IB vs. A-levels

This is true, but only to the extent that it gets you started, which is harder if you do A levels. However, with CAS you almost feel guilty when you continously ask for people to sign forms, and CAS students are often less motivated to do a task, they just do it to complete CAS, not to actually help people.

haha that is so IB:
"as you start to get into CAS you begin to appreciate the work you're doing and its impact on the world around you."
true for some, but that just doesn't happen for most!

Also, I think it's fair to say that A-Level is an archaic system hence the need for reform e.g the implementation of A*. IB, on the other hand, provides a balanced curriculum to target the mutual improvement of a student. Notwithstanding, some IB HL subjects aren't up to par with their A-Level counterparts.

Awesome choices...I have a copy of Ramsden (first edition) which I would recommend to anyone looking to take the subject seriously. I think a big part of the problem with modern A-levels is the breaking down of content into modules - the Pre-U fixes this, adds more content and judging by the specimen materials the exams are a good deal harder.

Well, obviously not. You are going to have people who detest doing service, regardless of benefits. However, the IB attempts to cultivate the notion that you are part of an international community and it is thus your duty to respect the world around you. There is plenty of anecdotal evidence on the internet supporting my position that the IB can gear students into becoming more 'international', per se.

How, exactly? You clearly don't know anything about the IB.

Well, that is what I was told by a teacher and it seemed pretty logical to me, since with A levels in eg Biology, Chemistry and Maths it would be very tricky to get in for a History course at university because that subject combination is a bit narrow, whilst with IB you have to have at least 2 languages, at least one science, maths, etc. anyway.

I suggest you take six A-levels at the same time then tell us if we're an "elite group" or not. Oh, and write a 4,000 word essay at the same time as doing all that.

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.

nope not true! having done a year of IB I suddenly decided I wanted to do medicine, my standard levels in maths and physics were useless, but if I had done A levels, at least 1 subject would have been a science, and I could have done an AS in y13, while with IB I had no choice but to restart y12.

The breadth of IB is almost useless except so that you can study more subjects for an extra 2 years, which you may enjoy.

Those are the books I owe my A-level grades to They are just so much more stretching and complete than the specification specific texts currently being mass produced. If you are looking to do chemistry at university then you may also like G Stephensons ''Mathematical methods for science students''

I'm pretty sure that without using "researching skills", most A Level students would fail their coursework - JSTOR was my best friend during the whole coursework period. As for working independently... what, do A Level students get their friends / parents / teachers to write their work for them or something? Regarding presentations, I did one a few days ago; moreover, "oral commentaries" happen every lesson in most institutions, just people aren't usually pretentious enough to use such a label for what is essentially partaking in a class discussion.

These pair - the red and yellow ones

In the US, a good IB score can save you a year.

nope not true! having done a year of IB I suddenly decided I wanted to do medicine, my standard levels in maths and physics were useless, but if I had done A levels, at least 1 subject would have been a science, and I could have done an AS in y13, while with IB I had no choice but to restart y12.

The breadth of IB is almost useless except so that you can study more subjects for an extra 2 years, which you may enjoy.

what do you mean? you can go to uni a year early?!
and true it's not UK anyway, so i'm not too bothered!

Shamrock, because of the different content across various modules in A level maths, you can't really compare maths A level to IB HL. For instance, HL falls down considerably when it comes to mechanics (try a M1 or M2 paper).

I've asked some maths teachers about this and I think the general consensus is that the difficulty of HL maths lies somewhere between maths and further maths A level.

Also, I think it's fair to say that A-Level is an archaic system hence the need for reform e.g the implementation of A*. IB, on the other hand, provides a balanced curriculum to target the mutual improvement of a student. Notwithstanding, some IB HL subjects aren't up to par with their A-Level counterparts.