IB - just how difficult is AA higher Maths?!

[thewalrus]

Hi,
Just what the title says really. DD started IB this week. First HL AA maths lesson seems to have mostly consisted of the teacher telling them it is fiendishly difficult and to reflect carefully on if they really want to do it.
Neither of us knows anyone who has done it to ask.
For reference, DD got a high 9 in GCSE maths and a low 9 in Further Maths (but did it in a bit of a rush largely on her own). So by any most standards she's pretty capable, but not sure about this one!
Thank you.

If she got a low 9 in further maths GCSE she is academically capable.

The major issues are workload and time.

The workload for the IB generally is high. There's more subjects than A level and you have TOK as well.

In addition, there's the coursework elements and the extended essay.

This means topics are often covered quickly in class and there's the expectation of independent work to keep up/practice questions.

Lots of students get overwhelmed by the workload and there is usually a drift down to standard level over the first few months as they see how much work is actually required.

@thewalrus
Another IB parent here but DD doing SL Maths.
When I checked earlier, the content for HL and SL Maths is largely the same except for one module which the HL students do extra.
In our school both HL and SL start off doing the same thing and then the HL students do the extension module.
So I think there is time to assess and change track if seriously struggling.

Your DD is clearly capable with fantastic GCSE Maths grades.
So hopefully once things settle she should find the rhythm.
Nevertheless, the IB workload is brutal.

Thanks for responding, that's really helpful. We knew IB would be a lot of work (that was one of the things that appealed to DD about it), but the week has nonetheless felt like a reality check as she compares her timetable and anticipated workload to that of her friends who are all doing A Levels (not that I'm saying they are easy!).

Sounds like she has a bit of time to work out if HL is for her, which is reassuring. She does really enjoy Maths.

Both A level Further Maths and IB HL maths introduce stuff, like complex numbers, 'e', statistics, mechanics in a pretty basic way, so it's more content to remember but relatively easy to understand, learn and apply. I despair by the way so many people, even teachers, in England go on and on about how difficult maths is. Noone would go on and on and tell pupils that reading or writing is fiendishly difficult. I went to school in Germany and there everyone must do the equivalent of HL maths in year 12/13, and the vast majority of pupils get a B (Gut) or better. If pupils don't understand maths, it usually has a lot more to do with the teacher than with the subject, as it's per se no more difficult than reading or writing. It's just about learning very straightforward rules and sticking to them.

Thanks - that's a useful perspective. It's so hard to tell how much of the talk around difficulty levels is myth/hype and how much is trying to advise people about the jump from GCSEs to post-16 academics.

The teacher who said this to the class is temporary cover for a couple of weeks; will be interested to hear the approach of the regular teacher when she's back. Unsurprisingly, it's a fairly small class!

IB HL maths has always been tough and was even more challenging prior to the overhaul of maths (HL, SL and studies ) in 2019. The IB is a very challenging course and imo makes three a levels seem like a part time course. My ds took the IB and I think time management is key as there is always something to do: CAS, EE, TOK or course work for each course.
my Ds took HL maths and already had AS maths grade A when he started and he still found it very hard, but slowly things started to click and he ended up with a 6.

Thanks @ShanghaiDiva - good to hear a real life success story.

IB definitely seems like a very full-on course, I agree. DD's college offers A Levels and IB, so most of her schoolfriends are doing A Levels and their timetables are certainly considerably lighter than hers.

She is loving it though. She has to attend HL History lectures anyway (which would seem like overkill to me, but feels useful as that is what she'll swap to if she does drop to SL Maths). She's staying with it for now though.

Hello @thewalrus I appreciate this is an old thread but I was wondering how your DD fared in the end with the IB Maths Higher? I am in the same predicament as you were back in Sept 2023 with my DC not being sure whether to continue with Maths higher or not (it was her first lesson today and the teacher seemed to be warning pupils away from studying the subject)

Hi @SlinkyDog1
So, against her dad's strong advice and what I like to think was my more measured advice, DD kept going with HL AA Maths. The group shrunk considerably - I think it went from about 10 of them (of a cohort of 65 who started the IB) to about 6 by the end.
I'm not sure if I have a success story or a warning for you, really. DD mostly loved the IB (though was and remains convinced that it's an awful lot more work!). She ultimately got 44 points - guess which point she dropped?!
She found it very hard around exam time - she was working so hard on the Maths that she felt she was letting the other subjects slip (though obviously that was ultimately fine). I think the 6 in HL Maths is the individual grade she is most proud of, but definitely also the hardest won. If she had her time again, I'm not sure she'd do it.
Best of luck to your DC, whatever they decide. DD attended HL History throughout, so I think could have changed for quite a while - might keeping options open be a possibility?
(I have another DC starting the IB this week (though with a humanities focus), and their twin starting three A Levels, whose timetable looks empty by comparison! Here we go again...)

Thank you so much for the update and congratulations on your DD doing so well - they are amazing scores! My DC wants to study a STEM related degree and every single uni wants Maths so we’re stuck really because they aren’t a fan of humanity subjects so we could be putting all our eggs in one basket if things go wrong.
One of my DC has just finished their A Levels and had 3 afternoons off per week for free study sessions so I know what you mean about it looking like an empty timetable in comparison 😁

Thanks @SlinkyDog1.
I wish your DC lots of luck with it. I think schools and colleges are wise to sound a note of warning about the maths, but it can definitely be done!

I did A level maths, and both my children did IB SL maths. Yes there is more content and some more complex concepts. However, if she has done so well at GCSE then she should be capable.

@thewalrus what a fabulous result for your Dd- many congratulations!