caffeinated Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 Hello everyone, I am currently up to the phase of subject selection for IB next year. In Australian Year 10 Maths, I get consistent As but I don't get 100%. As you probably know, HL Maths has a fearsome reputation. I really would like a 6 or a 7, but I realise that this might not be a realistic goal. I have gotten better at English, which would be the alternative HL, but I am not sure how I would fare and everyone expects me to take Maths HL. Please help... Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sofia. Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 I had the same dilemma! I don't know much about Australian Maths, to be honest, but consistent As do say something about your ability. Math HL is a challenging course, sure, but it's not impossible if you're generally good at maths. What you can do if you want to take the course, but aren't sure how you'll fare, is to take 4 HLs at first. Then you can drop one of them (English or Maths) after a month or two, depending on how it's going. Question is, do you need it? What do you want to study? Some courses require math at HL (check unis' websites), and then you'd have to take it. Some don't, and then the smarter choice would be to take the "easier" English HL and get a higher grade. (I chose Math HL anyways, talk about not taking your own advice! ) 4 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flinquinnster Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 Whilst I hate to say it, Australian maths at year 10 is of quite an abysmal standard compared to Maths HL in IB. Personally, I thought that it was pretty poor preparation for Maths HL, but that may have been because I didn't make much of an attempt to learn anything in my classes! Also, I appreciate that each school teaches differently, and that states also vary (I'm from NSW), and also the syllabus may have changed. Generally though, I think it's true to say that Maths HL is a massive step up from year 10, so results from there don't necessarily predict your performance in IB Maths HL. I know that quite a lot of people who were 95-100% in year 10 tests struggled with Maths HL - or mostly, with the direct encouragement of our school's maths department, scared off attempting the subject at all. Having said that, you don't necessarily have to have scored spectacularly well in year 10 to do well in Maths HL! The questions are, I would say, quite different as they are more complex and thus could actually be more interesting. Also, as I found, the difficulty of Maths HL inspired me to actually spend time doing maths work, which I had never been compelled to do without coercion before - and practice is the key to getting a 7 in the subject. So, as Sofia's mentioned above, definitely the best course of action is to start with 4 HLs. Then, after having done each subject for some time (and hopefully gotten some test results back) you are better placed to make a judgement! Our school gave us 1 year (all of year 11) to decide SL/HL, but you probably don't need that long. As a general note, strictly speaking if you're aiming for most Australian university courses you won't really need the Maths HL as a pre-requisite. It's to your advantage to 'maximise' your final score, if you do think that English HL will do that over Maths HL (though that might not be the case). However, do do your research into whether Maths HL is required. I personally would strongly encourage you to try Maths HL out - it's not as fearsome as it is said to be, and it's rather more fun than it appears to be! 2 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Hoose Posted June 23, 2014 Report Share Posted June 23, 2014 Only take HL if you need it... It is an incredibly challenging subject, very rewarding but will take up a lot of time from all your other subjects. Contrastingly, SL can definitely be difficult for people who don't tend to be Maths oriented, but overall it will be an 'easy' IB subject, if such a thing can exist. Personally, the difference between the SL and HL in Math is probably larger than the difference between most SL and HL subjects. Not trying to scare you, but I do feel that some people tend to underestimate the difference between Math SL and Math HL. Believe me, it will mean you save/spend hours and hours more of practice, complex mathematics and unbelievably abstract situations which will not be particularly beneficial to you after you graduate unless you wish to study something that is related to the field. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
caffeinated Posted September 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2014 Thank you all for replying! I have chosen Mathematics HL but my coordinator says it won't be a drastic problem if I change during 1st semester. Some people in the year above me have started it at my school and dropped down, but others say it's fine. I'm not really sure what to think, so next year should be interesting! Thanks again for your advice and I will be sure to work hard. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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