Stuck on IB Subjects for Law

5

Hi there, I’m choosing my IB subjects and am supposed to submit them in January but I’m having some trouble deciding on which ones to pick. I have a couple combinations-

HL- History, Chem/Bio, Economics/Psychology/Geography
SL- English, French B, Maths (not too sure if AA or AI)

Chemistry and Biology are the sciences I’m choosing between now, and I’m not sure which one I want to do.
As for my third HL, it’s currently between Psychology, Economics or Geography.

Would love if anyone had any advice!

(edited 1 year ago)

Reply 1

DerDracologe

Study Forum Helper

20

Do you have gcse predicted grades?
Which subjects do you find easiest to revise for at gcse?
What subjects do you enjoy the most or find the most interesting at gcse?
For subjects you haven’t studied before, have you looked through the specs to see if the topics interest you?

Reply 2

username7432243

OP

5

I just had my gcse mocks and got all 9s, taking history, geography, french, design, higher maths, additional maths and then the usual bio, chem, physics and english lang,lit

I find both sciences quite interesting but in different ways because biology is easier for me to understand but slightly harder to apply whereas chemistry is more memorising and understanding for me. I do find history quite interesting which is why it’s a definite yes but I’ve never studied psychology or economics before so I’m a bit unsure between the two.

Both specs sounds equally interesting but I’m just trying to think in the grand scheme of things, would taking psychology be too much as another HL because like history it’s quite subjective?

Reply 3

DerDracologe

Study Forum Helper

20

Original post

by rheaeng

I just had my gcse mocks and got all 9s, taking history, geography, french, design, higher maths, additional maths and then the usual bio, chem, physics and english lang,lit
I find both sciences quite interesting but in different ways because biology is easier for me to understand but slightly harder to apply whereas chemistry is more memorising and understanding for me. I do find history quite interesting which is why it’s a definite yes but I’ve never studied psychology or economics before so I’m a bit unsure between the two.
Both specs sounds equally interesting but I’m just trying to think in the grand scheme of things, would taking psychology be too much as another HL because like history it’s quite subjective?

Those are really strong mock grades, well done on them!
The only input i have here really is that Biology is a very content heavy subject at a level and ill assume its similar with IB so keep that in mind because history, biology and psych all have reputations for being extremely content heavy subjects.
As you see a bit unsure of the courses it might be worth starting some threads in the IB forum to ask peoples experiences of these subjects- maybe one thread chem vs bio cos lots of people will do both and then separate threads on each of psych and econ to see if anyone has any input. Id tag someone to help but i dont know anyone on site who take IB off the top of my head so might just be better if you re-post asking specifically for peoples experiences 🙂
Hope you’re able to find someone to answer your questions and apologies i cant be of more help!

Reply 4

autoharp99

9

Hi, I’ll throw in my two cents as an IB Y12 🙂 Not to be too disparaging, but getting a 9 is ultimately more fact memorising than deep understanding of the topic. With that in mind, History, Chem, and Maths AA are notoriously difficult HLs because of the amount of content, and because they require to an extent the passion and deeper knowledge that the IB’s so great at. Since you’re not applying for STEM, I would really recommend strongly that you don’t take Chem or Maths HL - they are genuinely difficult with the amount of teaching time (more content than A-level, less class time), so you won’t have as much time to focus on your Law application - they need a lot of work time to get 7s in.

I can’t say anything regarding Econ/Psych - however, although I’m not sure if your school has timetabling restrictions, it’s a but odd you’re not taking English HL for a law application? Maybe consider it, idk.

Many congrats on your predicted grades and best of luck in the exam season! If you want to ask anything else, I’m happy to answer~

Reply 5

lissaa

12

I definitely agree with authoharp99, as someone in their second year of IB with predicted 45. I am also applying for law, and history was my immediate no-no because of how harshly it's graded. Since most unis do not ask for any specific subjects, it's smarter to take things that are not a huge gamble, like history, at HL. It's a good idea to take a mix of higher levels that are balanced in difficulty, as those will be the grades your conditional offer will rely on—much more than on your overall grades. I have both French B and English A at higher level, which could be something to consider, as I found that something that both fits the expectation of some essay-based HLs and is not that unpredictable when it comes to achieving 7s in them. As for your third HL, I totally agree that a humanity is a good idea—I took business and was very happy with that. From what I know from my peers, in terms of difficulty, your three choices would be ranked geo (easiest) --> psych --> econ (hardest). I hope this helps in any way!

Reply 6

anonimo-10

8

Original post

by rheaeng

Hi there, I’m choosing my IB subjects and am supposed to submit them in January but I’m having some trouble deciding on which ones to pick. I have a couple combinations-
HL- History, Chem/Bio, Economics/Psychology/Geography
SL- English, French B, Maths (not too sure if AA or AI)
Chemistry and Biology are the sciences I’m choosing between now, and I’m not sure which one I want to do.
As for my third HL, it’s currently between Psychology, Economics or Geography.
Would love if anyone had any advice!

I'm in the second year of IB taking History HL, English Lit HL, Geography HL, Maths AI SL, ESS SL, Portuguese Lang and Lit SL. I would say that:
1) History HL is a great choice! It provides you with good essay writing skills (which is crucial) and it's honestly not that difficult if you enjoy studying history (half of my HL class is predicted a 7)
2) I absolutely love geography and I believe it's a great option because it strengthens your essay writing technique (for HL only), it provides you with real world case studies on various topics (and if you watch the news most of it you already know or is extremely easy to understand) and it gives you a sense of how our society works, which is crucial for law.
3) all my friends that have taken biology HL deeply regret it... it's too much content, too much work, harsh marking schemes and too little time. However, if you are passionate about it it could be an option (at least as a SL subject)
4) It makes absolutely no difference if you take maths AI or AA, and AI is wayyy easier. It's very strategic to take AI as it's a subject that is not very time consuming (if you already have decent grades in Maths, but you definitely don't need to be a Maths genius)

Reply 7

stephenrodgers

4

When I was choosing IB subjects for law, I went with HL History, HL English, and HL Economics. Universities liked the mix of critical thinking and essay-based subjects. You don’t need HL Law to apply—just subjects that develop analysis and argumentation. Also, make sure your SLs aren’t too light; unis still look at the full diploma balance. Aim for academic rigor overall.

Reply 8

McGinger

20

Original post

by stephenrodgers

When I was choosing IB subjects for law, I went with HL History, HL English, and HL Economics. Universities liked the mix of critical thinking and essay-based subjects. You don’t need HL Law to apply—just subjects that develop analysis and argumentation. Also, make sure your SLs aren’t too light; unis still look at the full diploma balance. Aim for academic rigor overall.

Universities liked the mix of critical thinking and essay-based subjects.

Says who exactly.

Stuck on IB Subjects for Law

Related discussions

Articles for you

How The Student Room is moderated