Shall I do IB or stick with A-levels.?

hi, i'm new here, just joined today :smile:

I'm actually really confused, sigh. Tbh, I might not get accepted for A-levels in my school 'cause I have a feeling I won't get the required grades for it in my CIE exams, and entry depends on that (I know, my school and country's system is different)

SO, I'd just sit home and get depressed over the fact that I'd be a well-known failure. And then a friend who's predicting to flunk too asks me, "Why don't we move to IB?" Now see, I'm just not a science person. I got an A/B on all subjects except for Physics, Chem, Bio and Math: I got a D here (and a F in Physics).

This got me thinking, why not take the subjects in IB in which I got an A? So I'm planning to take HL: English, Business studies and ITGS. For SL: Psychology, chem (or bio, not sure yet) and math.
In eng and bs, I always get an A, sometimes B for bs. ITGS is kinda my thing I guess cus I've always got a good interest in I.T generally, so I guess with the interest and hard work, I wouldn't go below a C. I've loved psychology so I'm predicting not bad marks there. Chem and Math are my D subjects, hence going into Standard Level, so I guess it wont be THAT bad.. So i feel I can actually get better grades in IB as I'll be focusing more on subjects that i'm good at, and I wont have to pay AS MUCH attention in chem and math, like it wont be that hard? :colondollar:

(okay I'm blabbering )

I don't know what course I wanna take in uni, like, what I wanna be. I sure as hell don't wanna do anything medical.. Maybe something to do with softwares and I.T or interior desiging? AGH IDK.

AND OH i totally forgot to ask about the main thing *facepalm* since I got so interested i did research online about IB, is it really HELL ON EARTH? Bc honestly I feel the subjects I've taken aren't so hard, I feel REALLY motivated and excited for this program, I'll have a better learning environment (my old school really sucked). I'm not too bad in essays, I love dong community work so CAS actually sounds kinda fun to me :smile:

I have no idea what TOK is about exactly but I know someone in IB2 who could help me out a bit, I'll also have my friends to do it with.
ALSO I don't have a huge social life like I dont really go out a lot so I'm not worried about being deprived of that.. although I am worried about my sleep.

So what do you say/ think? according to the subjects im taking, I think they're kinda easy compared to other students taking science and math as HL.. and the fact that I'll enjoy CAS and wouldnt really mind the essay (I guess I can just write like 300 words everyday and finish by 2 weeks? does the fact that I've completed a novel help? no? okay.)

SO DO YOU THINK IT'LL BE DIFFICULT FOR ME? I'm prepared to work hard and not slack off, I feel like I'm being given a second chance and I wont screw up. Or am i completely wrong?

if you do answer thanks a lot!! I have a feeling this is going to be pretty long, oh well. I hope i do get some replies cus i've spent a loot of time writing this up

Reply 1

DiddyDec01

Do a BTEC. They are great fun.

Reply 2

mej324

Original post by DiddyDec

Do a BTEC. They are great fun.

Um I only have the option for IB or A-levels here

Reply 3

danconway

Which subjects do you WANT to take? Forget the IB requirements for now - tell me your top 4/5 subjects you'd like to study at that level.

Reply 4

DiddyDec01

Original post by mej324

Um I only have the option for IB or A-levels here

Why it that?

Reply 5

mej324

Original post by danconway

Which subjects do you WANT to take? Forget the IB requirements for now - tell me your top 4/5 subjects you'd like to study at that level.

I'm already planning to take the subjects that I WANT to take; english, business, itgs and psychology are already my faves/

Reply 6

mej324

Original post by DiddyDec

Why it that?

idk the options here are quite limited; hence I'm stuck between A-levels and IB. I'd very much prefer IB but seeing all the students complaining about it SO MUCH made it seem a tad bit initimadting yknow? Like it gave me second thoughts. Otherwise I was pretty sure that IB was for me :rolleyes:

Reply 7

danconway

Original post by mej324

I'm already planning to take the subjects that I WANT to take; english, business, itgs and psychology are already my faves/

Well, then you're more suited to the IB than pretty much 80% of students!
Just go for it - especially if you're happy with the community service part and can cope with the workload. You'll be fine.

I'm not doing it, but I'm going to say... how hard can it be? (famous last words) - I mean, most people probably exaggerate. And for a good comparison, you need someone who's taken both IB and A Level. They don't come along often.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 8

j132

If you really don't like maths or chemistry then maybe A levels? If you do take IB, you could consider Maths SL or Maths Studies :smile:

I took IB and I didn't particularly like having to take subjects I didn't want to do (English Lit...), but overall I enjoyed the course!

Reply 9

mej324

Original post by danconway

I guess those will be my famous last words too XD it really doesn't sound that hard :colondollar:

I guess I'll just visit a counselor for this, they'd know best, hopefully.

Thanks a lot for answering, your first line kinda gave me a confidence boost already :P

Reply 10

L'Evil Fish

If you're getting some As, but then Bs and Ds (and an F)

I wouldn't recommend doing IB

Reply 11

mej324

Original post by L'Evil Fish

If you're getting some As, but then Bs and Ds (and an F)

I wouldn't recommend doing IB

Actually, I won't be taking the subjects where I got D's and F's: mostly the ones with A's :smile:

I'll just be taking 2 subjects where I got a D, but on a standard level.

Reply 12

mej324

Original post by j132

If you really don't like maths or chemistry then maybe A levels? If you do take IB, you could consider Maths SL or Maths Studies :smile:

I took IB and I didn't particularly like having to take subjects I didn't want to do (English Lit...), but overall I enjoyed the course!

Problem is, A-levels here only offer Chem, Bio, Physics, Math and Geo. And I dislike all these subjects. Yeah I'm gonna do math studies c: thanks x

Reply 13

L'Evil Fish

Original post by mej324

Actually, I won't be taking the subjects where I got D's and F's: mostly the ones with A's :smile:

I'll just be taking 2 subjects where I got a D, but on a standard level.

But SL is still hard. It's like AS isn't it?

And you'd never take an AS in a subject you got a D in.

Reply 14

mej324

Original post by L'Evil Fish

But SL is still hard. It's like AS isn't it?

And you'd never take an AS in a subject you got a D in.

I'm not too sure about that.. I know SL will still be hard, but I'm better off with chem SL and math studies only rather then all 3 sciences and math (which is what i had in my old school).

Reply 15

j132

Original post by mej324

Problem is, A-levels here only offer Chem, Bio, Physics, Math and Geo. And I dislike all these subjects. Yeah I'm gonna do math studies c: thanks x

In that case, I guess you have more choice if you took IB at your school! Shame your school offers such limited A-level subjects... SL Chem is still quite hard though but as long as you study hard and try and understand most of the concepts you should be fine!