People who achieve 35+
Discussion forum for International Baccalaureate students.
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Re: People who achieve 35+35 is probably about average, so I imagine average to good GCSE grades (shall we say 80% A*/A?). You get a lot of moaners who do the IB about how difficult it is, though, so I'd advise A-Levels.
My biggest advice would be to remember that doing the IB doesn't give you a monopoly on what is challenging. -
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Re: People who achieve 35+35 is way above average!! World average is around 29-30. For May 2012 world average was 29.83. 35 is a very respectable score, 38 is really good and 40+ is Amazing. You can't compare GCSE grades and IB grades, they are different curricula and IB is much harder because its obviously advanced. It depends on your commitment in IB much more than your GCSE grades. Your performance in GCSE cannot really determine how you will do in IB, because IB exams are harder and obviously they revolve around 2 years of Internally assessed work and some externally assessed ones. If you work hard in IB you will do well, irrespective of your GCSE grades and likewise if you have amazing GCSEs but do not remain committed in IB, you won't do well.
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Re: People who achieve 35+Yes agree with azland, this is especially very true in Math HL. The jump from GCSE math to Math HL is HUGE. Many people struggle with it, so they have to work a bit harder and it puts a lot of them off because they used to ace GCSE Math they were expecting to do that with IB Math HL. I personally didn't do GCSE, so I can't judge every subject but I can definitely say the rigor the curriculum that I did helped me a lot in IB especially with math and the sciences to an extent. So really, if you do well in GCSE you MIGHT not do as well in IB but at the same time if you don't do well (I hope that this doesn't happen and I'm sure it won't) then it doesn't mean you won't do well in IB.
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Re: People who achieve 35+Yes please, that would be nice.(Original post by Flip1)
GCSE scores aren't a very good indicator, but TS could post his/her scores...it would make things easier. -
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Re: People who achieve 35+At GCSE, I got AAAABBBBCCC and at the end of the first year I'm predicted 40 points. I did next to no work at GCSE and a very high amount at IB, but it shows they aren't always very good indicators and aren't necessary to do well!
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Re: People who achieve 35+Bear in mind that predicted results often diverge very wildly from actual marks given; internal moderation on coursework is especially harsh. Don't count your chickens till they've hatched and bear in mind second year is especially brutal.(Original post by CLS94)
At GCSE, I got AAAABBBBCCC and at the end of the first year I'm predicted 40 points. I did next to no work at GCSE and a very high amount at IB, but it shows they aren't always very good indicators and aren't necessary to do well!
OP to answer your question, it varies however most people who got 35+ at my school had a string of A*s. And 35 is most definetly NOT average, it is a pretty tough mark to get. -
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Re: People who achieve 35+Yep, that's true, but even if I do fall some way short of the prediction I should still get significantly better grades than my GCSEs would suggest.(Original post by Aeschylus)
Bear in mind that predicted results often diverge very wildly from actual marks given; internal moderation on coursework is especially harsh. Don't count your chickens till they've hatched and bear in mind second year is especially brutal.
OP to answer your question, it varies however most people who got 35+ at my school had a string of A*s. And 35 is most definetly NOT average, it is a pretty tough mark to get. -
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Re: People who achieve 35+My older brother, going on to Oxford now to read Economics, got 42 points in the IB. At GCSE he got 8 A*s and 4As, which many might agree is not up to par with the "90% A*" calibre expected at Oxbridge, as it is with his IB point score. But it just goes to show that working really hard you can exceed expectations derived from your GCSE results.
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Re: People who achieve 35+I had the equivalent of 9A* at GCSE´s and ended up with a 39 overall, which is a bit meh but ok I guess. But seriously, if you´re thinking of applying to unis in the UK and you know what you want to do with your life don´t bother with IB. Yes, it´ll probably provide you with a better education, but at the end of the day unis (at least most of the good ones) don´t value the IB more than Alevels, on the contrary I would argue that it even hinders you, so just save yourself all the extra stress and aggravation!
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Re: People who achieve 35+39 is not meh. Less than 5% (I think) get 38+ of all those who do the IB. On the UCAS tarrif it's equivalent to 4A*s at A level. If you're round people who are scoring 40+, as some schools are renowned for, then it might seem like that, but trust me it's not.(Original post by cmkable)
I had the equivalent of 9A* at GCSE´s and ended up with a 39 overall, which is a bit meh but ok I guess. But seriously, if you´re thinking of applying to unis in the UK and you know what you want to do with your life don´t bother with IB. Yes, it´ll probably provide you with a better education, but at the end of the day unis (at least most of the good ones) don´t value the IB more than Alevels, on the contrary I would argue that it even hinders you, so just save yourself all the extra stress and aggravation! -
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Re: People who achieve 35+The 5% over 38 is not entirely correct but less than 10% score over 40, so it is nearly correct anyway. But 39 is a very respectable score and would be good enough for most unis, I think even oxford have 39 offers but it would depend on your HL scores of course. IB is a very well rounded education whereas A levels tends to be very specific. So if you're like not into learning a lot of things and doing a lot of work then don't take IB. Take it if you're motivated and want a challenge. That said I got 41, and I still felt as though even though I worked really hard, I still could've done more but 43 would've been max for me had I worked harder.
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Re: People who achieve 35+It's just a matter of the work you put into it: if you do badly at GCSE, simply because you didn't work very hard, then making an effort to do well on IB may help you get better results. However, as with most people, your ability stays much the same unless you really work for a change.
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Re: People who achieve 35+I agree with George, GCSEs don't mean much. I got 10 A*s for GCSE but only ended up with a disappointing 42 for IB. Whereas I know someone with no A*s for GCSE, with As and Bs, who got 44 IB points.(Original post by georgekwok)
i got 3A*s 6As 2Bs in GCSE.
i got 43/45 in IB. 776 HL (Chem/Phys/Math)
GCSE's aren't a good indicator, because you have to take so many subjects, some that you may not like.
This is to do with work ethic, but more importantly, subject combination. If you take science/humanities/maths at higher level (eg Maths Physics History HL) it requires a wide range of skills, e.g. logical thinking, argument, deduction, arithmetic skills....etc. In contrast if you take soft subjects at HL (eg Business Second Language B Biology), it requires less of the skills mentioned above; rote memorization can get you much further.
Indeed, subjects which require memorization such as Biology are very time-consuming, but if you memorize the book then the 7 is in the bag. In contrast, with History / Maths, memorizing the textbook is not enough - you simply do not know what questions they could throw at you, and really have to understand the picture. With history, the cause/effect relationship, as well as your own judgement of the "most important factor" of a major event, need to be clarified, explained and argued lucidly to get a 6. That, PLUS originality/insight, gives you the 7.
Therefore, hard workers benefit from taking soft subjects which can be mastered through memorization. People who understand concepts quickly, but are lazy, can take subjects which require a high level of conceptual ability/logical reasoning, such as Maths/History HL. If you understand each concept thoroughly, the 7 is in fact not hard to achieve at all.
In sum, I believe the key to doing well in IB is a careful combination of four things. First: you must have the ability to gauge the extent of effort you are prepared to put in, as well as the extent of your natural conceptual ability in the maths/sciences. Second: you must then choose the appropriate subject combination based on which element you are stronger in (hard work / natural conceptual ability), and work hard during the course. Third: you must have good time management skills, putting the appropriate amount of effort into each subject. Fourth: luck of the draw during the exams could make or break you :P
This, my friends, is the formula for getting a 43+ score, assuming there is no drastic IA moderation.
PS: what brought me down to 6s in English and History, was IA moderation. My English coursework was slashed by 9 marks in total (41/50 to 32/50), and my History coursework was slashed by 6 marks (24/25 to 18/25).
Do not take this "IA moderation" thing as discouragement though, I was in fact quite lazy up till the last two or so months of IB (skipping class and whatnot) so in some sense the disappointing 6s were reflective of my minimal effort. Work hard and you will get 43+.Last edited by hin1994; 29-07-2012 at 17:17. -
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Re: People who achieve 35+Thanks for the ESSAY bro. LOL(Original post by hin1994)
I agree with George, GCSEs don't mean much. I got 10 A*s for GCSE but only got 42 for IB. Whereas I know someone with no A*s for GCSE, with As and Bs, who got 44 IB points.
This is to do with work ethic, but more importantly, subject combination. If you take science/humanities/maths at higher level (eg Maths Physics History HL) it requires a wide range of skills, e.g. logical thinking, argument, deduction, arithmetic skills....etc. In contrast if you take soft subjects at HL (eg Business Second Language B Biology), it requires less of the skills mentioned above; rote memorization can get you much further.
Indeed, subjects which require memorization such as Biology are very time-consuming, but if you memorize the book then the 7 is in the bag. In contrast, with History / Maths, memorizing the textbook is not enough - you simply do not know what questions they could throw at you, and really have to understand the picture. With history, the cause/effect relationship, as well as your own judgement of the "most important factor" of a major event, need to be clarified, explained and argued lucidly to get a 6. That, PLUS originality/insight, gives you the 7.
Therefore, hard workers benefit from taking soft subjects which can be mastered through memorization. People who understand concepts quickly, but are lazy, can take subjects which require a high level of conceptual ability/logical reasoning, such as Maths/History HL. If you understand each concept thoroughly, the 7 is in fact not hard to achieve at all.
In sum, I believe the key to doing well in IB is a careful combination of four things. First: you must have the ability to gauge the extent of effort you are prepared to put in, as well as the extent of your natural conceptual ability in the maths/sciences. Second: you must then choose the appropriate subject combination based on which element you are stronger in (hard work / natural conceptual ability), and work hard during the course. Third: you must have good time management skills, putting the appropriate amount of effort into each subject. Fourth: luck of the draw during the exams could make or break you :P
This, my friends, is the formula for getting a 43+ score, assuming there is no drastic IA moderation.
PS: what brought me down to my heartbreaking 6s in English and History, was IA moderation. My English coursework was slashed by 9 marks in total (41/50 to 32/50), and my History coursework was slashed by 6 marks (24/25 to 18/25).
Do not take this "IA moderation" thing as discouragement though, I was in fact quite lazy up till the last two or so months of IB (skipping class and whatnot) so in some sense the disappointing 6s were reflective of my minimal effort. Work hard and you will get 43+.
Nevertheless, listen to the dude.
