IB and university entrance requirments

[Ferniebrook]

Hi all,

My son is in year 10 and his school does not have a sixth form so we are looking around (in London). He is a good all rounder and not too clear which direction he is heading in - likes Science and Maths but doing very well in humanities too. Re. the IB, given you have to choose 3 HL subjects does this provide any additional flexibility with Uni requirements? So for example, if he decided he wanted to do Chemistry at Uni presumably he would have to have done Maths and Chem at HL if the Uni requires A levels in both. No further Maths through the IB so that would be an additional A level requirement for Maths at some Unis...

I am just trying to get my head round it all. I am very much in favour of a breadth of education but I am just trying to work out if it would provide him with a wider range of options kept open for Uni...Given IB SLs do not seem to feature in Uni requirements I am thinking possibly not...

Advice appreciated! Thanks all.

Universities are well versed in making offers on the IB as it's a common international qualification. You'd be as well to contact a few and see what their requirement are. From experience it's normally an overall points offer and then specific grades/subjects at HL to mimic A level requirements, so a rule of thumb would be to look at the subject specific A levels and imagine needing those at HL

Universities are in fact so well versed in making offers to students who study IB that they publish the IB entry requirements on their websites. For example for Bath one simply has to scroll down past the A-level requirements to find them.

https://www.bath.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate-2024/chemistry/bsc-chemistry/#entry-requirements

Yes unis typically publish IB requirements but OPs point is that it often appears they simply 'map' mandatory A level subject requirements across to IB HL requirements, so limiting the effective flexibility of IB over A levels.

This appears to more the case in relation to STEM. To build on the U of Bath Chem example above, Durham asked for Maths and Chem A levels for Chemistry and, for IB, Maths and Chem at HL.

I have DC who have done A level Maths, FM, a physical science and a humanity with an NEA. They enjoyed the variety and that kept open many credible subject options at uni. They did paid work and volunteering, so the total mix was probably not too far removed from the total IB 'package' (though, to be clear, IB appears to me to be stretching and very good prep for tertiary education).

Some peers at DCs comp variously did, say, A level Maths, FM, Chemistry, Economics or Maths, FM, Physics, History to give some examples. The school was good about trying to accommodate science and humanity options together. IB was not available at my DCs school or elsewhere nearby but, hopefully, as shown above, you can keep options open with A levels for someone who sees themselves as an all rounder.

Thank you - what is NEA?

This is exactly my point - he would have to do HL subjects in whatever would be needed at A Level for that Uni course. So for STEM at least I don’t think IB would broadening his options. With the IB you could do Maths, Physics and Chemistry HL but then you would do SL language, lit and a humanity. So you get breadth of study, but not breadth of Uni options, as far as I can work out.

To do Maths at uni is it an issue that IB does not have further maths I wonder…

NEA= Non Exam Assessment. Some A levels under certain exam boards carve out upwards to 20% for what is effectively a mini dissertation element eg AQA History, Geography, Eng Lit, CompSci.

Other options are to do three A levels and an EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) which counts as half an A level and gives scope to be more free-ranging in topic selection.

A student who has done IB will be at a distinct disadvantage on a maths heavy course compared to one who has done A-level maths. They will find they start the course, if they are admitted with significant gaps in their skills.

There are very, very few (none that I know of) university courses that specify 3 A-levels in their entry requirements, so it is perfectly possible to study for a STEM degree with 2 STEM A-levels or HL at IB and something completely unrelated.

Yes it is an issue for maths degrees that IB doesn't really prepare well enough.

We offered further maths a level as a top up to IB higher level maths.

The IB generally is good preparation for uni, esp if your kid is an all rounder. The coursework is good prep for uni.

It doesn't feed well into U.K. stem degrees as they assume a levels.

U.K. a level maths also includes mechanics which in the IB would be higher level physics.

So if he wants a maths/physics degree IB is not ideal.

To build on @JessS1990's post, competitive entry unis would typically look for two STEM A Levels for a STEM degree. Sometimes you are 'rewarded' with a slightly lower offer if you apply with three sciences. FM is often counted as an extra science and, for some unis, the definition of science A level can encompass the likes of Psychology, Econ and Geog. Obviously, there are exceptions but you get the general idea.

All this allows for a humanity A Level to be credibly included in the mix. Including Maths in the mix allows the greatest flexibility and probably does then mean deciding between Physics or Chemistry A level (to make way for a non- STEM A Level). Dropping Physics limits uni choice for Mech Eng and Elect Eng (as well as Physics) and dropping Chemistry obviously limits uni choice for Chemistry and related areas.