving your time management skills from the first year I reckon you'll be ok. The IB tests how you handle large amounts of work a lot of the time, so if you cut down on the procrastination then you'll be ok. You won't die.

For university admissions in the UK A levels are better. But the learning experience the IB gives is great IMO.

If I hadn't taken the IB I think i'd be stuck with the general "you go to school to pass exams" ideal especially after seeing the mark schemes of some A level subjects. A lot of it seems to be repeating facts again and again. Whereas the IB mark schemes are more based on analysis. (With my subjects anyway)

Edited by Award Winning Boss, Jan 14, 2012 - 23:34.

[Vol de Mort]

If you want to an easier path to get into university, take A-levels.

[KenzieD18]

Yeah I'm the same, I have no knowledge about A-level. You do not have to be a child genius to take IB though. IB is about hard work and a willingness to learn.

I missed my entire freshman year due to family issues because I needed to care for my younger siblings so that my mom could work, and didn't really do all that well my sophomore year for the same reasons because even though I did attend I missed a lot of school (I also missed my 7th and parts of my 8th grade years).Then despite my teachers warnings I decided to take IB classes for all of my core subjects except Math my junior year (I couldn't join full diploma since I couldn't enter a 3rd year of a 2nd language ). The first two months were brutal. I could hardly manage any higher than a C on my essays or tests. But I had to stick with it because without the extra credits I got from taking the classes I wouldn't have been able to graduate this year.

In IB English HL: I had never heard of literary features before and barely knew the definition of a thesis nor did I know how to properly structure an essay.

In IB History HL: I was sort of okay because it was just a more in-depth analysis of what you learn every year but again essays and document based questions killed me.

In IB Biology HL: lets just say I was dieing.... because I had no background with biology and the workload was brutal! Too much to memorize!

But with a lot of hard work, not procrastinating, and using every resource my teachers gave me and every resource I could find I was able to somehow pull an A in English, a B in History, and a B in Biology the first trimester (my school is on a trimester schedule). I am taking the second year of all the above HL classes this year and have only gotten one C. But even then Colleges look more highly upon someone who got a C in an advanced course than someone who got an A in an easy course because it shows that you are trying to challenge yourself, and if you improve your grade in further terms of the course it shows your willingness to learn and improve.

I will openly admit that before last year I was defiantly considered one of the dumb kids... People only really hung around me because I was funny and I had high moral values, other than that no one had much respect for me nor did I for myself. Now my self esteem is much higher because of IB, it has showed me that I am smart and I can go to college.

I'm not trying to unload on anyone but I just want to show those who may be in the same situation that you can do anything no matter what, and that they should not write it off just because they feel like they might not be smart enough.

Whether you decide to take IB or A-level I encourage you to do a higher level path no matter what it may be. Because although yes you WILL struggle with the workload at times, it is completely worth it! You will be more prepared when you get to college. I have friends who graduated from the program last year and they are unimaginably thankful. Because while everyone else is trying to figure out not only how to make a life on their own but also to balance the workload, those people who learned that skill in high school have less to worry about.

Another great thing about IB is that if you take the test at the end of the course you will be able to qualify to have certain courses already taken care of when you start college. This saves you lots of time and most importantly money $$$ because college is expensive! Make sure to do your research though because not all colleges offer this, if they don't you'll still get brownie points during the admission process for taking advanced courses though. Also I'm pretty sure for the most part HL (Higher Level) IB courses are the ones most widely given credit, so if you plan on doing this make sure to take HL. (Oh and I'm also testing in all of the subjects I am currently taking at the end of the year so wish me luck!)

I hope this helps and I wish you luck in your decision.

Edited by KenzieD18, Jan 15, 2012 - 00:55.

[marauder7]

I have no idea about A-levels but i'll tell you about IB.
I am currently under stress of turning in internal assessments and correcting my EE and TOK essay.
Many of my classmates say they hate IB and everything. But personally I don't regret taking IB. My critical thinking skills have improved a lot because of TOK, I've learned how to manage my time and in general I've improved academically.
I think IB  isn't only for smart people, but after taking it you develop skills that make you smarter.
IB is a lot of work, but it is doable. As someone posted before, talk to IB students to get their impressions.

[Vincent1416]

Well IB is a really good program as it isn't just about you learning a subject, it's about you learning life. A-levels I believe is more of a person-to-person program as it has less class hours per work unit, hence more independent work. This is really good since you have no restrictions of how many subjects you take etc...IB really gives you the good guidance to be a balanced person in all aspects. If you are very diligent with what you do and serious with your work, A-levels can though be a bigger of a benefit to you: you can do your own 'CAS', you can replace TOK with AS Philosophy etc...If you're looking to be a bit more guided yet maybe have less choices, IB is better. Please do keep in mind that this is very opinionated and that I may lack knowledge and have some wrong information (maybe). I hope I was helpful though !

[opus92fan]

I think all IB students have a love-hate relationship with IB. Some days I feel great about my decision to do IB, and other days I feel so stressed that I want to drop out (but can't obviously). The assessments are difficult and require a lot of dedication and hard work to complete and do properly. A lot of the assessments seem pointless, you will probably never have to do anything like an IOC in your life, but you have to keep an open mind and look past that.

I would say that if your school offers IB and you have the slightest feeling you should do it, go for it. The worst thing that can happen is that you'll find it a complete waste of time and too much work and drop out, but at least you tried it. If you don't do IB, you could regret not trying it many years from now.

[Hus]

I was optimistic about doing IB initially, but now that I am starting my second year, I figure for someone who wants to continue tertiary study in Australia, it really isn't worth it. Our scores aren't treated as raw IB scores when taken into account for university entrance, they are converted into the national/provincial system. This conversion was formerly quite generous, however as time has elapsed conversions have gotten worse.

Shouldn't have done IB but I have invested too much time and effort to consider leaving.

[The Filipino Limner]

If you put your heart and mind into something, nothing is impossible.

[Jyrgen]

Yes. IB students are actually at a disadvantage when applying to the higher education place I am most interested in.

[emmabv1]

i appreciate the skills and knowledge i gained from the program. what i regret is having paid for the final exams. theyre useless for college!

[carpediem]

I come from a school that offers A-Levels and IB simultaneously, so I can tell you what I went through last year.

To answer your first question, no. IB isn't just for "smart people". IB is for all kinds of people, just like A-Levels. You get the students in IB who score 7 across the board and those who don't get the diploma, and likewise with A-Levels you get those with A*s and those who get U and need re-tests. It's entirely based on what you want to study, and how.

And to be honest, the only reason why you hear all these negative comments is because:

• They make hilarious jokes. (Exhibit A: https://www.facebook...315138958534486, and Exhibit B: http://ibfmylife.com/)
  
• The only talk about the negative stuff. Let's be honest, how often do you see about happy events in the newspaper?

I personally like the course. (So do take this with a grain of salt, I am biased.) For me, I've always enjoyed doing a variety of subjects; the various ways of thinking interest me, and keep me from getting bored. And IB makes me think - I found with GCSEs (and maybe A-Levels, I wouldn't know) that information was very spoon fed, only learning what was 'needed for the exam'. IB on the other hand, promotes international awareness, like in a Group 2 non-ab-initio language: you will learn about the world and discuss it in your target language, and as a personal example, I have never been more aware of South America before. It gives you issues to think about, it opens your mind.

And this leads to TOK. TOK, provided that you have a good teacher (a very important point!), does the same. It is slightly philosophical, but it makes you question everything and not take everything as it is. I found that it's very discussion-based, which is a welcome change to the hardcore note-taking subjects like Chem. But while I may find the philosophical ideas interesting, may bore you to death.

I also like the implementation of CAS, as it provides a good balance to just school. Personally I've had loads of things I've been meaning to do, and CAS is the perfect excuse for me to do it now.

And the EE. You get to choose what you write about. (Provided you can research it and it's within an IB subject. But if you can research on how manga has affected society, in my opinion you can do anything you want in an EE.) This is the piece that you can dictate, and I know many people who enjoy that freedom. So if you don't mind the research, and you shouldn't as you should have been genuinely keen on whatever topic you choose (don't just pick English just because you have anything else... Apparently that's why there aren't many A grades in an Eng EE.)

There are negative aspects though. (There is never a clear cut "best" pathway, even with A-Levels.) I hate how I've been dumped by all these IAs at the same time; I hate the IAs; I dislike speaking in front of people, but I like how IB makes me do it - it's an important skill, and let's be honest, I need a little push out of my comfort zone. There are (more) negatives, but as a whole, I really like iB.

And as for my personal experience, I chose IB because I couldn't narrow my choices down. I wanted to do so many subjects, and 3 or 4 really wasn't sufficient enough. (Unless I wanted to die.) I felt that IB fit me best, and I just liked it better - and I still do. But whatever you choose, make sure it's right for you.

So this is what you should do:

• Talk to current and (possibly) past IB students from your school - how do they find it personally? What subjects are they taking? How are they balancing everything? etc.
  
• Look at the subjects available in IB at your school - for example, if you desperately want to take Computer Studies and know ITGS is not offered at your school, it would probably be best to take Computer Studies at A-Level. But there are alternatives, like taking a course out of school.
  
• Look at the syllabi of the subjects - they are your bible in IB! Everything is tied to those precious booklets, and you need to see if the actual subject content actually interests you. Textbooks would also be very helpful here.
  
• Don't assume that A-Level subjects are all similar to IB! e.g. A-Level psychology is completely different to IB; there is no mention of Freud in the IB syllabus. (So far.)
  
• And do your research. See if you can picture yourself doing IB, and actually enjoying it.

Good luck! And choose wisely.


Other words of wisdom

• Proof that A-Levels is not necessarily easier than IB
  When I tell people that I do HL Chem, they give me weird looks. Yes, Chem HL is hard, but so is A-Level Chem! I personally have a friend who is literally drowning in the amount of things she needs to know for AS Chem alone. And I know a very reliable Chem teacher who has said that there is more covered in A-Levels.
  A-Levels is more about depth, and IB more about breadth - to sum it up. Some A-Level subjects have more depth than others. (Evidently, chemistry.)
  
• The transition between GCSEs and A-Levels won't be as easy
  It isn't difficult transition (I didn't really notice it), but little things like the maths appear to be completely different. (There is a lot of different notation, and topics kinda need to be 're-learned' with the new notation for it to be able to come under the IB syllabus.) This is coming from someone who did AS Maths a year early, and I've heard even Maths Studies is difficult because of this. Because GCSEs and A-Levels are directly linked, obviously the syllabi would intertwine more than GCSEs and IB. (Be warned, there are subjects that overlap significantly: Business Studies and BAM, for example.) Although this hasn't impaired me at all, as...
  
• You do not need to have studied a subject at GCSE to study it at IB
  The course allows you to go over the basics, so even if you didn't take History at GCSE, you can do it at IB.
  
• The marking system is different
  With GCSEs and A-Levels, the grades are awarded using a bell-curve, or basically the top 10% or so get A grades. (Which is why there has been an increase in the percentage of GCSE A*s... consecutively for 20 years. In my opinion, I think it's absurd, but if you think of it in a strategic way it may be an advantage.) This means that a percentage of all examinees will get a certain grade, and they are graded particularly against each other. IB has a fixed percentage of what a 7 is in each subject, and a 6 etc.