chem.. Posted September 26, 2016 Report Share Posted September 26, 2016 (edited) Hi guys, I am a student in Year 12, just finished my term 1 of year 12 I have got a chemistry exam for the first time but the result is really horrible( probably 30~40%, the school average is about 60% and this exam is 35% of semester 1 grade) I really worry about keep doing chemistry HL and the unit I took was just stoichiometry which is easier than other units(I heard that) For people experienced chemistry HL, do you guys think I need to change subjects? I am not that passionate about chemistry but I could not confirm my career so I am going to take 2 sciences better than 2 social sciences(likely to go science related major or economics)(taking eco HL chem HL math HL lang a, lang b, biology SL. p.s. Is this really highly affecting my GPA for US university? Thank you. Edited September 26, 2016 by chem.. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mac117 Posted September 26, 2016 Report Share Posted September 26, 2016 Worry not! My school started chemistry about a month ago I had some of my friends doubt their chemistry skills as well. We finished the first two topics already, and even those who got an A* at igcse managed only a 3 or a 4 on the stoichiometry test. My Chem teacher says that the adjustment to the new style of questions might take a while, and that we should not let these few first grades make us drop chemistry. Some people struggle a bit with stoichiometry, but just like maths, practice will help you improve exponentially - take my word for it. tl;dr Continue with Chem HL because the first unit test grade does not define your final IB grade. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToobaHere Posted September 28, 2016 Report Share Posted September 28, 2016 (edited) On 9/26/2016 at 6:56 PM, mac117 said: Worry not! My school started chemistry about a month ago I had some of my friends doubt their chemistry skills as well. We finished the first two topics already, and even those who got an A* at igcse managed only a 3 or a 4 on the stoichiometry test. My Chem teacher says that the adjustment to the new style of questions might take a while, and that we should not let these few first grades make us drop chemistry. Some people struggle a bit with stoichiometry, but just like maths, practice will help you improve exponentially - take my word for it. tl;dr Continue with Chem HL because the first unit test grade does not define your final IB grade. Hello, I am actually really worried about Chemistry that I have taken at HL, I got a B in my GCE O LEVEL. Here I'm having problem with stoichiometry which is really demotivating me since every other person is pretty fast here and I am having trouble with the basics so can someone provide me with notes and help me out at understanding it better? I believe I can improve even though my spirits are low. My GCE results: Pakistan Studies: A Islamiyat: A English : A* (IB: HL) Urdu: A* Biology: A (IB: HL) Math: B (IB: SL) Chemistry: B (IB: HL) Physics: B (IB: SL) Environmental Management: A Edited September 28, 2016 by ToobaHere - Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw0573 Posted October 4, 2016 Report Share Posted October 4, 2016 @chem.. @ToobaHere I think if you are not used to the IB program, it's not uncommon to not score as hoped on your first tests. Chemistry, like certain other subjects, have concepts compounded upon each other. So it's good for both of you to revisit stoichiometry on your own in the near future until you feel much more comfortable with the material covered in your exam. For certain topics such as stoich, I recommend actually doing lots of practice problems over simply reviewing notes. Feel free to check out some videos on YouTube by @mrwengchemistry, @Msj Chem, and Richard Thornley. A lot of changing courses come down to whether you like/need the subject, and your other options, rather than the course's difficulty. A month of class is too short to evaluate how fast you can improve. So delay the question of changing out of Chemistry HL for maybe another 4 months, and first catch up on stoich and do lots of practice problems in the new unit! 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToobaHere Posted October 22, 2016 Report Share Posted October 22, 2016 (edited) Hello, Thank you for the response it did make me feel better about myself and thank you for sharing this with me. We just had our first stoich test on which I scored a 32 out of 40 which I consider to be acceptable and good given my situation. My teacher also appreciated me i don't know if it's a 5 or 6 just yet. But i think I'm getting a hold of it. I actually thougth I would score the least but was one of those who managed to score 31+ which actually boosted my confidence. On a side note, any tips? Edited October 22, 2016 by ToobaHere Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kw0573 Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 @ToobaHere On the "About me" part on my profile page, I linked to a response where I posted extensively how to prepare for Chemistry HL when at a month before finals. Don't worry about whether you are at 5 or 6 as of yet. Nothing much to say in the early chapters of chemistry other than do lots of practice problems both in quantity and in range. At the early stages of IB it's more important to develop a healthy schedule and good study habits. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chem.. Posted October 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 @kw0573 Hi, How can I get heaps of questions of Chemistry HL? Thank you for responses ! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avik Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 On September 26, 2016 at 1:53 PM, chem.. said: Hi guys, I am a student in Year 12, just finished my term 1 of year 12 I have got a chemistry exam for the first time but the result is really horrible( probably 30~40%, the school average is about 60% and this exam is 35% of semester 1 grade) I really worry about keep doing chemistry HL and the unit I took was just stoichiometry which is easier than other units(I heard that) For people experienced chemistry HL, do you guys think I need to change subjects? I am not that passionate about chemistry but I could not confirm my career so I am going to take 2 sciences better than 2 social sciences(likely to go science related major or economics)(taking eco HL chem HL math HL lang a, lang b, biology SL. p.s. Is this really highly affecting my GPA for US university? Thank you. Stoichiometry is not an easy topic. To do something like that, it requires a lot of practice. I suggest that you practice from Cambridge IGCSE Chemistry practice books sing IGCSE Questions are really challenging. I would also suggest that you solve IGCSE Chemistry past papers. That's how you can ace one of the difficult parts of chemistry. Good Luck! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avik Posted October 23, 2016 Report Share Posted October 23, 2016 BTW, people in my previous school quit sciences because of stoichiometry... Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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