IB Subject choice help for 6th form!!! (confused between Maths HL, Econ, Geo and Che)
Hello!
I love about biology currently and considering a career related to i. Biology degrees typically require HL chemistry, which I particularly dont enjoy.
I enjoy geography and am currently studying it for my GCSEs, but I'm also interested in economics and potentially pursuing a business career.
(our school doesnt offer econ GCSE so I have never done econ in my entire life.)
I also love photography, which isn't an option in the IB, so I'm considering doing an A-S or A-Level in it alongside the IB.
My proposed subject choices for the IB are :
HL Bio (currently 9 in trilogy)
HL Chem (currently 9 in trilogy)
HL Econ
SL English Lit and Lang (7s)
Maths AA, (currently high 7s to 8 but Target is a 9)
SL Italian Abinitio.
I want to aim for a score above 42-44 in the IB.
Should I take HL maths instead of HL econ? as maths is a requirement for most business related paths instead of econ
Should I choose geography instead of chemistry? because I love geo but I don't love hem but I can tolerate it but What if it minimises my chances for the future if I want to do something related to bio?
Should I pursue photography at A-S or A-Level?
I have a lot of CCA activities, so I'm not worried about CAS requirements.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I love about biology currently and considering a career related to i. Biology degrees typically require HL chemistry, which I particularly dont enjoy.
I enjoy geography and am currently studying it for my GCSEs, but I'm also interested in economics and potentially pursuing a business career.
(our school doesnt offer econ GCSE so I have never done econ in my entire life.)
I also love photography, which isn't an option in the IB, so I'm considering doing an A-S or A-Level in it alongside the IB.
My proposed subject choices for the IB are :
HL Bio (currently 9 in trilogy)
HL Chem (currently 9 in trilogy)
HL Econ
SL English Lit and Lang (7s)
Maths AA, (currently high 7s to 8 but Target is a 9)
SL Italian Abinitio.
I want to aim for a score above 42-44 in the IB.
Should I take HL maths instead of HL econ? as maths is a requirement for most business related paths instead of econ
Should I choose geography instead of chemistry? because I love geo but I don't love hem but I can tolerate it but What if it minimises my chances for the future if I want to do something related to bio?
Should I pursue photography at A-S or A-Level?
I have a lot of CCA activities, so I'm not worried about CAS requirements.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Hi,
I was in a very similar position in grade 10, and all I can say is that I absolutely despised chemistry back then, to put it lightly. However, I wanted to pursue medicine and/or biology, so I decided to take chemistry as a supporting subject. I found that (this experience is purely personal) I began to love chemistry even more than biology. I personally feel the IB syllabus for chemistry is far more interesting than IGCSE, and that meant I could engage with the topics more and perform better.
Personally, I would also recommend you. take chemistry to keep. more options open in your preferred field, as biology is very reliant on chemistry knowledge. (An example being fields such as biochemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, etc.).
Regarding math, I would like to warn you that HL math is entirely different to SL math, and by that I mean it is significantly harder. Maths is a subject you take at a higher level when you are absolutely sure it is necessary for your future career/university, otherwise it can be very difficult to balance your other HLs to ensure you get a high 6/7 in all of them. Although this combination is possible, remember that chemistry is also a very difficult subject and that biology (although slightly simpler to understand) is incredibly content-heavy with many case studies and terminology to memorize.
Also, I'm not as familiar with A-levels so don't take my word for it, but I would. keep in mind that IB is incredibly taxing (you have 4 IAs, 2 speaking exams, an extended essay and a TOK essay along with all of your subject exams) so just be sure that an additional A-level is something you can manage. I say this because I'm sure that photography is not exactly easy as a dedicated subject. However, if you feel that you are good at time management, it is definitely something to look into. However, to better manage your time you can always complete photography as an online course or qualification without risking losing too much time for the IB.
I was in a very similar position in grade 10, and all I can say is that I absolutely despised chemistry back then, to put it lightly. However, I wanted to pursue medicine and/or biology, so I decided to take chemistry as a supporting subject. I found that (this experience is purely personal) I began to love chemistry even more than biology. I personally feel the IB syllabus for chemistry is far more interesting than IGCSE, and that meant I could engage with the topics more and perform better.
Personally, I would also recommend you. take chemistry to keep. more options open in your preferred field, as biology is very reliant on chemistry knowledge. (An example being fields such as biochemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, etc.).
Regarding math, I would like to warn you that HL math is entirely different to SL math, and by that I mean it is significantly harder. Maths is a subject you take at a higher level when you are absolutely sure it is necessary for your future career/university, otherwise it can be very difficult to balance your other HLs to ensure you get a high 6/7 in all of them. Although this combination is possible, remember that chemistry is also a very difficult subject and that biology (although slightly simpler to understand) is incredibly content-heavy with many case studies and terminology to memorize.
Also, I'm not as familiar with A-levels so don't take my word for it, but I would. keep in mind that IB is incredibly taxing (you have 4 IAs, 2 speaking exams, an extended essay and a TOK essay along with all of your subject exams) so just be sure that an additional A-level is something you can manage. I say this because I'm sure that photography is not exactly easy as a dedicated subject. However, if you feel that you are good at time management, it is definitely something to look into. However, to better manage your time you can always complete photography as an online course or qualification without risking losing too much time for the IB.
hi, currently an IB student here! 
if you're gonna choose pure biology (like the biology degree in Oxford), you only need biology HL (so you def fulfil the requirements!). but if you want to pursue something like biomedical science/biochemistry/natural sciences, chemistry HL is highly recommended. As for an economics degree, generally speaking in the UK (especially for Oxbridge / London unis), you need math HL (regardless of AA or AI), as the subject requires a lot of math at the university level. so better decide your career path before selecting your HLs and SLs! if you want to leave alternative paths to yourself in case you started not having an interest in your chosen subject, you better remain in your proposed subject choices, with HL math replacing HL econ.
in this case, it really depends on whether you studying a pure biology / environmental science degree OR natural science / non-pure biology degree OR an economics degree.
just for reference:
biology degree: HL bio, geog, econ; SL math eng Italian
natural science/biochem/biomed degree: HL bio chem econ/math; SL math/econ eng Italian
econ degree: HL bio, math, econ; SL chem/geog eng Italian
don't know much about photography a-level, but beware that IB is challenging - loads of IAs, EEs, TOK and CAS await you. if you can handle the workload by doing both ib and photog a-level, continue! otherwise, better drop a-level and focus on your studies in IB and aim for a high PG! hope this helps!
if you're gonna choose pure biology (like the biology degree in Oxford), you only need biology HL (so you def fulfil the requirements!). but if you want to pursue something like biomedical science/biochemistry/natural sciences, chemistry HL is highly recommended. As for an economics degree, generally speaking in the UK (especially for Oxbridge / London unis), you need math HL (regardless of AA or AI), as the subject requires a lot of math at the university level. so better decide your career path before selecting your HLs and SLs! if you want to leave alternative paths to yourself in case you started not having an interest in your chosen subject, you better remain in your proposed subject choices, with HL math replacing HL econ. in this case, it really depends on whether you studying a pure biology / environmental science degree OR natural science / non-pure biology degree OR an economics degree.
just for reference:
biology degree: HL bio, geog, econ; SL math eng Italian
natural science/biochem/biomed degree: HL bio chem econ/math; SL math/econ eng Italian
econ degree: HL bio, math, econ; SL chem/geog eng Italian
don't know much about photography a-level, but beware that IB is challenging - loads of IAs, EEs, TOK and CAS await you. if you can handle the workload by doing both ib and photog a-level, continue! otherwise, better drop a-level and focus on your studies in IB and aim for a high PG! hope this helps!
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by thesupremecarbon
if you're gonna choose pure biology (like the biology degree in Oxford), you only need biology HL (so you def fulfil the requirements!). but if you want to pursue something like biomedical science/biochemistry/natural sciences, chemistry HL is highly recommended.
I completely agree. I took IB biology and chemistry at HL to apply for med school, and to courses such as biochemistry and molecular biology. However, my friend applied for pure biology and forensic sciences with only biology at HL, as she dropped chemistry at IGCSE.
Take some time to research what path suits you, and I wish you the best of luck!
Thank you so much that is actually very useful advice and gives me hope for chemistry!
It's not that I hate chemistry right now, I actually enjoy it on a good day but I feel as though I am not great at it (although I got the highest in mocks this time) I felt that was purely out of luck which is why I was a bit scared.
Thank you so so much! this helps immensely. I will try and decide a career path and see how it goes but I will also see how my gcse grades go and see what happens
It's not that I hate chemistry right now, I actually enjoy it on a good day but I feel as though I am not great at it (although I got the highest in mocks this time) I felt that was purely out of luck which is why I was a bit scared.
Original post by thesupremecarbon
hi, currently an IB student here! if you're gonna choose pure biology (like the biology degree in Oxford), you only need biology HL (so you def fulfil the requirements!). but if you want to pursue something like biomedical science/biochemistry/natural sciences, chemistry HL is highly recommended. As for an economics degree, generally speaking in the UK (especially for Oxbridge / London unis), you need math HL (regardless of AA or AI), as the subject requires a lot of math at the university level. so better decide your career path before selecting your HLs and SLs! if you want to leave alternative paths to yourself in case you started not having an interest in your chosen subject, you better remain in your proposed subject choices, with HL math replacing HL econ.
in this case, it really depends on whether you studying a pure biology / environmental science degree OR natural science / non-pure biology degree OR an economics degree.
just for reference:
biology degree: HL bio, geog, econ; SL math eng Italian
natural science/biochem/biomed degree: HL bio chem econ/math; SL math/econ eng Italian
econ degree: HL bio, math, econ; SL chem/geog eng Italian
don't know much about photography a-level, but beware that IB is challenging - loads of IAs, EEs, TOK and CAS await you. if you can handle the workload by doing both ib and photog a-level, continue! otherwise, better drop a-level and focus on your studies in IB and aim for a high PG! hope this helps!
if you're gonna choose pure biology (like the biology degree in Oxford), you only need biology HL (so you def fulfil the requirements!). but if you want to pursue something like biomedical science/biochemistry/natural sciences, chemistry HL is highly recommended. As for an economics degree, generally speaking in the UK (especially for Oxbridge / London unis), you need math HL (regardless of AA or AI), as the subject requires a lot of math at the university level. so better decide your career path before selecting your HLs and SLs! if you want to leave alternative paths to yourself in case you started not having an interest in your chosen subject, you better remain in your proposed subject choices, with HL math replacing HL econ. in this case, it really depends on whether you studying a pure biology / environmental science degree OR natural science / non-pure biology degree OR an economics degree.
just for reference:
biology degree: HL bio, geog, econ; SL math eng Italian
natural science/biochem/biomed degree: HL bio chem econ/math; SL math/econ eng Italian
econ degree: HL bio, math, econ; SL chem/geog eng Italian
don't know much about photography a-level, but beware that IB is challenging - loads of IAs, EEs, TOK and CAS await you. if you can handle the workload by doing both ib and photog a-level, continue! otherwise, better drop a-level and focus on your studies in IB and aim for a high PG! hope this helps!
Thank you so so much! this helps immensely. I will try and decide a career path and see how it goes but I will also see how my gcse grades go and see what happens
Original post by Tasbeh
Thank you so much that is actually very useful advice and gives me hope for chemistry!
It's not that I hate chemistry right now, I actually enjoy it on a good day but I feel as though I am not great at it (although I got the highest in mocks this time) I felt that was purely out of luck which is why I was a bit scared.
Thank you so so much! this helps immensely. I will try and decide a career path and see how it goes but I will also see how my gcse grades go and see what happens
It's not that I hate chemistry right now, I actually enjoy it on a good day but I feel as though I am not great at it (although I got the highest in mocks this time) I felt that was purely out of luck which is why I was a bit scared.
Thank you so so much! this helps immensely. I will try and decide a career path and see how it goes but I will also see how my gcse grades go and see what happens
glad that this helps!
best of luck in your future endeavours in the IB (it's gonna be stressful but do embrace it confidently!) 
So yes, chemistry is generally needed for continuing to bioscience degrees (except some much more oriented towards ecology and conservation topics). Chemistry underpins all of modern molecular biology which in turn underpins most other areas of modern biology. That said, you won't need to do a great deal of chemistry directly in the degree, but would be expected to have a qualitative understanding of it up to A-level standard for the most part. Ultimately to be a good biologist, you need to have at least some understanding of chemistry (beyond GCSE), is the impression I get. Thus HL Chemistry would be advisable.
HL Maths is probably overkill for most bioscience degrees except in e.g. biochemistry or something where there's more quantitative elements. However it is absolutely necessary for economics at degree level, as that area will presuppose most of the topics from HL Maths and thus require it (and even if you apply to one of the economics degrees not requiring HL Maths or equivalent, you will then take modules in that same content during the degree - except instead of being in a class of 10-30 at worst, you'll be in a lecture theatre of 200 others, and probably with fewer contact hours). So if you wanted to do an economics degree, I would recommend doing HL Maths. Also note economics is not required at any level to go onto an economics degree. The only required subject, if any, is maths. Thus you could well take geography rather than economics.
Note though economics has no real bearing on "business" as a professional area - there isn't really a job just called "business" anyway, but the related jobs (in e.g. HR, management, accounting, marketing, sales, etc) don't really benefit much from more than just a passing understanding of economics. Certainly the in depth economic theory done in an economics degree will be largely irrelevant. There is no direct link between an economics degree and working in "business" in general, beyond the general factor that a lot of people doing such a degree end up working in the latter roles (quite possibly because actual roles working as an economist are not that common and many would expect a PhD minimally anyway).
The only other thing to note is that you will have more than enough on your plate doing IB than to have time to do an extra A-level or AS level, and especially not in a creative arts course like photography, as they are notorious subjects for having very high workloads. That said, if you did do IB Visual Arts (which I probably wouldn't recommend for your goals as you really would need to do a second science), you can specialise in photography if your school has appropriate facilities, as you wish. It's also certainly something you can explore independently of the IB, and may be incorporated as part of your CAS activities anyway (it would certainly fall under "creativity" I should think...).
HL Maths is probably overkill for most bioscience degrees except in e.g. biochemistry or something where there's more quantitative elements. However it is absolutely necessary for economics at degree level, as that area will presuppose most of the topics from HL Maths and thus require it (and even if you apply to one of the economics degrees not requiring HL Maths or equivalent, you will then take modules in that same content during the degree - except instead of being in a class of 10-30 at worst, you'll be in a lecture theatre of 200 others, and probably with fewer contact hours). So if you wanted to do an economics degree, I would recommend doing HL Maths. Also note economics is not required at any level to go onto an economics degree. The only required subject, if any, is maths. Thus you could well take geography rather than economics.
Note though economics has no real bearing on "business" as a professional area - there isn't really a job just called "business" anyway, but the related jobs (in e.g. HR, management, accounting, marketing, sales, etc) don't really benefit much from more than just a passing understanding of economics. Certainly the in depth economic theory done in an economics degree will be largely irrelevant. There is no direct link between an economics degree and working in "business" in general, beyond the general factor that a lot of people doing such a degree end up working in the latter roles (quite possibly because actual roles working as an economist are not that common and many would expect a PhD minimally anyway).
The only other thing to note is that you will have more than enough on your plate doing IB than to have time to do an extra A-level or AS level, and especially not in a creative arts course like photography, as they are notorious subjects for having very high workloads. That said, if you did do IB Visual Arts (which I probably wouldn't recommend for your goals as you really would need to do a second science), you can specialise in photography if your school has appropriate facilities, as you wish. It's also certainly something you can explore independently of the IB, and may be incorporated as part of your CAS activities anyway (it would certainly fall under "creativity" I should think...).
(edited 1 year ago)
Original post by Tasbeh
Hello!
I love about biology currently and considering a career related to i. Biology degrees typically require HL chemistry, which I particularly dont enjoy.
I enjoy geography and am currently studying it for my GCSEs, but I'm also interested in economics and potentially pursuing a business career.
(our school doesnt offer econ GCSE so I have never done econ in my entire life.)
I also love photography, which isn't an option in the IB, so I'm considering doing an A-S or A-Level in it alongside the IB.
My proposed subject choices for the IB are :
HL Bio (currently 9 in trilogy)
HL Chem (currently 9 in trilogy)
HL Econ
SL English Lit and Lang (7s)
Maths AA, (currently high 7s to 8 but Target is a 9)
SL Italian Abinitio.
I want to aim for a score above 42-44 in the IB.
Should I take HL maths instead of HL econ? as maths is a requirement for most business related paths instead of econ
Should I choose geography instead of chemistry? because I love geo but I don't love hem but I can tolerate it but What if it minimises my chances for the future if I want to do something related to bio?
Should I pursue photography at A-S or A-Level?
I have a lot of CCA activities, so I'm not worried about CAS requirements.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
I love about biology currently and considering a career related to i. Biology degrees typically require HL chemistry, which I particularly dont enjoy.
I enjoy geography and am currently studying it for my GCSEs, but I'm also interested in economics and potentially pursuing a business career.
(our school doesnt offer econ GCSE so I have never done econ in my entire life.)
I also love photography, which isn't an option in the IB, so I'm considering doing an A-S or A-Level in it alongside the IB.
My proposed subject choices for the IB are :
HL Bio (currently 9 in trilogy)
HL Chem (currently 9 in trilogy)
HL Econ
SL English Lit and Lang (7s)
Maths AA, (currently high 7s to 8 but Target is a 9)
SL Italian Abinitio.
I want to aim for a score above 42-44 in the IB.
Should I take HL maths instead of HL econ? as maths is a requirement for most business related paths instead of econ
Should I choose geography instead of chemistry? because I love geo but I don't love hem but I can tolerate it but What if it minimises my chances for the future if I want to do something related to bio?
Should I pursue photography at A-S or A-Level?
I have a lot of CCA activities, so I'm not worried about CAS requirements.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Hi there!
It sounds like you have a lot of decisions to make! As other people have mentioned, it depends on the course that you are interested in. I have just graduated from Lancaster University with a Natural Sciences BSc so thought I could give my experience with the degree as it sounds like it could be something that would work well with your IB choices. Natural Sciences degrees tend to vary by university, so it's definitely worth having a look around to see what course is right for you. At Lancaster, the degree is very flexible, you can choose 3 pathways out of a possible 21. The subjects range from chemistry, biology, maths, computer science, engineering, earth sciences, and more, so there are many different possible combinations! The complete list of different pathways is in the brochure which can be found here - https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/natural-sciences/ . You can also study a subject outside of the sciences as one of your pathways, so could continue with economics if that was something that you were passionate about.
The entry requirements for Natural Sciences are 36 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects including two science subjects at HL grade 6 so you would actually already hit the subject requirement with your current options (or swapping the chemistry for geography). Also, chemistry is only a requirement for the biochemistry biology pathway, the other three biology pathways do not require chemistry.
Overall, I would say check out the requirements for some degree courses that you would be interested in to make sure you are hitting the requirements, past that point go with what you enjoy. You will get the most out of the course that way and will probably find learning the content much more enjoyable too.
Best of luck with all of your decisions, if you have any further questions, feel free to let me know
- Bethan (Lancaster University Student Ambassador)
Original post by artful_lounger
So yes, chemistry is generally needed for continuing to bioscience degrees (except some much more oriented towards ecology and conservation topics). Chemistry underpins all of modern molecular biology which in turn underpins most other areas of modern biology. That said, you won't need to do a great deal of chemistry directly in the degree, but would be expected to have a qualitative understanding of it up to A-level standard for the most part. Ultimately to be a good biologist, you need to have at least some understanding of chemistry (beyond GCSE), is the impression I get. Thus HL Chemistry would be advisable.
HL Maths is probably overkill for most bioscience degrees except in e.g. biochemistry or something where there's more quantitative elements. However it is absolutely necessary for economics at degree level, as that area will presuppose most of the topics from HL Maths and thus require it (and even if you apply to one of the economics degrees not requiring HL Maths or equivalent, you will then take modules in that same content during the degree - except instead of being in a class of 10-30 at worst, you'll be in a lecture theatre of 200 others, and probably with fewer contact hours). So if you wanted to do an economics degree, I would recommend doing HL Maths. Also note economics is not required at any level to go onto an economics degree. The only required subject, if any, is maths. Thus you could well take geography rather than economics.
Note though economics has no real bearing on "business" as a professional area - there isn't really a job just called "business" anyway, but the related jobs (in e.g. HR, management, accounting, marketing, sales, etc) don't really benefit much from more than just a passing understanding of economics. Certainly the in depth economic theory done in an economics degree will be largely irrelevant. There is no direct link between an economics degree and working in "business" in general, beyond the general factor that a lot of people doing such a degree end up working in the latter roles (quite possibly because actual roles working as an economist are not that common and many would expect a PhD minimally anyway).
The only other thing to note is that you will have more than enough on your plate doing IB than to have time to do an extra A-level or AS level, and especially not in a creative arts course like photography, as they are notorious subjects for having very high workloads. That said, if you did do IB Visual Arts (which I probably wouldn't recommend for your goals as you really would need to do a second science), you can specialise in photography if your school has appropriate facilities, as you wish. It's also certainly something you can explore independently of the IB, and may be incorporated as part of your CAS activities anyway (it would certainly fall under "creativity" I should think...).
HL Maths is probably overkill for most bioscience degrees except in e.g. biochemistry or something where there's more quantitative elements. However it is absolutely necessary for economics at degree level, as that area will presuppose most of the topics from HL Maths and thus require it (and even if you apply to one of the economics degrees not requiring HL Maths or equivalent, you will then take modules in that same content during the degree - except instead of being in a class of 10-30 at worst, you'll be in a lecture theatre of 200 others, and probably with fewer contact hours). So if you wanted to do an economics degree, I would recommend doing HL Maths. Also note economics is not required at any level to go onto an economics degree. The only required subject, if any, is maths. Thus you could well take geography rather than economics.
Note though economics has no real bearing on "business" as a professional area - there isn't really a job just called "business" anyway, but the related jobs (in e.g. HR, management, accounting, marketing, sales, etc) don't really benefit much from more than just a passing understanding of economics. Certainly the in depth economic theory done in an economics degree will be largely irrelevant. There is no direct link between an economics degree and working in "business" in general, beyond the general factor that a lot of people doing such a degree end up working in the latter roles (quite possibly because actual roles working as an economist are not that common and many would expect a PhD minimally anyway).
The only other thing to note is that you will have more than enough on your plate doing IB than to have time to do an extra A-level or AS level, and especially not in a creative arts course like photography, as they are notorious subjects for having very high workloads. That said, if you did do IB Visual Arts (which I probably wouldn't recommend for your goals as you really would need to do a second science), you can specialise in photography if your school has appropriate facilities, as you wish. It's also certainly something you can explore independently of the IB, and may be incorporated as part of your CAS activities anyway (it would certainly fall under "creativity" I should think...).
Thank you so much!! I will definitely look into it but that is indeed really helpful. I think I am not going to do photography as well IB in itself is a lot.
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