The Student Room Group

(again) A level vs IB??

Hello, so I am in my last year before choosing between IB and A -levels next year (my school offers both of them)

I have looked a lot on the internet but none of the articles/posts that I read told me precisely what are the advantages and disadvantages for both of the programs.

The thing is I know that I wanna do law, so I certainly don't need to do any math or science-related subjects, if I do IB it will be a big part of the program (even if I take both at SL) however if I do A-levels i don't have them which means I will have more time to focus on english and whatever subjects I'm going to take.

However, I read that UK universities are more likely to accept students who did IB than A-levels (and that IB'ers are more likely to have a better-paid job)
But then again, my parents keep telling me that it doesn't matter which program you are going to do, as long as you get good grades, is that true??

I really need some advice :biggrin:
Original post by lauretina
Hello, so I am in my last year before choosing between IB and A -levels next year (my school offers both of them)

I have looked a lot on the internet but none of the articles/posts that I read told me precisely what are the advantages and disadvantages for both of the programs.

The thing is I know that I wanna do law, so I certainly don't need to do any math or science-related subjects, if I do IB it will be a big part of the program (even if I take both at SL) however if I do A-levels i don't have them which means I will have more time to focus on english and whatever subjects I'm going to take.

However, I read that UK universities are more likely to accept students who did IB than A-levels (and that IB'ers are more likely to have a better-paid job)
But then again, my parents keep telling me that it doesn't matter which program you are going to do, as long as you get good grades, is that true??

I really need some advice :biggrin:


Overall comparison from a thread a week ago:

Original post by logiadoevus
Well, to be honest, you're right - it is a complicated decision, that's why you get mixed answers. You'll probably get mixed answers here as well.

The problem is, there are both pros and cons for IB and A-levels, and whether you should take one or the other depends on how important different factors are to you.

My opinion
I think that IB is always the better choice - however, that is because I think people should want to study more rather than less and explore different subjects at a high level for as long as possible, as opposed to specialising too early, or sacrificing depth for breadth.

More objective analysis
Some of the number of factors mentioned then:

Difficulty
IB is more difficult than A-levels, because you have to do more work - you have A-level equivalents of at least 3 subjects at HL, PLUS at least 3 subjects at SL, PLUS Theory of Knowledge and CAS. For some people, this means that they have to 'say bye to their social life', that they are stressed out of their mind, and are unable to get good results as they don't care for some of the subjects (e.g. the foreign language). For others, like me, it's great fun and is very interesting and does not mean saying bye to anything, or working particularly hard, just being attentive and engaged. Whether you'll be in the first or the second group, or in between, again depends on a number of factors - how much you enjoy studying and learning in general, how quickly you work, how good you are at switching between tasks; also how good you are at finding and identifying relevant information, how good you are at working smart not hard; as well as, definitely, how good your teachers are, how well they know IB syllabus, etc. So a number of factors there. Just let me clarify though, it's not uniformly bad - again (and I repeat myself because most people on TSR seem to think IB is the worst thing in the world, while other IB students that I know have found it more or less as enjoyable as I did), IB can be great, and does not have to mean end of social life or your brain. :smile:

Specialisation
Then there is also the fact that you can sort of specialise more in A-levels than in IB, although for me, this is of limited relevance as IB HL subjects go to pretty much the same depth as A-levels. Again, some people enjoy this because they know what they want to do, and enjoy doing the subjects they've selected and are good at them. Others like more variety, whether because they like to explore their options, or, like me, because they like learning different kinds of things, both the ones they think they prefer, and the ones that are more challenging but are still interesting.


Results & Universities
And then there's the issue of results. Loads of people will tell you that universities are unfair to IB students. And that is true - IB and A-level offers are by no means equivalent. A personal example - when I applied for university last year (did not go as chose to do something else), I got an offer of 34 IB points from a AAA-AAB university. AAAa (what people probably get at the end of A-level year) equals 420 UCAS points; 34 points are 479 points. A class-mate of mine had an offer from Cambridge of 41 points (a typical offer), equivalent of 632 points - even A*A*A*A* is only 560 points. And it can be much worse than that. That said, however, this is a concern only if you think you cannot get a good result - so if you say you'll get 30 points, you'll work probably as hard as AAA student but won't get into a AAA university. But if you work smart and know how to get good IB results (e.g. use the syllabus (!!!) and do past papers), you should be able to get a 36 score at least, and that allows you to get into good universities.

Conclusion
So, lots of different factors at play as you can see. Posters after me will probably put emphasis on one or more of the points above - what you have to understand is though, that this is very individual and, while you must consider others' advice, at the end of the day, consider what kind of person, student and learner you are, and how appropriate IB is for you. :smile: Good luck and feel free to post any further questions. :smile:
Reply 2
There's a massive disparity between how UCAS values the I.B and how universities value it. It is 'easier' to get into uni with A levels if you take it on that regard. I did I.B and wish I hadn't. I got into Uni to study Law with it, but I'd much rather have done a modular form of examinations where it's much more "fire and forget" than attempt to know everything from 2 years. My 2centz.
Original post by lauretina
Hello, so I am in my last year before choosing between IB and A -levels next year (my school offers both of them)

I have looked a lot on the internet but none of the articles/posts that I read told me precisely what are the advantages and disadvantages for both of the programs.

The thing is I know that I wanna do law, so I certainly don't need to do any math or science-related subjects, if I do IB it will be a big part of the program (even if I take both at SL) however if I do A-levels i don't have them which means I will have more time to focus on english and whatever subjects I'm going to take.

However, I read that UK universities are more likely to accept students who did IB than A-levels (and that IB'ers are more likely to have a better-paid job)
But then again, my parents keep telling me that it doesn't matter which program you are going to do, as long as you get good grades, is that true??

I really need some advice :biggrin:


As for your questions specifically - there is no hard and fast rule to anything.

Yes, on the one hand, if you do A-levels, you won't have to touch maths and science. On the other hand, maths SL is easy, and can be helpful to Law as well as it does develop thinking abilities, as does science.

University approach to IB is again very mixed depending on the uni and the subject - some do say they prefer IB, but then at the same time most give non-equivalent offers to IB and A-level students, with higher IB requirements.

At the end of the day, yes, it's more important to get good grades in whatever you do, rather than choose a programme you don't want to do and get poor results.

Depends on you, really. Do you like studying by itself, or is it only a means to an end? Do you see these couple of years as only preparation for uni or part of your broader education and chance to learn lots of different things before specialising in uni? Those are the questions you need to ask. :smile:
Reply 4
A level has modulated program - this is probably the biggest advantage A level has over IB. Many teachers tell me that IB prepares you well for the university in contrast to A levels, but before you actually show your "preparedness" you need to get into the university first and A level is the way to go.
IB has definitely prepared me for uni better than A levels did for some of my flatmates, but tbh, that might just be them being lazy ****s.

If you're going to do Law, I'd probably say do A Levels, you don't need to be doing maths and science a third of your time unless you like maths and science. If you want to keep your options open the IB is good, I went from wanting to do history to wanting to do biology and because of the IB i was able to apply for pretty much anything I felt like.

IF you chose to do the IB make sure you do higher english (and probably higher history too) if you want to do Law. A higher language may help too.

You need more IB points than you would in equivalents to A levels for uni though, so only take the IB if you're prepared to work pretty hard!
Heey :smile:
I'm an IB student in my last year of it (yay!), but I've also taken some AS Levels so I know a bit about both. (I'm planning on doing music at university by the way) Here's my advice...

1. Don't do IB unless you DEFINATELY want to take it. I'm not saying this because it's harder work than A Levels - even though you do 6 subjects, so twice most people who are doing A Levels, doesn't mean you're doing any extra work because the courses are a bit less in depth (because the IB know you're doing 6). Still, it seems like a lot more work because you have to spend time on subjects you possibley dislike...which brings me on to point number 2...

2. It is very hard to stay motivated in the IB. I think that is what makes it harder, for me at least. I HATE chemistry and maths (I'm an art/humanties person) and I really resent having to spend so much time on maths and chemistry coursework whilst my music coursework just sits there :frown: I find chemistry very difficult so I have to spend a lot of time on it, which means often spending from about 6pm until midnight doing a piece of chemistry homework and not ever getting onto doing the work of subjects I am actually interested in.

3. Don't let maths put you off doing the IB. Seriously, if you've done GCSE maths properly, maths studies is a walk in the park :smile: Saying that though, my point above still applies - just because maths is easy doesn't mean I don't have to spend time on it, which gets me down when I'd rather be spending my time on other subjects.

4. I think universities sneakily prefer the IB, especially for arts and humanties subjects, because you learn so many transferable skills (ie, TOK. You'll understand when you get there...). Saying that though, it seems to me that quite a lot of universities still don't really understand the IB, but I think that's getting better with time.

5. If you do IB, your year 12 will be a lot less stressful than anyone who does A Levels. The AS Level exams come around sooooo quickly and people generally do a bit rubbish in them, which then affects their predictors for universities. On the other hand us lucky IB people just get predictors based on our end of years (if the school can be bothered) and our work throughout the year. My summer term of year 12 was pretty relaxed. However...

6. Year 13 is a nightmare. Seriously. My A Level friends have maximum 3 lessons a day and the rest is free periods to do revision. I have 6 lessons a day pretty much every day. It can get quite demoralising :frown:

7. As someone who took Spanish and Music AS Level before doing the IB, I can honestly say I prefer the IB courses. They are much more open and the teacher can teach whatever topics they want - the exams are much more broad - for example one of the English papers gives you a bunch of essay questions that aren't related to any specific text but you have to answer using knowledge from any of the texts you have studied over the two years, which I find quite nice. However, as much as this suits me, it may not suit other people...

Basically, I would recommend the IB, and I have enjoyed the course so far. However, as someone who is sitting here putting off a mountain of chemistry coursework I can honestly say that right now I'd rather be in the position of an A-Leveller who is only studying 3 subjects, all of which they are actually passionate about and motivated to study....it's a difficult decision...

:smile:
The IB is a better programme in my opinion but it's a lot of hard work

However universities don't regard it as highly as some people (including me) think it should be. 42 points is much harder to achieve than A*A*A
Reply 8
And what A levels do you think I should take to study law ? (law with french law), do you think english , french, geo and history is good?
IB isn't really worth it unless you want to study outside the UK as most universities inflate the IB requirements to reduce the international student intake.
Reply 10
Save yourself :P LOOOOOOOL. No but I would reckon A Levels would be more suited - you really need a strong gut feeling if choosing to do IB and study that extra material for your own please :P

Law? With French?
I Would Say English Language and Literature, French, History and Maths (all to A2) and that will all prove beneficial :smile:
If you want to undertake the IB, the best advice I can give you is realise what you're getting yourself in for. It really is a lot more work than A levels, you are constantly inundated with coursework, essays and CAS. I'm in my second year now and if I could go back I'd probably choose A levels - that's not to say I wouldn't recommend the IB, I think it's a great course, I just think that for someone like me it wasn't the best choice. However, when I chose to do IB, I didn't know what I wanted to do at uni, so doing it has really kept my options open - especially as I've decided on Zoology - I still do Biology and Chemistry, which I doubt I would have take if I'd done A levels, and some unis require Chemistry for the course.

Personally I don't agree with the thing about unis preferring IB students to A level students - for them I think the personal statement is more important than the course, though as someone said the IB offers aren't always very fair.

As you know what you want to do and know you wont need maths or science subjects, I think A levels would probably be the easier option to go for, as you wont have extra pressure put on you by unnecessary subjects (yes Tok I'm looking at you). Although doing a wide range of subjects can also be positive. Despite French being completely unrelated to what I want to study in later life, and a subject I would not have taken at A level, I am so glad I've ended up carrying it on as it's become on of my favourite subjects and something I would like to pursue later in life - I hope to become fluent in French one day!)

If you are really passionate about the IB and/or a very hard working person, or if you are interested in applying to foreign unis, who in general certainly do prefer it to A levels (I'm not 100% sure but I think some foreign unis don't recognise A levels!) you should definitely consider it, as I already said it is a great course, despite the workload.
Original post by lauretina
Hello, so I am in my last year before choosing between IB and A -levels next year (my school offers both of them)

I have looked a lot on the internet but none of the articles/posts that I read told me precisely what are the advantages and disadvantages for both of the programs.

The thing is I know that I wanna do law, so I certainly don't need to do any math or science-related subjects, if I do IB it will be a big part of the program (even if I take both at SL) however if I do A-levels i don't have them which means I will have more time to focus on english and whatever subjects I'm going to take.

However, I read that UK universities are more likely to accept students who did IB than A-levels (and that IB'ers are more likely to have a better-paid job)
But then again, my parents keep telling me that it doesn't matter which program you are going to do, as long as you get good grades, is that true??

I really need some advice :biggrin:


If you already know what you want to study at uni, i.e. med, then choose alevels because it tells the university that you are more dedicated to the study of sciences and your chosen subjects would reflect that...
But if you are still not sure as to what you want to do at University, i'd opt for the IB because it leaves you with a bigger variety of subjects that you can pick to study at University...but be careful because you wont be allowed to drop one subject like you can do with Alevels.
Reply 13
Honestly, we can not say which is better for you. "However, I read that UK universities are more likely to accept students who did IB than A-levels" That quote you made is a little flawed. I think one thing I one read summed up how quite well, students doing A Levels and IB from the UK are equally likely to get an offer/ accepted with the accept of when it came to the border line students; In this case IB students may get it a little more in their favour due to the way the Points system works, and the points showing the strengths an weaknesses in a more discriminating manor than the A Level grades so separating the brightest down. Also those on the IB have had a big breath from the other subjects they have studied plus the playing to the advantage of the border line students studying IB. But unless you plan to be in that group when it comes to getting offers they are not meant to be that different.

An advantage of A Levels you may like to note is that, since you know what you to do at UNI, is that you can specialize more so picking the subjects really require to do that subject. Although on a point of information if you do do specialise early it can be harder to change what you would like to do at UNI, the breadth of the IB increases you chance for mind changing to work.

Not a particularly important pro of IB is that results are released in June/July. At least a good month or so before A Level results, so lets say you did not make your offer you will have a lot more time to decide what you will do about it before clearing opens. And if you do make your offer you have a good extra months worth of summer holiday to contend with in and way you desire!

One final point is that I do not think you'll find IB all that much harder than A Levels providing you chose academic A Levels and were chasing the top grades. True IB is harder to pass than A Levles but is equally hard to get top grades in per subject.

So its entirely unto you, there are major course differences, e.g.: extended essay, the ability to specialise or to go in with breadth etc. But it is what you want.
Reply 14
What universities are looking for is the level of achievement in either of the program and they do not put people in a disadvantage if you take alevels or IB.
I personally think A-levels are better as you can specialize in the field you want to study

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