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A levels or IB?

Sorry for the long message. So basically I would like to go to a Russell group uni in the future and was planning to do the IB curriculum with SL-maths, physics and geography and HL English, History and French. However in my GCSEs I got 4-5 in science, 5 in maths, 6s in English lan and geography, 7 in French, Spanish and lit and an 8 in history. Seeing as I got lower than predicted in maths and science my dad called up the school and they agreed that it would be better for me to switch to A levels to focus on the subjects I did well in like history and english lit and my parents would much rather I did A levels. The thing is I’m worried about switching because I’d have to drop maths which I’ve heard is an essential subject for a lot of courses and I’d be concerned about leaving school with no higher qualifications in it than a 5 at GCSE. Can anyone offer any advice on wether I should do IB or A level?

(edited 4 years ago)

Reply 1

nells45581

Original post by therealFelixS

The question, of course, is what do you actually want to do at University? There are many, many courses that don't require any maths at all, but those courses are not in economics, engineering or accountancy.

Reply 2

therealFelixS

Original post by nells45581

Not entirely sure. I’d say a law or politics degree. I’ve considered economics or business management but I think my maths mark is too low.

Reply 3

Quick-use

Original post by therealFelixS

Not entirely sure. I’d say a law or politics degree. I’ve considered economics or business management but I think my maths mark is too low.

Stick with A levels. Much easier to do well in them than the IB. Seriously. Grade 5 in Maths is fine and if you really wanted to do Econ you'd need A level in it.

Do A levels and definitely not IB. Doing IB could prevent you from going to an amazing university because of how hard it is to do well on.

Reply 4

therealFelixS

Original post by Quick-use

Thanks for your advice I think I’ll stick with A levels. As for my options I’m thinking of doing history, English literature and government and politics. I would like to do maths in case I would like to do economics in the future but my school doesn’t allow you to take an A level without having achieved at least a 6 in the subject at GCSE. Would my current A level options be suitable for a law degree at a red brick university like Nottingham as this is the main degree I’d like to do in the future?

Reply 5

Quick-use

Original post by therealFelixS

I wouldn't recommend A level Maths if you got a 5. A 5 is still very good but A level Maths is extremely difficult even for those who got 9s.

Your subjects look perfect for Law at any university including Oxbridge and Nottingham etc. By the way, if you wanted to you could also consider doing Religious Studies (it's an extremely easy and interwebs subject that's mostly common sense). :rambo:

Reply 6

barror1

Study Forum Helper, Universities Forum Helper

Colloquially, IB is seen so be wayyyy more difficult than A-levels in regards to university admissions.
For example, it could be argued that having an AAA offer at A-level is the same as A*AA at IB (obviously converted from points).
At the end of the day it is your call, I just wanted to throw that in the ring :smile: