Difficulty of IB

[xRachelBx]

Hi Guys, 

 

I'm going to be starting the IB diploma course in September, and I was just wondering how difficult it is? 

I've chosen these subjects: 

 

- HL English - language and literature

- HL Dutch - literature

- HL History

- SL Mathematics 

- SL Economics 

- SL Environmental studies and society. 

 

How difficult are these subjects?  How long does it take you to complete a set task or something? 

 

Thanks so much if you could help!

 

x

[IEAFBC812]

The subjects themselves are not too difficult, but you have to be ready for a lot of writing (which usually takes a lot of time). That's especially the case for history, but also for the languages and the Group 3 subjects. But that won't be a Problem if you work consistently (try to avoid procrastinating too much  so the workload won't hit you too hard) and if you're comfortable with Long written assignments.

[Richard Bankole]

Hi Guys, 

 

I'm going to be starting the IB diploma course in September, and I was just wondering how difficult it is? 

I've chosen these subjects: 

 

- HL English - language and literature

- HL Dutch - literature

- HL History

- SL Mathematics 

- SL Economics 

- SL Environmental studies and society. 

 

How difficult are these subjects?  How long does it take you to complete a set task or something? 

 

Thanks so much if you could help!

 

x

 

I do English A HL: Literature, and I can tell you that it isn't difficult but rather (at least in my class) the one where I not only have the biggest workload but the most to worry about - there's the IOP, reading multiple books for the Literature in Translation essay (which is worth up to 25% of the final grade), reading 1-2 more books for the IOC (which is meant to be really difficult) and then the exams. The exams themselves are only worth like 40-50% of the grade.

 

Maths SL is fine for me, but I guess considering I only did it instead of HL because of my hatred for Maths rather than my inability to do Maths, I'm not exactly the best to ask. I will advise that you revise using past papers for this, helped me out a lot.

 

ESS is also not too bad, it consists of mainly learning definitions of words (a lot of words have different definitions when talking about them in terms of ESS btw) and learning then applying concepts. If you enjoy Geography or Biology then you'll like it. The Paper 2 questions will (at least in my class's case) take a while to master answering them properly though. 

[xRachelBx]

Thanks!!! What is ESS anyway?  The person who advised me to choose it told me that if I got good marks in Geography, I'd like it..?  It was that or the other sciences... 

[Richard Bankole]

Thanks!!! What is ESS anyway?  The person who advised me to choose it told me that if I got good marks in Geography, I'd like it..?  It was that or the other sciences... 

 

It's quite literally the study of how the systems and societies in the environment work, you learn how things link together (e.g. how the sudden change in population of one species will affect several others) and other things. The person that advised you is right because even on past papers I've seen Geography type questions. Look up the ESS syllabus online in advance, and try it out for a few weeks to see if it's the class for you.

 

Also, History HL is meant to be pretty difficult from what my friends tell me.

[xRachelBx]

Thanks again!  It's helped quite a bit x

[Award Winning Boss]

Going into the IB with certain attitudes about subjects will often lead to exaggerated opinions about them when you realise other people's experiences are different from your own. For example, if someone told you a certain subject was easy and you didn't find it easy, you might think of yourself as stupid. 

 

Honestly, unless you plan on changing your subject choice, your studying habits will matter more than what other people think about the subject. So take everything with a grain of salt. 

[Negotiation]

Hi!

I had pretty much the opposite of the subjects you've selected, but I think I may have some food for thought nevertheless.

 

I would argue there are two types of subjects in IB: those that largely require memorization, and those that require learning. The former would be the humanities, such as (and especially) history, and economics. I think ESS also falls under this, though I have very very limited experience with ESS. The other category includes subjects like Physics and Maths, and also Chemistry, I would say. In these subjects you will learn the theory, and will be expected to be able to apply this later in the exam.

 

Considering that all but one of your subjects at least partly falls under what I would call 'memorization' subjects, this can be quite hectic for you in terms of things you will need to know for the exams. If you are good at memorizing, then good for you! You should be fine. For me, and my learning style, I know that I'm not particularly interested in these kinds of subjects, and quickly forget the information. You may think differently.

 

However, you also have to consider the usefulness of your subjects. What do you want to do after high school? This is more important to consider than how easy your subject choices will be. Remember, it doesn't matter that you score 40+ if you don't take a subject that is required for uni!