louistomlinson Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 I am currently deciding between taking HL or SL philosophy and when I looked at the curriculum, the two didn't seem all that different? Is the gap between HL and SL noticeable? Also- if I plan on taking HL English lit alongside it, will the reading load of the two courses be too much? Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
intranet3 Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Hi, The HL and SL curriculums do look similar. Of course, expect to read more books in HL than in SL. The major difference comes to final examination, where there are more exams in HL than in SL. In HL, you'll have to answer three questions in paper 1, one question in paper 2 and you'll also have a paper 3. In SL, you'll have to answer only two questions in paper 1, one question in paper 2 and you won't have to do paper 3. I would advise you to go talk to your philosophy teachers, as the curriculum and the books you'll read vary a lot from school to school. Indeed, except mandatory books, I believe your teacher can select any books he wants, as long as they are somewhat linked to the IB core or option themes. Also, I do think it is completely doable to do both English HL and philosophy HL. It does take a lot of reading time. Nevertheless, think well about what HL subjects you would like to take: are you to take maths? Chemistry? Biology? Don't hesitate if you have other questions! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
louistomlinson Posted June 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Thank you so much!! I'm actually going to a completely new school (in a new country and everything) next year, so I haven't been able to talk to any of the teachers, but I'm trying to get in contact with some students there for this very reason. Besides English lit and philosophy my other HL is going to be visual arts, and if I don't take HL philosophy I plan to take HL chemistry. That's actually another one of my worries- I've heard that the biggest gap between HL and SL is in the sciences, and I'm wondering if it might be better if I took SL philosophy and HL chemistry, just because the SL philosophy curriculum does seem more similar to the HL curriculum, whereas the SL chemistry curriculum is apparently a bit of a joke. This is super helpful to know about the reading load and the differences in exams. Thank you so much again! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
intranet3 Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 Well, if you plan on studying anything related to sciences, I definitely recommend taking Chemistry HL, as I believe it is the minimum requirement for many universities (not sure though). Make sure to get familiar with university requirements so that you make the best choices. Good luck! Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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