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I currently am a GCSE Student, but our subject choices have to be in but the end of February and therefore I've decided to start thinking about them since it is basically 2015 January now. My desire is to go on to read Economics at Oxbridge or a Russel Group University etc.

I have a few questions so Please be best of help.
1.) HL Maths is equivalent to Further Maths? Is it needed? I know I won't hate it, but I won't love it to bits either.
2.) I hate English but as you know you must do it. I heard it's just English lit. For SL what are the rules for the type of texts you study? i.e you can only study a certain amount of plays, or certain number of pieces from this time period etc.

HL, Economics will definitely Happen. It's just whether I Do HL Maths. The school don't really like people dropping to SL, so I'm cautious...

My Science will be Biology so again deciding whether to do that at HL or SL.

Music or Business Managment HL?

Whatever Language done will be at Ab Initio.
Original post by Xphoenix
I currently am a GCSE Student, but our subject choices have to be in but the end of February and therefore I've decided to start thinking about them since it is basically 2015 January now. My desire is to go on to read Economics at Oxbridge or a Russel Group University etc.

I have a few questions so Please be best of help.
1.) HL Maths is equivalent to Further Maths? Is it needed? I know I won't hate it, but I won't love it to bits either.
2.) I hate English but as you know you must do it. I heard it's just English lit. For SL what are the rules for the type of texts you study? i.e you can only study a certain amount of plays, or certain number of pieces from this time period etc.

HL, Economics will definitely Happen. It's just whether I Do HL Maths. The school don't really like people dropping to SL, so I'm cautious...

My Science will be Biology so again deciding whether to do that at HL or SL.

Music or Business Managment HL?

Whatever Language done will be at Ab Initio.


Hate to break it to you, but HL Maths is a MUST for economics at oxbridge and russel group unis - there is no way around it. You're going to have to stick it out. You're right in saying that HL maths is equivalent to further maths a level but the reality is that unis in the UK don't realise this and thus, equate HL maths to a level maths :s-smilie:

I hate English too, so I understand how you feel about being forced to do English for another 2 years, I felt the exact same way last year. Honestly, don't worry about it, it's not that bad if you're teacher is good. Actually you can do SL english lit, language and literature, literature and performance. I recommend you take english lit as it's very straight forward in that you'll only be required to analyse prose and poems. That's all you'll be required to do and the course is very structure - which I assume will appeal to you as you seem like a person that favour logic. English lang/lit is all of the place and it's more work as you've got two different components to cover and know how to do for the exam.

I'm going to apply for economics but since I'm applying for American universities I don't have to do HL maths, so I opted to take HL biology and SL maths. But since you have to take HL maths, you haven't got the choice if you're prefer doing music or B&M HL. Don't do B&M at all as unis don't respect it and if you're considering LSE, all the more reason to not take it as they've blacklisted a level business studies (and so have Cambridge). Either take music or biology HL. That's completely up to you, I'd recommend music because there isn't much difference between Group 6 SL/HL where as there is a HUGE difference between SL/HL biology (you literally learn double the amount in HL). Plus, biology is very content heavy and is a pain at times, and remembering all the information is no easy task, trust me. So go with music HL.
Original post by KingCorneliusIII
Yeah that was a massive help thanks. I'm thinking Philosophy because that would help with TOK and possibly could help provide me with a topic for my Extended Essay. However I wouldn't mind History but I would only do history HL so I could do Nazi's.

Additionally do you have any comments regarding my choice of English lit and performance over English lit?

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If you prefer lit and performance then take it instead of english lit. Universities honestly don't care about the english course you choose, unless your applying for English, which you're not so it makes no difference. Just go with the class you prefer.
Original post by pbunny
If you prefer lit and performance then take it instead of english lit. Universities honestly don't care about the english course you choose, unless your applying for English, which you're not so it makes no difference. Just go with the class you prefer.


Great advice thanks!

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Original post by pbunny
Hate to break it to you, but HL Maths is a MUST for economics at oxbridge and russel group unis - there is no way around it. You're going to have to stick it out. You're right in saying that HL maths is equivalent to further maths a level but the reality is that unis in the UK don't realise this and thus, equate HL maths to a level maths :s-smilie:

I hate English too, so I understand how you feel about being forced to do English for another 2 years, I felt the exact same way last year. Honestly, don't worry about it, it's not that bad if you're teacher is good. Actually you can do SL english lit, language and literature, literature and performance. I recommend you take english lit as it's very straight forward in that you'll only be required to analyse prose and poems. That's all you'll be required to do and the course is very structure - which I assume will appeal to you as you seem like a person that favour logic. English lang/lit is all of the place and it's more work as you've got two different components to cover and know how to do for the exam.

I'm going to apply for economics but since I'm applying for American universities I don't have to do HL maths, so I opted to take HL biology and SL maths. But since you have to take HL maths, you haven't got the choice if you're prefer doing music or B&M HL. Don't do B&M at all as unis don't respect it and if you're considering LSE, all the more reason to not take it as they've blacklisted a level business studies (and so have Cambridge). Either take music or biology HL. That's completely up to you, I'd recommend music because there isn't much difference between Group 6 SL/HL where as there is a HUGE difference between SL/HL biology (you literally learn double the amount in HL). Plus, biology is very content heavy and is a pain at times, and remembering all the information is no easy task, trust me. So go with music HL.



Quantity of Content isn't a worry for me... It's difficulty. I understand the Music Course and i'm not too attracted to it lets just say... As a result I think I may opt for biology and maybe bring in Geography in place of B&M?

I have a question about the Biology course. What type of content does it focus on? Is it memorizing Diagrams (which i'm not a fan of) or more Essay writing, research etc. building on concepts you have learnt?

So This Would be my List?
HL Maths
HL Economics
HL Biology/Geography?
SL Biology/Geography
Ab Initio Language
SL English
Original post by Xphoenix
Quantity of Content isn't a worry for me... It's difficulty. I understand the Music Course and i'm not too attracted to it lets just say... As a result I think I may opt for biology and maybe bring in Geography in place of B&M?

I have a question about the Biology course. What type of content does it focus on? Is it memorizing Diagrams (which i'm not a fan of) or more Essay writing, research etc. building on concepts you have learnt?

So This Would be my List?
HL Maths
HL Economics
HL Biology/Geography?
SL Biology/Geography
Ab Initio Language
SL English


Take higher level geography because a) there isn't much difference between SL/HL geo where as I mentioned before there is a huge diff. in terms of biology b) geography is statistically after economics the easiest group 3 subject to get a 7 in (around 11%) where as getting a 7 in higher level biology is really hard (around 4%). But it's up to, if I had the choice I'd the less work intensive higher level as the IB diploma is a lot of work so you'd be doing yourself a favour by cutting your workload. Sure, you don't care about quantity - I assure you, you will when you're half way through IB and have tons of essays, coursework, CAS etc to do.

There are core topics that are taken by both SL/HL students (Cell biology, molecular biology, ecology, genetics, evolution, human physiology) and additional higher level topics - taken by HL students only, they're often extensions of the core topics (extremely detailed, makes the SL stuff look like an absolute joke) - nucleic acids, cellular respiration/photosynthesis/metabolism, plant biology, animal physiology, genetics and evolution. You do have to remember a lot of diagrams as they may ask you to label diagrams or to draw diagram for long response questions as they'll assist you in answering the question and will get you a lot marks. There are long response questions that require a bit of essay writing but more focused on building up concepts.

The reason its so hard to do in HL biology is because the HL concepts are pretty tricky and the IB biology examiners expect you to answer word for word according to the mark scheme - I legit lost 6 or 7 marks on my first test because of this, I answered the question but my answer wasn't worded as it was on the mark scheme so I didn't get any marks despite my answer being ''correct'' - that's just how IB biology is. So that means you need to memorise everything from the textbook close to word for word in order to get a 7 (only applies if you're good at biology). This makes biology extremely work intensive and quite annoying too tbh. But nonetheless, it's extremely interesting so if you're v. interested in biology and are conscious of the workload, take it as a higher level subject if you prefer it to geography.
Now someone who does HL geography is it more human geography or physical? (Please say human)


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Original post by Xphoenix
Now someone who does HL geography is it more human geography or physical? (Please say human)


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Refer to the syllabus: http://www.ncbis.net/Editor/EditorImages/Geography.pdf .Try to figure it out yourself by looking at the course content section of the syllabus.
Hi!
I need some help with which subjects to choose, these are the ones that I'm sure of:

Eng Lit HL
Swedish Lit HL
Economics HL

For standard I need to pick two out of:

Physics SL
History SL
ESS SL

I know my choice depends on which uni course I'm planning on taking after, but the problem is I don't know... As of now I'd say I'm equally good in those subjects.
It would really help if anyone could tell me which combination makes more sense/ which one gives me access to which uni courses.
Thanks! :smile:
Hi! :smile:
So these are the subjects that I know I'm taking

Eng Lit HL
Swedish Lit HL
Economics HL

But then I can't decide between

Physics
ESS
History

for my standards, and I need two out of those. I know my choice depends on the uni course I'm pursuing after, but the problem is I don't know what I want to take.
It would really help if anyone could recommend which two to choose/ tell me which would give me access to which uni courses!
Thanks :smile:
Original post by oneeleven
Hi!
I need some help with which subjects to choose, these are the ones that I'm sure of:

Eng Lit HL
Swedish Lit HL
Economics HL

For standard I need to pick two out of:

Physics SL
History SL
ESS SL

I know my choice depends on which uni course I'm planning on taking after, but the problem is I don't know... As of now I'd say I'm equally good in those subjects.
It would really help if anyone could tell me which combination makes more sense/ which one gives me access to which uni courses.
Thanks! :smile:


What are more interested in maths & science or the arts and humanities/social sciences? Taking two science and/or one science and math at higher level opens up your options a lot. But it depends on what your interest are as that subject combination won't be suitable for everyone.

I'd recommend not taking ESS because it's a soft subject - universities don't like it and know its a weak subject. BUT if your not interested in science your much better off taking it than physics SL as it's really difficult and probably the hardest standard level subject out there. History SL is also hard but I recommend you take it if you're interested in the humanities or social sciences as it'll open up your options along with economics -> plus economics and history are well respected subjects!
Hey guys,

So this is my first time posting, so if I get somethingwrong, I’m really sorry.

So my question is about choosing my IB classes for the DP.

My school has a really small selection.

My dream is to study psychology at Oxford.

Here are the courses offered at my school

Group 1-language a1:

English A1 HL

Group 2-second language:
Spanish B HL
Spanish B SL

French B HL
French B SL

Group 3- individuals and saciities:
History of the Americas hl
Psychology SL
ITGS SL

Group 4- experimental sciences:
Biology HL
Physics SL
Environmental Systems and saciities SL

Group 5- mathamatics:
Maths HL
Maths SL
Math Studies SL

Group 6- the arts
Visual arts HL

So my plan would be:
English A1 hl (no choice.)
Spanish B SL (I’m really bad at Spanish, even though I’ve studiedit for years and years.)
History HL
Environmental Systems and Saciities SL
Maths HL
Psychology SL

I would take Bio HL, but I really hate that biology stuff,and so I wouldn’t do as well. I’m a very humanities orientated person, exceptfor my weird liking of maths. My teachers and guidance counsalers all say totake maths HL, even though my first plan was to take studies! Sooo… Any and alladvice is welcome—I really don’t know what to do because my options are solimited! I’d love to take Psychology HL, or further maths HL, or Geography orphilosophy or world religions or Chem HL or B&M HL/SL or Econ HL/SL, or something,but my school doesn’t offer any of that, and I really suck at online learning,so that won’t work. I’m willing to do anything—Saturday school—summerschool—whatever!

Thanks, and sorry for the really long post!!!


Original post by Pelagia
Hey guys,

So this is my first time posting, so if I get somethingwrong, I’m really sorry.

So my question is about choosing my IB classes for the DP.

My school has a really small selection.

My dream is to study psychology at Oxford.

Here are the courses offered at my school

Group 1-language a1:

English A1 HL

Group 2-second language:
Spanish B HL
Spanish B SL

French B HL
French B SL

Group 3- individuals and saciities:
History of the Americas hl
Psychology SL
ITGS SL

Group 4- experimental sciences:
Biology HL
Physics SL
Environmental Systems and saciities SL

Group 5- mathamatics:
Maths HL
Maths SL
Math Studies SL

Group 6- the arts
Visual arts HL

So my plan would be:
English A1 hl (no choice.)
Spanish B SL (I’m really bad at Spanish, even though I’ve studiedit for years and years.)
History HL
Environmental Systems and Saciities SL
Maths HL
Psychology SL

I would take Bio HL, but I really hate that biology stuff,and so I wouldn’t do as well. I’m a very humanities orientated person, exceptfor my weird liking of maths. My teachers and guidance counsalers all say totake maths HL, even though my first plan was to take studies! Sooo… Any and alladvice is welcome—I really don’t know what to do because my options are solimited! I’d love to take Psychology HL, or further maths HL, or Geography orphilosophy or world religions or Chem HL or B&M HL/SL or Econ HL/SL, or something,but my school doesn’t offer any of that, and I really suck at online learning,so that won’t work. I’m willing to do anything—Saturday school—summerschool—whatever!

Thanks, and sorry for the really long post!!!




http://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/study/undergrad/ugexppsy/ugentryrequirements
http://www.psy.ox.ac.uk/study/undergrad/ppl-course

Above are the requirements for the two psychology courses oxford offers. As you can see you need to take a minimum of one of psychology or biology or chemistry or physics higher level. So if you choose not to do higher level biology you have 0 chance of getting into oxford for psychology. As matter of fact, not doing any higher level science (preferably biology) at higher level means you don't meet the requirements of most psychology courses in the UK. So i recommend you reconsider - if you're not willing to take psychology and/or know that you won't be able to get at least a 6 in it don't even both applying for psychology at Oxford. I strongly urge you to reconsider your choice of not taking biology HL. The rest of your subject choices are fine..except why are you taking higher level maths - unless you're REALLY good at maths and are v. passionate about maths don't take higher level maths as it's the hardest subject the IBO offers (save for further maths HL) so it'll likely lower your overall score and a high overall score is necessary for schools like Oxford (minimum 39/45 points).
(edited 9 years ago)
Thank You! Yeah, I'll have to decide in a week... It's gonna be tough. (And sorry for the double posts... computer was playing games with me)
Sometimes I wish I did IB. I would have done Economics, English Literature, History, Japanese, Mathematics and Physics.

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Original post by Edminzodo
Sometimes I wish I did IB. I would have done Economics, English Literature, History, Japanese, Mathematics and Physics.

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I doubt it. Its sounds great in theory but because of all the coursework and the extra components it really is too much at times! But I will admit its pretty enjoyable if you've got great teachers and whatnot. What deterred you from choosing IB in the end? Or did you not have the choice?
Original post by pbunny
I doubt it. Its sounds great in theory but because of all the coursework and the extra components it really is too much at times! But I will admit its pretty enjoyable if you've got great teachers and whatnot. What deterred you from choosing IB in the end? Or did you not have the choice?


Our school doesn't do IB and I didn't really know much about it! What subjects do you do?
Original post by Edminzodo
Our school doesn't do IB and I didn't really know much about it! What subjects do you do?


Ah, I see. I take HL Biology, Psychology, Economics and SL Maths, Spanish ab initio, English literature
Hi guys,

I'm trying to decide on my IB subjects for this year, so I was hoping to get some advice:

Subjects that I will be doing for sure:
Mandarin B SL
Physics SL

Subjects I'm trying to decide on:
Economics HL
English Lit HL
History SL
Maths HL (Because I'm studying a pretty rigorous curriculum for maths in China at the moment, I have been advised by one of my teachers to take HL. She feels that I will be bored in SL maths, but I'm not too confident about that (mostly because of everything I've seen on studentroom regarding HL maths).

I hope to study law at Cambridge, UCL, or LSE. :smile:

Oh and do you guys know how the IAs and the workload in general are for these subjects?

Thanks!! :biggrin:
Original post by thirdcultureteen
Hi guys,

I'm trying to decide on my IB subjects for this year, so I was hoping to get some advice:

Subjects that I will be doing for sure:
Mandarin B SL
Physics SL

Subjects I'm trying to decide on:
Economics HL
English Lit HL
History SL
Maths HL (Because I'm studying a pretty rigorous curriculum for maths in China at the moment, I have been advised by one of my teachers to take HL. She feels that I will be bored in SL maths, but I'm not too confident about that (mostly because of everything I've seen on studentroom regarding HL maths).

I hope to study law at Cambridge, UCL, or LSE. :smile:

Oh and do you guys know how the IAs and the workload in general are for these subjects?

Thanks!! :biggrin:


At my school, several people who were, according to my teacher, very able-mathematicians ended up swapping maths for maths studies because they found SL - yes, standard level - too hard. In fact, the entire department hasn't even given anyone currently achieving a "B" or below in iGCSE maths the opportunity to take SL maths (much less HL), so most (including me *waves "I-almost-got-an-A-flag"*) are stuck with maths studies :P

I'm not entirely sure about workload, though; I'm mostly going off of IB talks I had this year and acquaintances whom I talked to in regards to my choices.

Personally, I think that you should take SL maths especially as you're planning to go into law; there isn't an overwhelming need for maths in that career, I believe, and SL should suffice :smile:
(edited 9 years ago)

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