AgentCloud Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 Hi~ I'm currently scheduling right now to decide which classes/exams I'll be taking for the next two years. I was originally signed up for the Math HL exams but my sister told me (&the internet told me) that the exam is super hard and is more like competition math. I'll be doing calc as a junior but I think I'd rather take the SL exam and get like a 7....So... My two replacement options are History HL and Physics HL. I'm leaning towards Physics HL since I'll be taking IB Physics as well as AP physics before my exam. Please let me know your personal experience with Physics HL. How is the exam? Especially in comparison to Math HL? Thank you~ Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SNJERIN Posted July 1, 2015 Report Share Posted July 1, 2015 Hello. I am taking both physics and math hl so maybe I can answer your question. In my opinions, physics ( and even math ) is one of those subjects that you cannot score well in unless you truly love the subject. When it comes to difficulty it is a challenging subject because physics is mostly about understanding what your doing and not just memorising. However, once you've understood a concept and are able to do lots of problems, than everything would be easy. I have also noticed many of those that get 7 in physics also happen to take math hl because knowing a lot of calculus can really help you understanding some physics concepts much easier, but you don't have to take it. If you are doing physics than a suggested textbook would be (K. A .Tsokus Physics for the IB diploma 2010). This is the only textbook that I have been relying on and because of it I never had any grade lower than 7. Its an excellent book. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw0573 Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Hi to clear up a misconception, HL Math is not competition math, at least not the competitions available to my city.For HL Math Paper 1 and Paper 2, there are two parts, part A and part B, each ~50% weighting. Part A questions typically focus on only 1 or 2 specific topics. For example you might get questions on, literally, solve the trig equation, or find evaluate this expression of complex numbers. Each Part A question is typically less than 8 marks. Part B questions are more extensive and are typically 12 - 22 marks each. They draw are more knowledge from specific units of studies or combines units. Typically for each Part B question about 10%-20% of marks demands critical thinking while the others are quite straight forward (as in the question tells you exactly what to do or what to find). And you don't often need the critical thinking piece to get the other marks because the thinking stuff are almost always near the end of a question. The hardest part of HL math is the timing. 1 minute / mark. Every non-essay exam paper is at least 1.5 minutes / mark.I am telling you this because if you think you are guruanteed a 7 in SL Math then you should consider doing math at HL. Because i think it's better to get a 6 on HL than to slip up on the SL papers (because it is possible, there are still Part A and B questions) and get a 6 in SL.That being said, HL Physics and HL Math have completely different focuses. Math focuses on practice and Physics emphasizes on a thorough understanding of concepts. You don't necessarily need to know about why the dx in integration or able to solve a kinematics question under 5 minutes to get a 7 in the respective course. Consequently, the 2 subjects require different studying habits. I would say HIstory HL is more difficult to score a 6 or 7 than either Physics HL or Math HL (given you are taking the course). You need to be able to write NON-STOP for all three papers. History is about synthesis and organization of historical evidences to persuade and evaluate. Also strongly recommend the Tsokos book. Check to see if there's a new one published for the 2016+ syllabus. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 I would say HIstory HL is more difficult to score a 6 or 7 than either Physics HL or Math HL (given you are taking the course). You need to be able to write NON-STOP for all three papers. History is about synthesis and organization of historical evidences to persuade and evaluate. Interesting, for me (and my classmates) History HL seems like so much easier than Physics HL or Math HL. We all take History HL, and we seemed to do fine, but we all struggled even with Physics SL (and I LOVE physics). Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmotionalEwok Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Hi. I've found physics HL to be quite an interesting subject and I actually think its less demanding than History HL. And about math HL, it really depends on your aptitude for math. But I can tell you for a fact that you need to put in a load of effort into it (don't even get me started on the IA). But it is rewarding if you score well because that's a sign of you being a logical and analytical thinker (which helps when you enter just about any field outside arts). So in short, go for HL math if you're fine with giving it your all. Otherwise, go for physics (if your writing skills aren't too good, cause history HL needs it) 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw0573 Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 I would say HIstory HL is more difficult to score a 6 or 7 than either Physics HL or Math HL (given you are taking the course). You need to be able to write NON-STOP for all three papers. History is about synthesis and organization of historical evidences to persuade and evaluate. Interesting, for me (and my classmates) History HL seems like so much easier than Physics HL or Math HL. We all take History HL, and we seemed to do fine, but we all struggled even with Physics SL (and I LOVE physics). Hmm number of students taking certain courses seem to make a difference. With more people in your class you are likely to form stronger study groups or the presence of stronger students motivate others to work harder. We have a much large group of people taking HL Math than HL History (about 9 to 1 ratio). Another factor is how much resources (eg past exam questions, QuestionBanks, markschemes) that the subject teachers offer. Because we have so much resources in SL physics (including the Tsokos book) AND most of us taking HL Math, we are almost exclusively predicted 6s or 7s. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 2, 2015 Report Share Posted July 2, 2015 Well now that you say it I forgot about teachers. My school sucks for people "outside" of the "normal" classes. (Physics, math, biology SL/ History, literature, english HL) because if you enroll in HL, you dont actually get different classes. The teachers still teach SL (because we were just like 15 people in IB, and the teachers teach like 10 other groups a day), and you have to teach yourself all the HL topics. Although some teachers do help you out during office hours, you dont actually get a class in HL. Damn I had forgotten how ****ty my IB program was, and i've only been out of it for a couple months. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevG Posted July 11, 2015 Report Share Posted July 11, 2015 did some physics in classgot a 6--- im still amazed have no idea how or whyi guess its all about aptitude and how you treat the subject Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
God Posted July 12, 2015 Report Share Posted July 12, 2015 In my opinion physics HL was one of my easiest subjects just because I found it so interesting. You don't even need to be good at maths to do physics, because mostly all you do is rearrange equations. Math HL is also not as hard as people said it would be (still pretty hard though) . In my opinion, you should start with math HL, and you can always drop down to SL if you want to later on. My mistake was that I first took SL, and only after a few months took HL maths, so i had a lot of catching up to do. remember, just cause its hard for someone else, doesn't mean its hard for you, so just at least try it. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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