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Further education

You'll find discussions about A Levels and universities on our Further Education forum.

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Original poster

International Baccalaureate

18 replies

Ispatienceavirtue · 02/09/2018 21:40

Anybody with any experience of the International Baccalaureate? My daughter is quite bright,mostly 8's and 9's in her GCSE's , and has wanted to do this course for over a year. But right now she is incredibly stressed and in tears due to the amount of work she has been set. She was only notified about the work on Friday and it has to be completed by next Monday.I tried to reassure her that she probably wouldn't be given such a high volume of work once the course starts but I'm starting to worry this might be the norm. Can anyone tell me about their experience of the IB?

OP posts:

MrsPatrickDempsey · 04/09/2018 16:06

Watching with interest as my DD started the IB today. I hope your daughter is ok.

fatbottomgirl67 · 05/09/2018 21:14

My Dd1 did the IB last year. She did it over 2 years. Is you daughter really doing it in 1? The work load was huge. It's a fantastic thing to do and very well thought of but it's not for the faint hearted. Dd2 saw how hard Dd1 worked and did A levels ! You have to be very disciplined and organised. Can you speak to her teachers?

MarchingFrogs · 08/09/2018 21:59

I read the OP as meaning that for over a year, her DD has wanted to do the IB? Doing it over one year instead of two, I would think the amount of work set over the weekend would be just a gentle run in to the real thing

Oneteen · 09/09/2018 14:31

Judging by what DD has said the work load is very heavy and pretty full on from day 1 (just 6 girls in her school doing IB this year)...with a small group of IB students it also means that some lessons are 121 (there is just one girl that has opted for French within her IB Course so will have 121 lessons for the next 2 years - which is great education wise but she is finding it a little intimidating).

In comparison A levels also seem to be pretty full on too...with daily lessons in each subject and daily homework - Its working well for my DD because she has taken 3 A levels and has 2 to 3 free periods each day (she knew which A levels she wanted to take) but not so well for the Dc's who have taken 4 (3 girls dropped an A level by day 2!!) especially when the school like to get the LS to mentor children in lower years (and allocate a free period for this) and also arrange drama productions (DD writing the script for yr7 production).

Hopefully things will settle down for your DD - I do think the IB is an amazing qualification albeit very hard work.

Oratory1 · 09/09/2018 16:17

Agree the IN us great but it is a lot if work. I saw someone describe it on here as like doing three A levels, 3 AS levels, gold d of e and an EPQ all at the same time. If you have a DC that likes to be busy and would have been doing a lot of those things anyway then it is a good qualification. And having said that A levels seem to be ramping up with more teaching time and fewer free periods than recent years.

Oratory1 · 09/09/2018 16:17

IB not IN

areyoubeingserviced · 09/09/2018 17:45

This is why I advised my dd to do Alevels.
She’s relieved that she didn’t do the IB

CherryPavlova · 09/09/2018 18:37

My youngest did IB and loved it. She went into it thinking she was going to study medicine but changed her mind within weeks. IB gave her the spread to study languages instead. She also did some shopping to maximise points whilst reducing workload. She did 2 A levels (Dance and finishing off the A2 from theology that she’d done AS for in year 11) alongside so it can’t have been that onerous.

My eldest who did A levels alongside the AQA baccalaureate which was much more challenging.

Eastend2015 · 09/09/2018 18:47

I did the IB almost 20 years ago. Yes it is full on but no less than A levels I think. There is more time in classes and less self directed study which worked well for me. It also suited me to do a broader range of subjects with a global focus meaning I ended up changing what I wanted to do entirely by being more encouraged with maths, science and business studies. It allowed me to go on and spend some of my university studies in France and using French in my subsequent career as I now work in Europe a lot. I found my teachers also enjoyed teaching the syllabus and can’t recommend it highly enough. I hope it works out for her!

ShanghaiDiva · 10/09/2018 12:09

My son has just finished the IB.
Yes, it's a demanding programme and the key, from ds's experience is to keep on top of things - eg community service - do the reflections and upload a photo, keep a log of sport etc. With the IB there always seem to be something that has to be done - extended essay, TOK presentation, coursework - but plan the time well and it should not be a problem.

Ds found that his teachers were great at helping with time management and dealing with stress.

What subjects is your daughter taking? My ds did HL maths, chemistry and biology and SL German, Geography and English. HL Maths was by far the most difficult and time consuming and Geo by far the easiest - not a great deal more challenging than iGCSE.

AsleepAllDay · 10/09/2018 12:12

I did it over two years quite a while back. Honestly, I sacked off massively and hated a lot of my subjects but realised by exam time that if you have good notes and have studied from the syllabus and given your coursework a good crack, it's more than possible to do well

It can get stressful but in retrospect it does keep you quite well rounded by doing a language, a science etc

Look up how points translate to A Levels for unis to see what she would need for her preferred courses

AsleepAllDay · 10/09/2018 12:13

And I would absolutely do it again but pick subjects I was more into

aperolspritzplease · 10/09/2018 12:16

I did it in the late 90s, and it is a lot of work, add in CAS, TOK and the extended essay there is a lot to keep on top of.

BringOnTheScience · 24/09/2018 20:26

My DC1 is now in yr13 doing IB. The workload is bonkers but doable if they're organised. 3As, 3ASs, DofE and EPQ is my go to comparison!

BringOnTheScience · 24/09/2018 20:27

(Curses lack of ability to make paragraphs!)

BringOnTheScience · 24/09/2018 20:30

Lots of planning and do keep up with deadlines. Some colleges do allow a little flexibility to switch subjects in the 1st 1/2 term if needed. Dropping down a maths choice is common: Higher to Standard or Standard to M Studies.

BringOnTheScience · 24/09/2018 20:35

The good thing with the coursework is that it can mean less pressure all on the exams. A good college will ensure that the IA deadlines are all spread out across the subjects so they're not writing 3 at once.

BubblesBuddy · 25/09/2018 08:51

There is no need to do IB for any university entrance or career. It’s a broader qualification than A levels but with the new A levels, it’s not greater depth in all 6 subjects. Some children are better off doing A levels as they can concentrate on what they are good at. I disagree with the lister that valued one to one teaching. It isn’t good or beneficial. You need other class members to have alternative views and be able to learn from each other. It’s also lonely.

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