A Level Options vs IB Options- Please Help!!:S

Morgan_1999

Hi, I'm going into year 11 in September but am currently looking around at some possible schools to transfer to for Sixth Form. One of these offers IB, but the rest offer A Levels. Based on my option choices, would you be able to say what one I would benefit more from? I'm not sure what I want to go into, but possibly something like Teaching (secondary school) or something history based such as archaeology.

For AS Level I would take:

English Literature (or lit&lang if the school offered it)
History
Psychology/Sociology
Then 1or2 out of: Biology, Drama/Theatre Studies, Government and Politics, Philosophy

For IB I would take (I don't know whether at SL/HL yet):

English Language and Literature
History
Mathmatics/Mathmatical Studies (I don't actually know the difference)
Theatre
Biology
French

Another thing that may be worth saying is that fact that I'm not sure about studying French and Maths. I find French difficult, however, I do achieve high grades in it, so I'm not sure how comfortable I would feel carrying it on for another two years! The same is true for Maths.
The thing about IB is that it seems to incorporate all of the subjects I want to take, but the compulsory Maths and French (or another language) is what's putting me off.

Thank you
Morgan :smile:

Reply 1

hadesparadise

I'd encourage you to do the IB , it keeps your options open which is great as you are not exactly sure what you'd like to do . I can't say too much about it as I haven't started it yet :rolleyes:

. The difference between maths studies and maths SL , is that studies is not a massive step up from GCSE , whereas SL borders AS / A2 ( I may be wrong here but it is definitely a big leap from GCSE ) . As it is a compulsory element of the IB , if it is your weakest subject I'd suggest taking studies , especially if it is not prerequisite for the uni course you're taking . Taking a language from scratch - ab.initio is probably a better option as well , if you are not too confident with French . Good luck with whichever qualification you end up taking :biggrin:

Reply 2

Neverme

I agree with the above poster, taking IB is a great way to keep your options open. As you study more subjects, I think it gives you a much broader education than A levels while still allowing you to study chosen subjects in depth.
I take Maths SL, and my sister did an AS in maths this year and on comparison the material we've covered so far has been pretty much on the same level. Some of the thinks I've studied were more challenging than the topics she did, but that may change once she gets into A2. Therefor I wouldn't recommend taking Maths SL if you don't like maths. Maths Studies is for students who don't necessarily need maths to pursue their chosen subject at university - the course is designed to keep up skills learnt at GCSE while also introducing new topics such as more statistics - in theory, things you will use in daily life. If I were you, based on what you've said, I'd go for that.
As for French, I take it at SL and find it enjoyable as we learn about the language by looking at culture and social topics. Since you're interested in the humanities, this may suit you well. Remember also if you take it at SL it will be a relatively small part of your workload, so even if you don't love it you'll be able to bear it :P
As someone who nearly took A levels before deciding on IB, and who has been able to compare my experience to my sister in the A level system over the past year, I'd say go for IB. You will be challenged and stretched to your limits, yes it will be difficult and tiring at times but I think it's worth it :biggrin: