Should I do Chemistry or English A1 at HL

[kiwi.at.heart]

Basically in by the end of next week, i have to know what HL subjects I want to do. At the moment I am certain that I will do Maths and Business at HL and Biology SL and Spanish ab intio but I am not sure what to do as my third HL. I either have Chemistry or English A1. Currently I am at the top of my class in Chemistry and I know I am capable of doing HL, but then at my school there is about 30 people doing IB only 4 are doing English at HL because some have been told by the grade above that HL and SL English aren't that different.

I want to go into medicine after school so HL Chemistry would be good, but its not essential and if the doing HL means going down from a 7 to a 6 or 5, then it probably isn't worth it.

So basically, HELP! What is the difference between SL and HL in both subjects and which one would I be better off doing?

[AirenMaxence]

since I take both English A1 HL and Chemistry HL I would acutally suggest niether

It's true in the sense that Eng HL and SL have less difference than Chem HL and SL, but it is impossible to get a 7 in English unless you are the next Shakespeare. English A1 has one of the hardest examinations, its commentary, its oral all require a lot of literature perception and appreciation

Seeing you are taking Math HL, i would suggest you to go for Chem HL, since most topics, such as stochiometry, kinetics, equilibrium, acid and bases, redox and reaction rates all require good maths. Plus paper 1 of Chem has a lot of math and no calculator. But the stuff covered in Chem HL is almost twice the amount of SL, and you have a lot less time.

It's all about which you are better at really. If you can write a 10 page thesis on a 10 line poem, then go for Eng A, and if Logarithms is a walk in the park for you, go for chem. take it from someone who's doing both.

[Mahuta ♥]

I would say if you think you're good in english, it's much better than Chemistry HL, I mean it's your first language.

You want to go to Medical school, and though you didn't ask about this, I am wondering why you didn't take Biology HL, it's something almost all student who want to go to medical school do. Trust me biology HL prepares you very well for medical school. Also, I don't think you need Math HL for medicine, I mean it's ALOT of work, huge difference between Math HL and SL, it spares you so much time. Something else, why are you taking Business HL when you want to get into medical school. But like I said, you didn't ask about this, so I am just suggesting according to what our counselor told us in school.

" its not essential and if the doing HL means going down from a 7 to a 6 or 5, then it probably isn't worth it."

You want to become a doctor, I am 100% sure you are capable of doing biology HL, as well as chemistry HL. They both will help you SO much with medical school, it's how you can feel the advantage IB gave you in college.

So I am JUST suggesting:

Maths SL

Chemistry HL

Business & Management SL

Biology HL

English A1 HL

Spanish ab intio

I am sorry if I questioned something you didn't ask about, I am just wondering and trying to help.

Wish you the best of luck.

[dessskris]

I heard from some seniors that A1 HL is hard. I am taking A1 SL (not English, though) and I got an IB5 on the first quarter report, altho I actually expected an IB6+! I know that my indo teacher likes me and I have done quite well, but I only got a 5. and the one doing indo A1 HL also got a 5, altho last year he did very well in the languages. so I would say that doing A1 HL might not be easy.

Since you are doing Math HL (or at least gonna do), I guess you are good with calculations and it would fit with Chem HL. And since you might need it for uni, go for it. HOWEVER, it also means that you will be doing 2 sciences HL + math HL! before I started IB, I was very worried that taking 2 sciences HL and math HL would be tough. a lot of people told me so. consider the amount of lab reports you need to do. I am not trying to scare you but this is what people told me (including teachers). nevertheless, I am now doing quite well, still able to cope with it (altho once I was very mad bcos my physics lab report, chem lab report, math HW and english B HW were all due on a same day and I couldnt finish math&eng lol). I got a 7 for math, 6 for chem and 7 for phy (quarter 1 report) so I think that you will also be fine with 2 sciences HL+math HL.

but one thing I am sure of is that nothing is impossible. who knows if you will do well in both subjects?so my final recommendation is...

Try to do 4 HL first (if your school allows you to change levels later on). take math,chem,eng A1 and biz HL. then, see how lar. if you do better in english, drop chem to SL. vice versa.

Good luck and welcome to IB!

[kiwi.at.heart]

The reason I'm not doing Biology HL is basically how getting into a Uni here in Australia works. Your final score is way more important than what subjects you take. Basically, to get into medicine you just need to pass Maths SL or HL and Chemistry then get a final score of 40+. I love the subject Biology, but my mind works best with numbers and Biology I feel is basically just recall of facts, which isn't my strongest point. So I figured I'd do Biology at SL and hopefully get a 6 rather than do it at HL and go down in points when points are important to me.

Also, Im doing HL Business basically because its easy for me, I'm getting a good 7 in it at the moment and i figured I needed at least 1 HL that wouldn't stress me out. And I'm doing HL Maths because I love it, I'm good at it, and it gives me 2 bonus ranking points going into Uni. The Uni I want to go to gives bonus ranking points if you do Maths HL or a second language, so instead of needing 42 points to get in, I just need 40.

Thanks for the advice everyone, I'll probably do HL Chemistry because it is my stronger subject and its probably more of a chance I can get a 7 in it than English.

[Mahuta ♥]

Yeah, the system is kind of different to what I know, but it sounds good, and if I were you in that situation I would have probably done the same thing.

Although 42 points for Med school sounds a bit harsh..but yeah.

Good luck I am sure you'll do very good.

[kiwi.at.heart]

"Although 42 points for Med school sounds a bit harsh"

Well if I dont end up getting there, i can still go into medicine, I just have to a 3 year science course first, then a year of honours and then hope I have good enough marks to getting into the graduate bachelor of medicine which takes another 4 years, and then more years specialising. Its just easier to get a higher mark now, get into direct entry medicine and spend only 6 years getting my bachelor of medicine instead of 8.

[IOwnAndPwnU]

I would recommend HL Chemistry only because it requires much more definitive answers as opposed to English's "non-existent rubric". This is based on the fact that most people aren't as good in HL English as they are in HL Chemistry. However, if you really enjoy English AND are really good at, take HL English. Go with your strengths.

[chickfilla]

I know you've probably chosen already but, pretending you haven't, I'm gonna answer anyway:

I would and did take English A1 because all you have to memorize are some literary features, you'll learn to find the meaning and analyze. In Chemistry there's just so much to memorize!

[Minuet]

If you want to go into Med school, the first thing they care about is Chemistry; they prefer it over Biology any time, any day. If you're absolutely sure that Medicine is your decision, it's definitely best to take Chemistry HL.

On the other hand, English A1 (whether at HL or SL) is pretty demanding but very exciting at the same time...if you're a literature freak like myself. The differences between HL and SL are:

HL: 15 books

SL: 12 books

HL: In the exam paper commentaries, you're given absolutely no guide whatsoever. You have to infer everything from the text yourself.

SL: In contrast to HL, they give you a guideline before the commentary texts. They tell you what to comment on, etc.

Also, the expectation from HL is of course of a much higher standard than SL. In HL, you're expected to write down everything and still stick to the word limit. That includes all literary devices, personal perspective, subject, purpose, style, mood, setting, structure, etc. In essence, though, you're learning the same thing whether SL or HL, just applying it differently.

Just in case you're open to new thoughts when it comes to career choices, if you're thinking Law, English A1 HL, they loooooove.

The difference between Chemistry HL and Chemistry SL is big. The material for HL is more bulky, and there's a lot more memorization. If you're good at the subject, by all means go ahead. If you're not, forget it. You're safer with Biology HL and Chemistry SL instead.

[fan]

I actually would advice you to do Chemistry HL rather than English. However that depends entirely on you, how confident are you in doing English at HL? But in my opinion writing chem lab reports are far more better than writing two world lit essays.

[chrypton]

Definitely go for Chem HL, especially since you want to do medicine. If you put the right amount of work into it, gaining a 7 in Chem HL is easier than English A1 HL.

[JustAnotherAsian]

I dont know if you already pick this and it may sound like im preaching.

But take what you like, because you will try so much harder!