English HL or SL?

[Shrish]

Hey Guys 

I'm halfway through my IBDP, i will be writing my summative exams for Grade 11 in May. I'm currently in math HL, but i'm scoring quite bad. I am considering shifting to Math SL, but i will have to push another subject to HL. I considered Econ for HL, but too much is already done. My best route, now is to take English HL. Should i make the move? In what way will it affect my college application, if i'm going to take engineering? My current subjects are (Math, Physics, Chemistry: as HL); (Economics, Spanish Ab, English as SL). I am extremely confused, as i'm able to score pretty well in the actual IB papers, but well, it may be because of the high expectations of the school in math HL, that i'm not able to score in the school tests. And in English, I scored a 5 in test 4, but i did pretty well in the mock IOC (23/30), considering that mine was the highest marked. What do you guys suggest? Should i stay in math HL, or should i drop? 

[kw0573]

Please clarify which Group 1 English course you are taking, as IOC is in both Literature as well as Language and Literature. HL Literature will be very time consuming, but perhaps not as much as Math HL. Generally all 4 predominant Group 1 course/level combinations can satisfy language requirements but sometimes Lang/Lit is not given any or as much university credits as HL Literature. Other than improving general language proficiency, and having to practice writing very often, HL Literature is not very useful in an academic context. Technical writing in engineering is very different from commentaries, so HL English only can teach good revision habits and writing mechanisms, but not useful structures of text (eg lab report/research paper). Outside an academic context, you may argue that by reading more books in both HL courses you can understand the world better, but you can do that on your own time. 

I think Math HL will be very useful. The IIT entrance exam is probably the most difficult university admission test targeted towards the mass, anywhere in the world. Math HL will very likely help you prepare for it. If you do decide to apply internationally, Math HL will likely make you more competitive than other applicants. I would like to also add that 7 in Math HL paper 1/2 is about 90 / 120 on the exams during time pressure. That is getting almost all Part A questions entirely correct and maybe missing some subquestions or steps in Part B. So it's expected that your school has high expectations. It also doesn't matter what you score in school, as long as you are predicted a good grade. 

Finally, 23/30 may be only level 5 and on the global scale, quite average. If you were to score a 5 or below (in Group 1 HL or in Math HL). That would lower your total IB score and total HL score, and many UK universities require 7/7/6 in your HLs.