[saachi]

(Original post by WLDL3)
I agree that the subject combination also makes a difference; however, I don;t agree about the SL 6/7 grades. For example, a friend of mine got 39 with 4 HLs (Math, History, English and B&M) which she got 6s and 7s on, yet she got a 4 on her Chemistry SL and struggled quite a bit with it...

Yes, I agree with this too. My HL's are 776 usually, but my SL's are only 654 on average. See, HL's are usually people's strengths- so even if they are harder, people like those subjects and are good at them so scoring higher actually becomes easier.

[logiadoevus]

(Original post by saachi)
Yes, I agree with this too. My HL's are 776 usually, but my SL's are only 654 on average. See, HL's are usually people's strengths- so even if they are harder, people like those subjects and are good at them so scoring higher actually becomes easier.

Yes, I agree with this too, my HLs were 77766 and SLs 75, and I didn't mind the 5 (should've gotten a 6 though, lazy sod) cos it was in a subject I did not care one bit about. If I had gotten a 5 in HL, however, I'd be really really upset.

[Lilyhaf42]

IB in marked based on percentages, the top 7% of your time zone will achieve a grade seven. The average grade in IB is a 4, from here onwards you are above average. Catergorically anything above average is considered good. Opinion has absoloutely no standing on what is a good score, it doesn't matter whether somebody thinks only 40 is a good score since it's only the classification by the University which is important.. The University of Exeter has given me an offer for 32 points, it's Russel group and 4th best for my chosen topic in the UK, the is a stance I would concider as good, and I'm sure they know what they're talking about when assigning point targets.

[logiadoevus]

(Original post by Lilyhaf42)
IB in marked based on percentages, the top 7% of your time zone will achieve a grade seven. The average grade in IB is a 4, from here onwards you are above average. Catergorically anything above average is considered good. Opinion has absoloutely no standing on what is a good score, it doesn't matter whether somebody thinks only 40 is a good score since it's only the classification by the University which is important.. The University of Exeter has given me an offer for 32 points, it's Russel group and 4th best for my chosen topic in the UK, the is a stance I would concider as good, and I'm sure they know what they're talking about when assigning point targets.

You do realise that your paragraph itself is expressing an opinion - namely that university's view of a score is the best judge of whether a score is good or not?

I mean, yes, your opinion is definitely valid, but is not at all the only definitely correct one - besides, different universities, give different offers.

[DaitaG]

Before exam season I would have said 36 plus. Now I'm saying 26 plus. God help us all

[elliewhitt]

(Original post by Harve)
Really? The same for everyone?

I'm working my arse off (and I didn't think I'd be able to say that this time last year without lying) to give me a chance of achieving my 34/35 point offer. At my sixth form no-one in last year's cohort got a score as high as that, so, statistically, achieving it is against the odds though very much possible. I'd be very proud if I score 34 and I'd probably get quite defensive if somebody told me that it wasn't a good score!

Completely agree! It was my sixth form's first year doing IB last year and the highest was 32!! My first choice is 35 points, so I'm doing everything I can to get this!!! Good luck!!

[cuteshetlandhorse]

Personally, a 38+ is good, and 42+ is really good.
I would consider 34+ to be okay though, but I'd be really upset if I got any less than 38.

[Cee_Jay01]

(Original post by DaitaG)
Before exam season I would have said 36 plus. Now I'm saying 26 plus. God help us all

Haha! I totally agree! Before I was hoping for around 40 but that number's dropped since first year. I reckon about 32+ is quite a decent score, tbh even 30 is okay.

[satisfactionatlast]

Seriously as long as you pass. It's the feeling and achievement of finishing a hard and long and challenging 2 year program. I went to an American University so IB was pointless anyway... :/

[beautiful-lion]

Agree that subject combination matters. And also where you are coming from/what you are aiming for.

I go to a school where people get really really ridiculously riled up about achievement and success (including me). I'm in exam season at the moment, and I nearly started crying after my Chemistry exam because I found it hard and knew that i probably hadn't got a 7, meaning I wouldn't get 45 overall.

I know that this is ridiculous. I have to get 42 and 7,7,6 at HL to go to my Uni, but nobody is expecting me to get 45; not even my parents. I got really really ridiculously stressed and upset about it though, which was unnecessary.

It's easy to say 'I could get 42/43/44/45 if I worked as hard as I could', but very few people can actually do that. In the end, as long as you have worked fairly hard and have had a well-rounded last two years of school, the score you get at the end is your own achievement, and it's for you to judge how 'good' it is.

If I had to put numbers on it though, I personally think that:

30 - average
34+ - decent
36+ - good
38+ - really good
40+ - excellent
43+ - outstanding

[ShredMaster]

You can tell most of the people saying 38 points is decent old chap dont do the IB. Either that or they take Geography higher or some crud.

[henriksebastian]

There are MANY factors to take into account.
1. Types of courses taken. Physics, Chemistry and Math all three at Higher Level would be the Unholy Trinity!! Psychology, French and such are usually considered easier.

2. Number of courses in HL! I got 37 in the IB but I did Biology as my fourth higher level. I got 5 in Biology. To give you an idea, the topic that was one of the easiest for us in HL was one of the most difficult to SL students! If I would've done SL Biology I could've got a 6-7, raising my total.

3. Remarks! You can actually miss a point by less than a %! I got my 5 in maths by a very small margin 1%, and I missed a 6 in biology by 3%! In economics and psychology I got my grade raised in both since I sent them to be remarked and the total percentage was raised by a few percent. So you could have two people with the SAME grade, but as % one would have a much higher total!!

4. Schools. 20% of IB students don't pass the IB. In many schools, the students who aren't doing well academically are NOT admitted into the IB! There are great differences between schools.

[DaitaG]

Raise your hand if you are absolutely ****ting yourself for results

[saachi]

(Original post by DaitaG)
Raise your hand if you are absolutely ****ting yourself for results

So nervous... still 12 days left How much do you need?

[DaitaG]

(Original post by saachi)
So nervous... still 12 days left How much do you need?

a 37 w/ 666 highers for Durham, and a 34 with 555 highers for Edinburgh. You? I'm just worried I'm going to utterly fail it all :P

[saachi]

(Original post by DaitaG)
a 37 w/ 666 highers for Durham, and a 34 with 555 highers for Edinburgh. You? I'm just worried I'm going to utterly fail it all :P

Oh I was going to do the same at one point, firm Durham and insure Edinburgh... My offer from Edinburgh is the same as yours, 34 with 555, though I firmed it over Durham. Good thing too, or else the idea of getting below 34 would have been killing me right now. Luckily I have Aberdeen's 30 points to fall back on

We won't fail though :P What course have you applied for at Durham?

[Above.The.Empyrean]

46. Because achieving above the threshold is just so indie.

[DaitaG]

(Original post by saachi)
Oh I was going to do the same at one point, firm Durham and insure Edinburgh... My offer from Edinburgh is the same as yours, 34 with 555, though I firmed it over Durham. Good thing too, or else the idea of getting below 34 would have been killing me right now. Luckily I have Aberdeen's 30 points to fall back on

We won't fail though :P What course have you applied for at Durham?

Eek thats my lowest offer. my extra safety is in the USA :P thats a weird coincidence though! I was for philosophy and politics, you? What was your package for IB?

[saachi]

(Original post by DaitaG)
Eek thats my lowest offer. my extra safety is in the USA :P thats a weird coincidence though! I was for philosophy and politics, you? What was your package for IB?

English My Durham offer was 38 with 766... so I was never very confident about meeting it anyway. Honestly I don't even know how inflated my predicted grades were, I got like 33 (without bonus) at the end of year 1. Seriously thinking about taking philosophy as an outside course wherever I go, though. It's like a better more advanced version of TOK right? :P

I wish I had an unconditional from the US! I did get a vague sort of conditional from Toronto but I didn't accept thinking I'd get 30 points at least. Now I'm just scared. What's your safe in the US?

[Francium]

I agree with some people here. A good score should be 38+ but a respectable one would be above 35.