HL or SL Maths for Economics?

I am almost done with my IGCSE course and is strongly considering taking IB next year. I want to study Economics after my Pre-U course. I did a bit of research and most (competitive) unis are alright with SL Maths (provided I get a 7), but they seem to prefer HL.

At IGCSE level, I usually get borderline A*s in Maths but I do not take Additional Mathematics. Would not taking Add Maths be a huge disadvantage for me? How difficult is HL Maths exactly? I wish to take it because it would probably heighten my chances of getting into prestigious unis but there would be no point if I do not do well in it.. Please advise.

Reply 1

Mr.Troll

Hi, IB year 2 student here. The top unis in UK require HL maths. I am rather interested in your early commitment on economics as this subject should be totally different from what Pre-U students think it should be.

For not taking additional maths, you should still be alright. The maths course in my school got over 60% of the students in math studies (the easiest course), but such a bad preparation for HL maths only affects the ones who operate in a systematic (narrow-minded) approach. I learnt nothing more, or even less, than what other normal grade 10/year 11 students learnt, and I am still comfortably getting a 7 in HL maths with a critical and logical mind.

HL maths, frankly, is not so difficult once you get the hang of it. Don't be frightened before you take the actual subject. Enjoy the process of solving problems!

I would recommend taking 4 HLs in the beginning, including maths HL, then drop 1 later. I would also recommend that you should take another physical science (chem/phy) along with HL maths/econ.

Reply 2

nicholasflamel

I took IGCSE Add Maths, got an A, but I still struggled to get a 7 in HL Maths. Personally I think taking Add Maths would definitely help tho, because it forces you to get you exposed to challenging materials early on. Even if you don't get a great grade in Add Maths, the time you spent studying those materials will obviously save you a lot of hassle later on in HL. Add Maths will definitely help in areas like calculus, trigonometry and vectors (I found these areas to be of comparative difficulty to the core topics of HL).

I wouldn't say that not taking Add Maths would be a huge disadvantage per se, but if you're the type of person who takes a long time to get adjusted to new materials (like me), then this might be something to think about. I don't think that your A* performance in IGCSE Maths will be indicative of how well you will do in HL simply because it's such a big jump in difficulty.

As for the difficulty of HL, I guess what really messes with people's grades in is the Paper 3, simply because the materials are so new (very unlikely that you will have encountered Discrete Maths or Statistics to that level before) and teachers always seem to teach the Options materials towards the very last months of IB, leaving us students, frankly, not enough time to acclimate ourselves to the new materials.

Another aspect that makes HL Maths harder than SL is that it forces you to think. With SL questions tend to be repetitive and as long as you've done a decent amount of past papers you can get by with a mid to high 6. With HL, especially for questions on proofs, every question is virtually out of the box and you've got to be quick on your feet to come up with a solution.

Hope this helps!

Reply 3

Pdag

Original post by buhrenda

It will be initially as the additional mathematics students would have covered the first few topics in HL maths. But after a few months it does not make much of a difference so it won't be a huge difference.
Most universities in the top 50 for economics require HL math. LSE requires a 7 in HL math and Warwick requires a 6.
HL math is not that hard. The trick to scoring well is to never lose touch with the subject. It may seem obvious but amidst all your IAs and work for the other subjects, many people think leaving HL maths for a month or so is justified. But trust me, its not. Constantly practice it and you can get a 7.

Reply 4

ch1oe

Hey
I'm in my 2nd year of IB and I do HL maths and it's definitely the hardest subject I take but if you enjoy maths it's definitely worth it. (Just keep in mind the fact that not many people get 7s in HL maths and a 6 is a really good score)
I have a friend who didn't do Add Maths and he tried doing HL maths but found it too hard and dropped to SL, but if you're willing to work hard you should be fine.
My advice to you would be to give it a go and if you find it too hard you can always drop to SL maths.
The thing with HL maths is you have to be proactive and be willing to do maths outside of lessons even if you don't have homework. Be proactive - in the summer before starting the IB maybe you could get the additional maths textbook and have a look at some of the material. Khan Academy does really good videos which you can watch if you don't understand some of the topics.

Hope this helps!

Reply 5

Hamartia

If you are only getting boderline A*s, you will really struggle with HL maths. I got a mid-high A* in IGCSE maths and am doing studies (however, I don't need it for what I have applied to). If you want to do Economics and are unable to get a 7 at HL maths, I would honestly recommend switching to A-levels and taking A-level maths (if this is an option at your school). However, again in order to get into the most prestigious unis, you'd probably be better off also taking further maths. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that being extremely good at maths is required for economics. Of course, an A* at IGCSE is still great but many/most applicants will be getting close to full marks for the IGCSE course. You could always take economics combined with something else- PPE perhaps? If you do this, not having HL maths will not be as great of a disadvantage.

HL or SL Maths for Economics?

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