IB vs. A-levels

2. You actually learn things, and pick up genuine skills, rather than just rote-learning the text-book like in A-levels

If you're very clever, and very well rounded, and don't know what you want to do at Uni/ don't want to do a highly specific course, then go for IB.
If not, or you want to go for Oxbridge, or you know what course you want to do, then go for A levels.

In general, the IB lot like to think they're a very 'elite' group, so, as I said, 'IB Discussion' was not the best place to put this.

Hey,
I'm really torn between the IB and A-levels, and just wanted to know the Pros & Cons of choosing the IB. I've heard it's really hard (I just looked at a Spanish Standard paper and I was like 'woah' ) but Universities love it...so I want to know your opinions on the IB

Why you should do the IB
1. It's fun, if you're academically-minded
2. You actually learn things, and pick up genuine skills, rather than just rote-learning the text-book like in A-levels
3. It'll force you to be organised
4. There's more variety, because you're doing six subjects from different fields
5. The syllabuses are better for pretty much every subject - you learn more rigorously

Why you shouldn't do the IB
1. It's much harder
2. It's much more work
3. It will destroy you if you're lazy, and you'll come out with a terrible grade
4. Most Universities don't value it as highly as people say. For top end Universities, your offer will still probably be 7,7,6 at Higher Level; yet for A-levels, most of the higher offers are AAA (A*AA for Cambridge). There's just no way in hell that getting a 7 in the IB equates to an A at A-level; for subjects like Maths/Physics HL, getting a high 5 is probably about the same difficulty as getting an A. Only 6-9% of people get 7s in IB HL subjects, whereas 20-25% do for A-levels. It's really frustrating to know you're going to have to work your socks off to make a really tough offer when A-level candidates are putting their feet up knowing they've got straight As in the bag because their exams are so damn piss-easy. For medium tier Universities, IB offers are probably about the same as A-level offers. Bristol's the only university I know that makes sensible offers - AAA-AAB at A-levels and 33-35 for IB.

The Verdict
Do the IB if you're clever and hard-working; but if your sole motivation is minimal effort for maximum reward, do A-levels.

If I didn't 'actually learn things' and 'pick up genuine skills', I doubt I would have got into University.

Well said I think what he meant by 'you actually learn skills' has to do with the long reports we have to write, and the techniques used. A lot of people don't do a research project like the extended essay before university, so skills like that are an advantage. Where did you get the stats though? Surely more than 6-9 % get 7s in HL subjects, maybe it depends on the subject though.

Generally, if you get a kick out of learning new things then do the IB, but if school sort of feels like a responsibility then don't. These days I wake up every morning and think 'do I have to go to school? Can I skip?' But I can't believe how much I have learnt over the past two years! Honestly, I'm not exagerating, you learn so so much. I don't regret doing the IB, but I do feel like two of my teenage years have been robbed away - guess that's a price you (or at least some of us IBers) have to pay.

What the duck? You have to write "reports" (i.e. essays) etc if you're doing A Levels as well, as well as "extended essays" (i.e. coursework). I had coursework for both English Literature and History at 3,000 words each. Meanwhile, throughout the course, I write two essays every two weeks, one for English and one for History, each essay being around 1,500 words. I also have various French essays to write, not just on set topics but also on the films and the play that we study. So yeah, don't think you're all elitist just because you have to write "reports" and "extended essays" just like the rest of the country.

If you're very clever, and very well rounded, and don't know what you want to do at Uni/ don't want to do a highly specific course, then go for IB.
If not, or you want to go for Oxbridge, or you know what course you want to do, then go for A levels.

What the duck? You have to write "reports" (i.e. essays) etc if you're doing A Levels as well, as well as "extended essays" (i.e. coursework). I had coursework for both English Literature and History at 3,000 words each. Meanwhile, throughout the course, I write two essays every two weeks, one for English and one for History, each essay being around 1,500 words. I also have various French essays to write, not just on set topics but also on the films and the play that we study. So yeah, don't think you're all elitist just because you have to write "reports" and "extended essays" just like the rest of the country.

Firstly, the extended essay and coursework are two completely different things with the IB. The extended essay is more than just "coursework" it develops your researching skills as well as teaching you to work independently which will certainly prepare you well for university. Correct me if I'm wrong but i doubt many a-level students have to write a 4000 word report? On top of that IB students have 6 other subjects with coursework in all of them compared to a-levels where it's very rare for someone to take that many subjects. Also, as I do both english and history, we also get set essays regularly, and the amount of coursework for english is 50% of the grade..and that doesn't just involve essays and reports..we also have to carry out presentations as well oral commentaries. I'm not saying we're the "elitists" - as you put it - just because we do all this, but the skills you pick up as an IB student through the 2 years are invaluable for university.

My chemistry c/w is 6000+ words.

Also, I hate it when people say the IB is good if you're not sure what you want to do at uni. Virtually every university will ask for specific HL subjects for specific courses, and you only do 3 (or possibly 4) of them - the same number of subjects as you would take at A Level. You have to have an idea of what you might want to do at uni, the same as for A Levels. The advantage of the IB's 6 subjects is simply the extra breadth they give your education - it adds variety and challenge. For example, I would never have taken English at A Level, but I had to have it at SL on the IB. I was never great at it, but it was a lovely change from studying science and maths the whole time.

I'm not saying you didn't do those things; I'm saying you do them to a lesser extent for A-level. But let's face it: the IB imparts with you a lot more than A-levels. There's just no way that plugging values into an equation that's given to you on the page, spewing out an essay that you'd previously memorised or simply regurgitating facts from the textbook onto the exam paper is proper education. My experience of A-levels is limited to a couple of Maths modules I took early, but even through that and talking to my A-level mates I can see the disparity in skills and ability in the two qualifications.

Is it the case that the IB is more about breadth rather than depth?