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HL Textbooks


chokophilia

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Hey everyone!

Alright, so next year I am going to begin taking HL Math, and I want to start preparing for the class as early as possible. I feel like my math skills are very strong, and I definitely have a passion for it, so I think I already have a little bit of an edge. However, I want to do as well as possible, so do you guys have any book recommendations that will help prepare me for the class? Where can I buy them?

Thanks!

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I think your best bet to begin with is to email your new Maths teacher and ask what textbook they're going to be using next year. Then, if you're determined to do this, you can decide whether you want to get ahead via going over exactly the same material prior to lessons (i.e. buying that textbook... or if your school gives out the textbooks, borrowing it off them might be cheaper!) or whether you want to invest in something which will give you an alternative view of the same topic (deliberately buying a textbook different to what you'll be using, in other words). It depends what you think will suit your learning style better and whether you find seeing the same subject in different words useful or confusing :gluck:

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

My Math HL teacher isn't that great and we HAVE been given a book by school...but it doesn't give proper explanations and answers....So what is the best Math HL book, One with proper examples and guides?

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Well different books are preferred by different students, and they vary between providing good explanations and useful (challenging) questions.

My friend who takes Maths HL thinks that both the Haese & Harris and Pearson Baccalaureate books are good with their questions.

And the Oxford Press and OSC HL Maths books are good for explanations, but the questions are quite easy and basic.

I've heard that the IBID book for Maths HL is also quite good, but my friend has never used it before, however overall it has been given a high-rating by students, around the globe. But then again, it's all on personal preference.

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Get the OSC Revision Guide by Ian Lucas. I was surprised at how good it was, especially because it manages to fit the whole HL Core syllabus in only 107 pages. It offers very good explanations, great examples and some appropriate practice questions. It won't completely substitute a textbook, but it comes very close.

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  • 1 month later...

Hi,

I was looking for a textbook for HL Mathematics. I was looking for a textbook that I could use side-by-side with class lessons, and to stay slightly ahead of class.

I did so some research, which is as follows:

Cambridge:

-2 books (HL Math split into 2, without the options)

-~$80 for both (assuming you need both)

-$30 per option

Haese & Harris:

-HL Core $70

-HL Core Worked Solutions (Australian $70)

-HL Exam Preparation and Practice Guide ($30)

-HL Options ($40 Australian)

-from Australia

Oxford:

-$80 CDN or $50 USD

-bad reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Higher-Level-IB-Diploma/dp/0199152268/ref=sr_1_5?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285722856&sr=8-5

Ian Lucus:

-study guide

-$24

-will probably buy it later

IBID:

-HL Core ($55 Australian)

-HL Worked Solutions ($52 Australian)

I was considering buying the Oxford HL Core textbook, but then I read some reviews saying that its answers might wrong, and a bunch of other stuff. Can anyone with an Oxford HL Math textbook confirm this cause I was leaning towards it.

I was also considering the two-part Cambridge series. Does anyone have any experience with these books?

Does anyone know where I could obtain the IBID and/or H&H HL Math textbooks? (I live in Ontario, Canada.) It's not at Chapters or Amazon. I would prefer not ordering all the way from Australia.

Are there any other HL Math textbooks that are good? Please recommend.

Thank you.

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I am using The Mathematics High Level Core and Option books by Eduardo Balanovski, by the IBID press i believe. It is pretty good, and there are like 2 typos and only 1 problem so far that had a typo in the problem, although the solution was right if the problem was correct. Im not sure where to get it since I got it from the District. Also there is a post simalar to this, next time if you would post an answer there before you make a topic it would be nice.

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I have 2 books, too but not sure about the publishers&authors. Book one is blue and book two is green. I personally like these books apart from that they are heavy. Yes we do need both because only one is incomplete. I think yeah the books don't have the options so I think yeah it's from Cambridge. I am going to school today I will make sure that they are from Cambridge (I didn't bring them home, they're in my locker).

So far I think it's been good and the questions are also challenging (some of them) but I don't know, I have just started (like 8.5 weeks experience with these books). What do you want to know? I will ask my Math teacher tomorrow. Well if you want me to :P

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We use the Oxford one. Don't get it.

A couple of months ago I ordered the OSC Revision Guide for HL Math, and I would absolutely recommend it to any HL student. Despite it being meant for revision, it contains very clear explanations and worked example question of IB type questions. Get it here: http://www.osc-ib.com/ib-revision-guides/default.asp?categoryid=13&pageid=156&pagetitle=IB-Mathematics

Another book is called 'Pearson Baccalaureate: Higher Level Mathematics'. Now I don't actually own this book, but I do have the Chemistry and Physics versions, and I think they are both great, especially the Physics one. From this experience I would assume that the Maths one should also be pretty good. One of the things I love about the Pearson Baccalaureate books is that they have worked solutions on their website for every single question from the book. Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pearson-Baccalaureate-Mathematics-International-Editions/dp/0435994417/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1286408466&sr=8-1

Other than that I have been using a video recourse on youtube called "Khanacademy". Check it out here: http://www.khanacademy.org/

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Shouldn't your school be providing you with textbooks?

I'm probably part of the minority but despite all its shortcomings, I quite liked the H&H books. It had clear examples and it was easy to follow.

I've not seen the Cambridge book but the Oxford book has clear explanations about a lot of the material, but if it has problems with answers, I wouldn't recommend getting it because there's nothing more frustrating than working at a question repeatedly because the answer you get is wrong when it actually is correct.

The IBID book is rather red and ugly :rofl: And if it's anything like other IBID books, it's going to be dull. Even though I use IB books despite not being in IB anymore, I'm put off from using the IBID books because of its redness.

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I was able to obtain copies of H&H and Oxford's HL Mathematics books, so I won't be buying those anymore.

Oxford's seems to have many errors, from what I have heard.

I was considering Cambridge or Pearson.

The only reason I don't want Cambridge's two-part HL math textbooks is because they it is in two parts, and thus more disorganized. I also based that reasoning on their table of contents found here and here.

I'm also planning on ordering the OSC revision guide because of so many positive reviews, not to mention that it's practically the only study guide for HL mathematics.

And apparently, I will be getting the IBID textbooks in IB Year 2 (which is two-thirds of HL Math at my school, as opposed to one-third in Year 1).

Therefore, I'll probably just order the Pearson HL Math textbook.

So I will have access to every HL book but the Cambridge set. Doesn't sound bad to me.

Does any one have any comments on either the Pearson or Cambridge HL Math textbooks?

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