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How hard is first year IB?


Golden Tate

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I am going to be in first year IB next year. For all of you who have been in IB or are currently in IB, is there any advice you have? Also, how hard are the following classes?

 

IB History HL

IB English HL

IB Chemistry SL

IB Physics SL

IB Math SL (I'm probably doing HL during my 2nd year of IB)

 

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well, about switching to math HL, I would recommend in IB 1 or a few months in, becuase changing in IB2 will mean a LOT of catching up, and your school may have rules against it.

I take History HL. there is a lot of work. You need to remember historians, opinions, facts, dates, writing techniques etc. But, I enjoy it, and hence it is not that bad.

I also take English HL (lang lit). Its similar to history to be honest. A lot of different devices and stuff. Physics SL is just fun. It isnt all that hard, and if you have a good teacher, its a lot of fun. 

and like Thrashmaster, and ibprincess have said, you need another subject.

Edited by King112
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It all depends on your preferences and strengths! :)

 

From what I heard from a close friend of mine who takes History SL, she says there's a lot of stuff to memorise and it's even more for HL. :)

 

Chemistry SL should be okay if you like the subject- my Chem teacher said that the HL syllabus is harder, while the SL syllabus is okay. Then again, as all the others have said, it depends on your preferences and strengths, as the definition of 'easy', 'hard', and 'interesting' varies from person to person. :)

 

I think you might be missing a Group 2 subject (Second languages), so you might want to check that out if you're planning  on taking six subjects? :)

 

Also, check with your school that you're allowed to change to HL Maths during your second year of IB- I don't think my school would have allowed that, partially because the gap between SL Maths and HL Maths is pretty big!

 

All the best! :)

Edited by avalinelegato
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Do mathematics HL from the very beginning, or as my teacher put it: "move to the fast lane right now.". I do not think that switching to HL in the second year is a good idea at all. Its better to start with HL and then perhaps switch to SL if you think it is too difficult and/or you won't need it in your future studies. 

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Like what other posters have said, it depends on your strengths. I can give you some info for some of your courses..

 

History HL: it's a bunch of self-teaching, but the content is interesting if you like history. Can be hard to score high in though and know the rubrics well if you want to do good on an in class essay. 

 

English HL: a lot of analysis, but the books are really interesting to read (one of my favourite IB subjects) you have to be able to pick apart literary details and discuss them in relation to your main focal point in commentaries. 

 

Chemistry SL: for me, it was the hardest IB subject at the beginning and it crushes egos. The key to doing well in chem SL is practice and you will be fine if you have a good teacher. Just warning you: they mark really hard for written response. Know your command terms and look at how much questions are worth to give you an idea of what your teacher/examiner wants. Be really concise and clear in your communication especially when you do calculations. 

Edited by ShootingStar16
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I've just started second year IB and, take it from someone who has already made those mistakes, don't slack off in first year, if you can get ahead on subjects or get things out of the way before second year starts it'll help a lot. Work on the holidays before the start of second year so when you get back you can focus all your attention on everything that'll be thrown at you and not on what could've been done before then.

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So to clear things up about Math HL

 

My school has a system where you do IB Math SL for the first year, and the class is called IB Math SL (HL Path) to prepare for IB Math HL. So basically I'm supposed to do IB Math HL after IB Math SL (HL Path). 

 

Also my 6th IB Class is IB Chinese 

Edited by Golden Tate
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That's strange, since Maths HL have tons of content wouldn't you start as Math HL instead of going through SL in the first year then HL in the second year? I don't think it is a good idea to change from SL to HL in year 2 of IB, I agree with Matruk's advice is go straight to Maths HL as suggested, if you can coup with it continue it until the end of IB. If you are finding Maths HL frustrating then drop to SL, but drop it during your 1st year of IB. I don't think it's a good idea to drop subjects during the second year of IB. I don't think you school will even allow you to drop subjects. 

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