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can someone tell me if english A1 is too hard? because i have to chose between english or spanish and i know the school is more prepared to offer spanish but i was thinking in studying abroad so english really would be more useful... but if it's too hard i guess i'll chose spanish

Reply 1

andy_cole2

ok so you speak english and spanish? and your deciding which to do A1 but what level will you do the other one at? unless you want to study english at uni or somethign then ul probs only need to have it as your A2 there's other qualifications u can do to prove your english is good enuf, which juding by your thread u would pass :p:

Reply 2

Natalie Lane

It is a very demanding course but it's not so much that it's hard, the thing is it requires a lot of dedication. It's also a bit frustrating because it always seem as if no matter how much you write and all the topics you cover answering your questions there's always that little bit the teacher will say you could've elaborated on. But it's really worth it though - I loved it! :biggrin:

Reply 3

nota bene

As English A2 will be enough for studying at an English-speaking university I'd say that you chose your mother tongue/best language for A1. Only reason to chose English A1 if you are not native is if you are going to study literature/language at university.

Reply 4

HMSChocolate

or you speak english better than your mother tongue. like me. :smile:

seriously, after nine years of being in an english speaking school, my vietnamese is acceptable but it doesnt come as naturally as english. thus why I did English A1 when Vietnamese A1 was offered at my school.

yeah, choose your best language for the A1 because A1 in general is a demanding course. if you're going to an english-speaking university as an international student, they might ask you for TOEFL or IELTS anyway, which proves your english ability anyway, so it won't matter even if you only did English B, or A2

Reply 5

lorrrrrae

English A1 isn't hard, at all. Well, as far as English goes it's pretty much a breeze. If it's a question between A1 and 2, definitely choose 1, because a) the course isn't that bad, b) it looks better on your application than 2 and c) why not?

If however, you plan to go to uni in a spanish speaking country, take spanish as your a1

Reply 6

lorrrrrae

HMSChocolate

if you're going to an english-speaking university as an international student, they might ask you for TOEFL or IELTS anyway, which proves your english ability anyway, so it won't matter even if you only did English B, or A2

If you've taken English A1 you will not be required to take those tests because the course assumes a certain degree of fluency. So, by taking A1 you save yourself the trouble of having to take those rubbish profficiency tests :biggrin:

Reply 7

HMSChocolate

actually still depends on school I think. there are weird american schools that dont know what the IB is.

Reply 8

Natalie Lane

lorrrrrae

No, I think you still do, my sister went on an exchange program and she had to take the TOEFL. Ok, I know it's not the same but the application was exactly the same as applying to go to the university (in the US, not Britain) so they had all her IB results which included English A1 HL. :frown:

Reply 9

HMSChocolate

US university are weird that way. They still want you to take TOEFL (not to mention SATs and other rubbish). Stupid really, a waste of $140.

Reply 10

dan

HMSChocolate

US university are weird that way. They still want you to take TOEFL (not to mention SATs and other rubbish). Stupid really, a waste of $140.

Not to mention that the odds of you getting a place (being an international student) are already heavily stacked against you.

American unis look after their own first, then everyone else.. something the english unis havent picked up on yet :rolleyes:

thanks!

Yo soy mexicano, and my school offers A1 Spanish and English. We divided evenly between the 2. I want to study in the UK, yet I took English A2. I just chose A2 HL so they could see my English was really good. To be honest I'm really glad I decided that way, since I find literature more appealing in Spanish. I also find that, except if you want English or Literature, the A2 course is actually more useful for general university purposes than A1. So I think that, decide firstly based on your personal interests, but if you want a suggestion, take A1 Spanish and A2 Eng. Hope that helps!

Reply 13

lorrrrrae

Natalie Lane

That's really strange. I did the whole US app business and never had to take a test of english proficiency. If you're taking English at IB AND applying to a school which speaks English, you probably shouldn't be stupid enough NOT to list it as your first language then. It also says on all the apps that if you've gone to a school where the primary language of instruction is English for a certain number of years (depends on the school) then you don't need to go through any of that crap.

But in all fairness, English is my first language and even though I lived in the Philippines, I went to a British school from primary-6th form so maybe it's just me. :biggrin:

Reply 14

Natalie Lane

lorrrrrae

Well, english isn't her first language but we did both study at a british school since forever...
Maybe the application for the exchange program isn't as similar to applying to actually go to the school is, so yes, you'd know more about that than I would :redface:

Reply 15

HMSChocolate

as I said, depends on the school. Some US schools are really really IB-friendly. ACtually there's this university that sent a brochure to my school, advertising its IB-friendliness. You get a 5 in any of your IB subjects and get credit for it in first year university.

That said, some US university don't even know what the IB is.

Reply 16

andy_cole2

there is a list on the IB website about unis that 'support' the IB

Reply 17

jules.

nota bene

the thing is that my mother tongue isn't english or spanish, it's portuguese :redface:

Reply 18

nota bene

jules.

the thing is that my mother tongue isn't english or spanish, it's portuguese :redface:

hehe ok, but well I guess portuguese and spanish are quite alike... at least I tend to understand simple portuguese when I see it written down... this probably because I've studied spanish for 4 years...