EmileHeskey07 Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 Hi,so i was wondering whether HL math is significantly harder than a levels math? As some people say that the a levels math are somewhat similar to the SL math in IB. If so why do they get considered the same as HL math? I'm planning to take engineering courses so i may have to take HL Math. However it is not my strongest point and therefore thinking of moving into a levels. Thanks! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 I don't know how the A-Levels work, but i have heard that the Further Mathematics is even more rigorous that the IB Math HL. (not personal experience, just what i have heard from teachers/ students.) Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yii yann Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 I went to check out the Edexcel A level math syllabus in order to answer this question, and so will be basing my answer only on the Edexcel syllabus. Also, my answer is based on the previous syllabus for math (up till nov 2013, I think). Firstly, A level math is nowhere near HL Math. A better comparison would be: A level math to SL Math, A level Further Math to HL Math. After comparing both papers, my conclusion is that IB Math in general is harder than A level math, for one simple reason: The exam questions are much harder. There's more content to learn in A level maths, for sure. Especially in the Edexcel FP2 and FP3 papers, and the mechanics papers. However, the questions in the exam often are basic, or just not imaginative. They test your knowledge, not so much of your understanding. You must be clear on your knowledge though. A lot of the times, if you do not know something, you will be stuck. It is difficult to logic your way out of it unless you are Gauss or something. For IB Math, especially HL, there is quite a lot of content, but not quite as much as A level further math. The exam questions however, can sometimes be reincarnations of Satan. They are often cross-topic, requiring you to apply knowledge from many topics. They are also application based - there's no point knowing Tangent theta is Opposite/Adjacent if you can't apply it to some differential equation question. There is a certain amount of creativity and problem solving involved, which I did not find in any but the last question of FP2 in Edexcel. 3 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmapatregnani Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 IB Math HL is definitely harder than A level maths. I have read both syllabuses and any module combination at A level is much easier than Math HL both in content and question style. However there is a further maths A level which is harder than Math HL but then the IB also has a Further Maths course which levels up with its correspondent A level. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandwich Posted February 2, 2014 Report Share Posted February 2, 2014 I know people who did A Level Maths & Further Maths and HL Maths is indeed more than both of those in terms of content and especially difficulty - largely because the way they ask the questions in HL Maths is so mental!It's like IB Chemistry HL and A Level Chemistry, IB is actually harder even though similar topics are covered. A Levels do multi part questions which basically lead you step by step to the final answer. In IB papers they just give you the bare facts and then leave you with no idea or clue of what sorts of things you ought to do to find the final answer. It makes things much more challenging and HL Maths is a bit like that, it requires some somewhat more extreme thinking skills.If you want to apply to a UK University, A Levels are definitely the better option. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmileHeskey07 Posted February 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2014 Thank you guys for the answers! I personally agree with you that HL math seems more difficult compared to the A Levels counterparts. However, if i'm planning to apply to US colleges, do they recognise the a levels? My main options are probably texas a&m, mcgill in canada or Carnegie Mellon. It also doesnt say the subjects needed for engineering...(I know most unis need HL math and physics or chemistry). Do you think it's possible to take SL math? Because in my school people are getting 4s and 5s at HL Math.... Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarathustra Posted February 6, 2014 Report Share Posted February 6, 2014 (edited) Thank you guys for the answers! I personally agree with you that HL math seems more difficult compared to the A Levels counterparts. However, if i'm planning to apply to US colleges, do they recognise the a levels? My main options are probably texas a&m, mcgill in canada or Carnegie Mellon. It also doesnt say the subjects needed for engineering...(I know most unis need HL math and physics or chemistry). Do you think it's possible to take SL math? Because in my school people are getting 4s and 5s at HL Math....US Unis recognise A Levels,giving them the same waiting as the IB or AP (roughly)If you have specific inquiries about a Uni, you should really ask them. It is unlikely that people on this forum will know exactly what a certain Uni likes.Also, to answer the first question: IB Further Mathematics HL > A Level Additional Further Mathematics > IB Mathematics HL > A Level Further Mathematics > IB Mathematics SL >= A Level Mathematics > IB Mathematical Studies SLAnd Mathematics HL is not inventive or clever or whatever. You just have to be fast. Edited February 6, 2014 by Zarathustra Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yii yann Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Thank you guys for the answers! I personally agree with you that HL math seems more difficult compared to the A Levels counterparts. However, if i'm planning to apply to US colleges, do they recognise the a levels? My main options are probably texas a&m, mcgill in canada or Carnegie Mellon. It also doesnt say the subjects needed for engineering...(I know most unis need HL math and physics or chemistry). Do you think it's possible to take SL math? Because in my school people are getting 4s and 5s at HL Math....US Unis recognise A Levels,giving them the same waiting as the IB or AP (roughly)If you have specific inquiries about a Uni, you should really ask them. It is unlikely that people on this forum will know exactly what a certain Uni likes.Also, to answer the first question: IB Further Mathematics HL > A Level Additional Further Mathematics > IB Mathematics HL > A Level Further Mathematics > IB Mathematics SL >= A Level Mathematics > IB Mathematical Studies SLAnd Mathematics HL is not inventive or clever or whatever. You just have to be fast.I disagree with your last line. A lot. The last question in my paper 2 (HL Math May 2013 TZ2) is an example of a pretty interesting question that required insight into the nature of the problem. It is not clear what the first step is. You have to think through your content, and identify what exactly you can use and manipulate, to set up the equation. None of the A level further maths papers I saw came close to the amount of insight you need in HL Math (Except perhaps M3 and M5). I also would like to state that this isn't some superiority contest. The two syllabi simply have different objectives: A Level focuses on Knowledge, and IB tends to focus on understanding/application/manipulation. Another example of "proof" of this may be: Every question you find in A level maths papers, you can find in textbooks. You will be hard pressed to do the same for IB Math. 2 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarathustra Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 Thank you guys for the answers! I personally agree with you that HL math seems more difficult compared to the A Levels counterparts. However, if i'm planning to apply to US colleges, do they recognise the a levels? My main options are probably texas a&m, mcgill in canada or Carnegie Mellon. It also doesnt say the subjects needed for engineering...(I know most unis need HL math and physics or chemistry). Do you think it's possible to take SL math? Because in my school people are getting 4s and 5s at HL Math....US Unis recognise A Levels,giving them the same waiting as the IB or AP (roughly)If you have specific inquiries about a Uni, you should really ask them. It is unlikely that people on this forum will know exactly what a certain Uni likes.Also, to answer the first question: IB Further Mathematics HL > A Level Additional Further Mathematics > IB Mathematics HL > A Level Further Mathematics > IB Mathematics SL >= A Level Mathematics > IB Mathematical Studies SLAnd Mathematics HL is not inventive or clever or whatever. You just have to be fast.I disagree with your last line. A lot. The last question in my paper 2 (HL Math May 2013 TZ2) is an example of a pretty interesting question that required insight into the nature of the problem. It is not clear what the first step is. You have to think through your content, and identify what exactly you can use and manipulate, to set up the equation. None of the A level further maths papers I saw came close to the amount of insight you need in HL Math (Except perhaps M3 and M5). I also would like to state that this isn't some superiority contest. The two syllabi simply have different objectives: A Level focuses on Knowledge, and IB tends to focus on understanding/application/manipulation. Another example of "proof" of this may be: Every question you find in A level maths papers, you can find in textbooks. You will be hard pressed to do the same for IB Math. I sat the paper you mentioned as well (May 2013 candidate). I don't remember the question you mentioned: that means it probably wasn't that remarkable in my opinion. I will concede, though, that the last question (on complex numbers) in Paper 1 was harder than I expected (and I didn't finish it entirely).However, Math HL is not hard because the questions require in depth knowledge of the topics, but because you have to be fast. Usually, in mathematics, fast does not equal thorough... And this is why doing past papers is so fundamental. You have to practice, so you can spot the trick immediately. And this is not understanding, it is drilling. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yii yann Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 (edited) Thank you guys for the answers! I personally agree with you that HL math seems more difficult compared to the A Levels counterparts. However, if i'm planning to apply to US colleges, do they recognise the a levels? My main options are probably texas a&m, mcgill in canada or Carnegie Mellon. It also doesnt say the subjects needed for engineering...(I know most unis need HL math and physics or chemistry). Do you think it's possible to take SL math? Because in my school people are getting 4s and 5s at HL Math....US Unis recognise A Levels,giving them the same waiting as the IB or AP (roughly)If you have specific inquiries about a Uni, you should really ask them. It is unlikely that people on this forum will know exactly what a certain Uni likes.Also, to answer the first question: IB Further Mathematics HL > A Level Additional Further Mathematics > IB Mathematics HL > A Level Further Mathematics > IB Mathematics SL >= A Level Mathematics > IB Mathematical Studies SLAnd Mathematics HL is not inventive or clever or whatever. You just have to be fast.I disagree with your last line. A lot. The last question in my paper 2 (HL Math May 2013 TZ2) is an example of a pretty interesting question that required insight into the nature of the problem. It is not clear what the first step is. You have to think through your content, and identify what exactly you can use and manipulate, to set up the equation. None of the A level further maths papers I saw came close to the amount of insight you need in HL Math (Except perhaps M3 and M5). I also would like to state that this isn't some superiority contest. The two syllabi simply have different objectives: A Level focuses on Knowledge, and IB tends to focus on understanding/application/manipulation. Another example of "proof" of this may be: Every question you find in A level maths papers, you can find in textbooks. You will be hard pressed to do the same for IB Math. I sat the paper you mentioned as well (May 2013 candidate). I don't remember the question you mentioned: that means it probably wasn't that remarkable in my opinion. I will concede, though, that the last question (on complex numbers) in Paper 1 was harder than I expected (and I didn't finish it entirely).However, Math HL is not hard because the questions require in depth knowledge of the topics, but because you have to be fast. Usually, in mathematics, fast does not equal thorough... And this is why doing past papers is so fundamental. You have to practice, so you can spot the trick immediately. And this is not understanding, it is drilling.It was the one about a streetlamp and a road, or something. Tangent was involved. Being quick is a part of it. You've gotta be quick in almost every math exam. Its true that spotting the trick is vital. The "trick" in HL math, however, is often not as obvious as it is in A level maths, where the questions seem to be literally the same as those found in textbooks.It should also be said that once you have sufficient knowledge of a particular topic, or rather, a feel for the types of questions usually found related to that topic, almost any reasonable pre-university standard question on it will seem like a game of spotting the trick. Edited February 13, 2014 by yii yann Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarathustra Posted February 13, 2014 Report Share Posted February 13, 2014 I still don't remember the question you are talking about (there was a question with tan and arctan and similar, but it was P1). Perhaps it was a problem of maxima/minima? I think that was the last question. It was easy though, but I guess we are all different. TZ2 is Europe as well, right?I don't think an exam where you need to score 1 mark per minute and where the hardest thing is getting the timing right is an exam that tests your reasoning abilities. More likely, it is a reflection of how much you practiced (on a side note, we rarely proved anything in out Math classes. we just rushed through many problems, and that's it). Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Skyrior Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 I agree with ^.I hate the fact that I know how to solve almost all questions, but consistently did not have enough time for it. It was annoying. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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