Are A levels a lower standard than the IB

Hi,

My friend goes to a good private school and he gets to do the international baccalaureate which looks and sounds awesome.
My school just dropped the IB due to a low intake and to save money.
This has really upset me as I truly believe the IB is a much better education and that even the same subjects at A level are not as rigorous and do not demand you to be as good as an international baccalaureate student is.

Also, because A levels are being reformed in 2 years to make them harder, this means that current A levels will be devalued. It's quite depressing, because I want to be achieving the highest standards.

Please give me your thoughts and opinions.

Thanks

Reply 1

Freiheit

17

Original post by A-Dog

Hi,

Please give me your thoughts and opinions.

Thanks

The main point of education at that stage is to gain entry to uni so I don't think it matters how you get there as long as you get the place. Personally, I wouldn't like the IB because too many subjects are required.

Reply 2

Pride

21

well, no.

They both have their advantages and disadvantages...

Reply 3

ZerofeX

Honestly, you sound like some snobby kid. Try and understand that not everyone shares your opinion and some might even find A Levels harder.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 4

magicmuggle

2

The search function is your friend.... This has been debated many times before.

Reply 5

Mishmashmoo

2

I heard that three A's at A level is only like a 37/50 (Don't hold me to that exact number) on IB so I think there is the potential to come out with better qualifications with the IB

Reply 6

mimile

a-levels sure do have lower academic standarts,but as long as you want to study in the UK it really doesn't matter. In fact a-levels might be better then...
I chose the IB mainly because it's recognised by universities all over the world and because i really want to learn and have a solid background of general knowledge and i don't think a-levels offer that.
so if you more like the international inquisitive type the IB therefor another school is definitely the better option
but if you want to study in the UK and already know in what direction you'll be going you might be better off with a-levels

from what people told me the IB is hard work,but it's definitely worth it. Also you seem to be convinced of the IB, so why don't you do what your heart or whatever wants?
just soyou know. i might be a little biased,because i'm starting the IB in september and i'm really excited about it though i'm sure that has no influence on my impartiality.
hope i've been of some help :smile:

Reply 7

ZerofeX

Original post by mimile

a-levels sure do have lower academic standarts,but as long as you want to study in the UK it really doesn't matter. In fact a-levels might be better then...
I chose the IB mainly because it's recognised by universities all over the world and because i really want to learn and have a solid background of general knowledge and i don't think a-levels offer that.
so if you more like the international inquisitive type the IB therefor another school is definitely the better option
but if you want to study in the UK and already know in what direction you'll be going you might be better off with a-levels

from what people told me the IB is hard work,but it's definitely worth it. Also you seem to be convinced of the IB, so why don't you do what your heart or whatever wants?
just soyou know. i might be a little biased,because i'm starting the IB in september and i'm really excited about it though i'm sure that has no influence on my impartiality.
hope i've been of some help :smile:

A-Levels are recognized by universities all over the world as well. Cambridge International Examinations is infact the largest provider of education in the world and it offers the A Levels to almost every country, even more then the IB.

Secondly, I just have to ask but what does the IB do which gives you more "general knowledge" as you put it which A-Levels cannot provide? People in A Levels generally take 4-5 subjects at AS anyway and drop it down to 3 or 4 at A2. Thats roughly 3 HL and 2 SL right there. Also not to mention the fact there are some subjects that AL's do indeed cover more depth in.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 8

A7d8i6l

1

My mate who was doing the IB had an interview at Oxford uni and they rejected him!! Based on his predicted grades however he seems to be almost constantly working!! The IB was set up for the elite. On results day I saw him and he was over the moon because he scored 42/45 and now he's taking a gap year, he has finally decided to go to Cambridge uni!! Are school average is 36 and we are the 5 th best school to offer IB.

This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Reply 9

skotch

16

Original post by Mishmashmoo

I heard that three A's at A level is only like a 37/50 (Don't hold me to that exact number) on IB so I think there is the potential to come out with better qualifications with the IB

IB goes up to 40... so 37/40 is pretty good!

EDIT: if people actually read through the thread, they would see i've realised my mistake...

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 10

Doglamlico

16

Original post by A-Dog

Hi,

My friend goes to a good private school and he gets to do the international baccalaureate which looks and sounds awesome.
My school just dropped the IB due to a low intake and to save money.
This has really upset me as I truly believe the IB is a much better education and that even the same subjects at A level are not as rigorous and do not demand you to be as good as an international baccalaureate student is.

Also, because A levels are being reformed in 2 years to make them harder, this means that current A levels will be devalued. It's quite depressing, because I want to be achieving the highest standards.

Please give me your thoughts and opinions.

Thanks

IB 'forces' you to be more broad and well-educated.
As an A-level student you still have the option. Read around your subject, do further work etc. and you can be even better than IB students. Don't blame the system when you have other options.

Original post by Freiheit

The main point of education at that stage is to gain entry to uni so I don't think it matters how you get there as long as you get the place. Personally, I wouldn't like the IB because too many subjects are required.

This is really key - it doesn't matter what exams you took up to the age of 18 - whether it was O-levels, GCSEs, BTECs etc. what matters is what unis thought you were good enough. If Cambridge let you in then you must have been just fine. I used to worry about our qualifications being devalued - now I just don't care as my university place will never be devalued :smile:

(fingers crossed that british unis don't slump in the future as a result of economic crises).

Reply 11

laura1234

1

Even with A levels changing in 2 years theres nothing you can do about it and current A levels wont be de valued, if your applying/going to uni before the changes take place then it won't make any difference to you. IB may be seen as better because you are gaining broader knowledge by taking more subjects however both IB and A levels are viewed equally in UK universities as the option to take IB isn't open to everyone, and the majority still take A levels. If you are desperate to do IB then find a college that does it otherwise I wouldn't worry about A levels just work as hard as you can, thats all you can do.

Reply 12

FiniteMr

13

Original post by Freiheit

The main point of education at that stage is to gain entry to uni so I don't think it matters how you get there as long as you get the place. Personally, I wouldn't like the IB because too many subjects are required.

It really isn't. The purpose of education at all levels is to educate. Such a shallow view is typical of many students however.

IB is definitely harder for most subject combinations. Nobody really disputes this. But a lot of people also think the IB gives a unique education experience, with the ability to stay diverse while also keeping the depth of content in your HL subjects. I personally think that if more people did the IB, the overall standard of university students in the UK would rise dramatically.

Of course, in the end, the IB suits some, and A-Levels suit others, and both provide the necessary education to continue studying at university if that is the aim of the student, so we can't make sweeping generalisations like in the OP.

Reply 13

StacFace

18

As someone who has completed 1.5 years of IB and is now waiting on A level results after switching I can say that you're really not missing out. A levels are a lot easier than the IB Diploma but you'll find that most employers and universities don't actually acknowledge this (or where they do, they think the gap is smaller than it really is). If you want to do something challenging just for the sake of it then the IB is great, but if you're doing it to get into the best uni possible and impress employers then it's A levels you want. You then add on the extras by doing the Extended Project instead of an Extended Essay and doing the activities out of college you would be doing for CAS.

Reply 14

magicmuggle

2

Original post by skotch

IB goes up to 40... so 37/40 is pretty good!

It goes up to 45 actually.

Reply 15

FiniteMr

13

Original post by skotch

IB goes up to 40... so 37/40 is pretty good!

It is out of 45

A 45 is worth 720 UCAS points, an A* is 140, so a 45 is equivalent (to UCAS) to 5 A*s. This is a reasonable comparison especially with modular subjects. However, a lot more people achieve high amounts of A*s than get 45s. 37 is a decent score, however, the UK average is estimated about 33-35 compared with world's 28 average, so it's hardly stunning.

Reply 16

WanaBdoctor

13

I think it depends on what you prefer. If you like general knowledge of lots of subjects then ib is better, if you like more in-depth knowledge of just a few subjects then a levels are better. It's like anything, some people will find each option easy, and some will find it hard. Both ultimately rely on the amount of work you do and time you put in.

I live in an area where no sixth form offer ib so I'm not that clued up about it but I don't see which route you take ultimately deciding the rest of your life! Besides which, if your school doesn't offer ib then no one can criticise you for not doing it!

Reply 17

Freiheit

17

Original post by Hypocrism

It really isn't. The purpose of education at all levels is to educate. Such a shallow view is typical of many students however.

IB is definitely harder for most subject combinations. Nobody really disputes this. But a lot of people also think the IB gives a unique education experience, with the ability to stay diverse while also keeping the depth of content in your HL subjects. I personally think that if more people did the IB, the overall standard of university students in the UK would rise dramatically.

Of course, in the end, the IB suits some, and A-Levels suit others, and both provide the necessary education to continue studying at university if that is the aim of the student, so we can't make sweeping generalisations like in the OP.

You are right, I can't speak for everyone but that was the purpose of the Sixth Form I attended. The Higher Education participate rates are undeniable high though at 47%

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=419496

Out of interest, what's the point of being "educated" from 16-18 in your view? Is to find employment/passion/increase knowledge?