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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

can you talk to me about the IB please?

17 replies

basildonbond · 15/05/2012 22:06

ds's school offers IB plus A-levels - he's currently in Y10 and is in a quandary about which subjects to drop for 6th form.

He'd like to study modern history at university, possibly joint honours with philosophy or politics, and is aiming for Oxford. He definitely wants to keep history, English and philosophy going but also wants to do Spanish plus at least one science and maths - he knows he doesn't want to study a science subject at university but doesn't feel ready to specialise just yet. His teachers say he should be getting all A*s or As at GCSE (mostly IGCSEs so minimal or no coursework)

For those of you with dc doing IB what are the advantages/disadvantages and is it possible to keep that kind of range of subjects going?

OP posts:

TalkinPeace2 · 15/05/2012 22:17

So, he wants to be a Politician in the long run then .....
I cannot see many other options from those choices

Maisycat · 15/05/2012 22:27

His choices History/English/ Philosophy/ language/ science and Maths fit in perfectly with IB. At my school (I'm an IB coordinator) I would encourage him to take History/English/ Philosophy at Higher Level and the others at standard. IB is ideal if your son wants to keep his options open by keeping a range of subjects on, especially if he is a hard worker.

Original poster

basildonbond · 15/05/2012 22:49

Actually, talk he wants to be an infantry officer (at the moment ...)

maisy he's exceptionally bright but can be quite lazy - gets very good marks with fairly minimal effort ... So would he have to pull his socks up a bit more for IB than he would for A-level? And are IB candidates at a disadvantage when applying for top-tier unis?

OP posts:

TalkinPeace2 · 15/05/2012 22:51

basildon
has he asked the Army what they want?
my forces brothers did Mech eng and Chemistry

janinlondon · 16/05/2012 08:43

I think the army would try to push him into intelligence with that sort of background.........

shootingstarz · 16/05/2012 12:57

IB = taking more exams, less depth, having to be good at all subjects in order to gain maximum marks, taking subjects that you don?t enjoy, UK Unis prefer home grown qualifications, less time for friends.

A levels= taking 3-5 subjects that you really enjoy, more in depth knowledge of chosen subjects, more time for extracurricular and friends.

afussyphase · 16/05/2012 17:01

Hm. I did IB and loved it and it was really good for me but I did it in Canada. I'm now faculty at a UK university and I am not sure that we prefer home grown qualifications. Is there any way you can find out what Oxford thinks, because it sounds like this will matter? There is certainly a perception in my department that there is vast grade inflation at A-levels, so it's possible that students with IB have an edge, but you could try to find someone at the Unis you are interested in who could give you more information.

Maisycat · 16/05/2012 18:31

basildonbond - you would have to speak to the various colleges about specific entrance requirements but we have had no problem getting our students into Oxbridge with the IB. I have also had students who have got into Sandhurst.

He would need to be prepared to work hard, (and manage his time well, an excellent skill to learn at this stage) but I feel those that don't do the work at IB wouldn't work for A levels either! I teach History AS, A2 and IB standard and higher, so can see both sides. Some students are much happier with the IB, others with A level, it really is personal choice, can he speak to current IB and A level students to canvas some opinions? Obviously the year 13s will be caffeinated wrecks at the moment, on the verge of finishing their exams so year 12s may be better!

The work load can be heavy, we do try to make sure that the coursework and extended essay is spread out over the two years. History Higher level is very worthwhile for students who want to continue with History at university, it is taught with first year undergraduate skills in our school, which helps the students in their first year in university. Because subjects T higher level are covered in great depth they do gain quite a sophisticated understanding. It would also help him to do his extended essay in History; it's a great talking point if he is interviewed.

Hope that helps.

marriedinwhite · 17/05/2012 14:26

I can certainly talk to you. Our ds is just finishing his first year. It has gone right over my head by and large. We felt DS would be better off with straight A'Levels but he refused to move schools because he loved where he was so much. We just put our blind faith in the school and in him and it seems to be going OK.

Our ds isn't especially hardworking but he is very bright and all seems to be working out OK. He will be applying to Oxford and other Russell Groups Unis (can't get him interested in Cambridge) and the predictions seem OK. He's been much more tuned into it than he was at GCSE and has enjoyed his studies more. Oh, he wants to Classics.

chmum · 18/05/2012 14:44

Our DD is sitting her last IB paper today! She has loved the course, BUT it has not been without its problems. DD is in only the second year at her sixth form to study this course, and because the initial cohort did not achieve as well as expected last summer (many missed their University offers) the college have already decided to abandon it as a failed experiment - if DD does not do well, she will have no opportunity to re-take which is obviously a serious concern!!

One of the issues for the college was that Universities have a very inconsistent approach to the IB. Some recognise that the demands of the course are very rigorous, and make generous offers in recognition of this; others (Cambridge in particular) ask for very high points scores which are much more difficult for IB students to achieve than the 'equivalent' A Level grades. For comparison, it is worth noting that 8% of A level grades last year were awarded at A*, and 23% at A - but less than 0.5% of IB students achieved the top score of 45 points!

Above all, I'd say first check how much experience/ success your son's school has in delivering the IB. Next, look carefully at what IB score is likely to be required for the type of University/ course he will be considering, and then at the percentage of IB students worldwide who achieved this score. Compare this to the equivalent data for A levels.

With hindsight I think if we'd done our research and been more aware of the potential pitfalls of the IB, we would probably have advised our DD to take A levels instead!

Original poster

basildonbond · 18/05/2012 21:02

thanks everyone

ds is going to talk to his head of year to see what his take is on it for ds

the school's been doing IB for several years now and usually gets good results

one thing we need to work out is whether or not ds would have enough time for sport (currently trains every day and wants to keep it going for as long as poss)

OP posts:

Maisycat · 19/05/2012 14:32

He could continue the sport as part of CAS, especially if he could find a new angle for it - coaching, teams, qualifications etc.

chocolatecrispies · 20/05/2012 18:13

I did the IB 17 years ago and went to Cambridge so I would be surprised if it's not possible now. Do they still have to do community service because that was fairly time consuming - we did 4-6 hours a week I think. if organised sport is a priority then it might be hard to fit that in too.

complexnumber · 21/05/2012 11:29

I teach IB Maths and would like to refute some of what shootingstarz has written.

"IB = taking more exams, less depth, having to be good at all subjects in order to gain maximum marks, taking subjects that you don?t enjoy, UK Unis prefer home grown qualifications, less time for friends."

Yes you do have to take more exams, but do not be deluded that they are to less depth. It is generally acknowledged that Higher Level IB Maths is more rigorous than A' Level, and possibly less so than Further Maths.

It is true that you may end up studying some subjects for longer than you might wish.

I do not think there is any evidence that Unis prefer home grown qualifications. Every year we have plenty of UK uni's visiting our school trying to encourage our students to enroll with them.

I'm not sure what is meant by 'less time for friends' in this context.

A levels= taking 3-5 subjects that you really enjoy, more in depth knowledge of chosen subjects, more time for extracurricular and friends.

I have already covered the in-depth sthing. An integral part of the IB Diploma course is completing CAS hours, i.e. Creativity, Action and Service. So music, sports, voluntary work are all actively encouraged.

marcopront · 21/05/2012 17:39

I was about to post what complex number posted, including "I teach IB Maths".

All IB courses have at least 20% internal assessment, which is harder for the students who prefer to cram.

Also all UK universities give the scores they want from IB in their prospectus, so yes they are interested.

TeddyBare · 22/05/2012 16:38

I did IB at Atlantic College which is one of the IB flag ship schools. I can't recommend it enough. Your ds's subject choices sound perfect for an IB student. Oxbridge and other top universities are very aware of non-typical qualifications because they are looking to take the best students from around the world. Unfortunately there are some other people who do not understand IB but who still make (inaccurate) assumptions about it.
I don't remember anyone really having struggled with the volume of work, although I admit it was quite a few years ago. I think it is very helpful that IB year groups are typically very close-knit so it is the normal amount of work to be doing because it's what all of your friends are doing. I think A levels typically include some coursework too so I'm not sure that choosing A levels to avoid coursework would necessarily help much.

goinggetstough · 22/05/2012 18:03

Totally agree with teddybare I don't remember the workload being too onerous but then I didn't have A levels students at the same College to compare.
I too was at AC (not sure whether I was there with teddybare and was there many years ago (nearly 30!) and the IB was accepted then by all British universities. I have many friends who went on to Oxbridge, Harvard and Yale etc. Many of whom are now successful Doctors although I often see posts about Universities not liking the IB. If you are an academic all rounder then the IB is a great choice.

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