General IB Knowledge - Ask mini-questions about IB here

[Tenzi219]

I am doing my IA for psychology and I am really confused. I get lots of topics but there are limitations to all of them and I am finding it hard to choose.

The lists are:

Elias and Perfetti

Paivio

Neisser

stroop effect

Please helpe me find useful and detailed information on these experiments.... need help instantly.. have to submit it tomorrow....

Edited June 13, 2012 by Tenzi219

[The Economist]

I am doing my IA for psychology and I am really confused. I get lots of topics but there are limitations to all of them and I am finding it hard to choose.

The lists are:

Elias and Perfetti

Paivio

Neisser

stroop effect

Please helpe me find useful and detailed information on these experiments.... need help instantly.. have to submit it tomorrow....

I suggest you start a new topic in the Psychology thread since this topic is for general IB questions and you're probably not going to get many answers here.

[Guest Positron]

I'll attend the pre-IB this fall and I'd like to know if it's possible to start working on CAS already during the pre-IB.

[dessskris]

I'll attend the pre-IB this fall and I'd like to know if it's possible to start working on CAS already during the pre-IB.

sorry i don't think so!

[Summer Glau]

I'll attend the pre-IB this fall and I'd like to know if it's possible to start working on CAS already during the pre-IB.

sorry i don't think so!

Actually my school allows you to start CAS the summer before the first year of IB. You can do some over that summer but CAS can be finished during IB too, it's not as time-consuming as you think.

[Guest Positron]

I'll attend the pre-IB this fall and I'd like to know if it's possible to start working on CAS already during the pre-IB.

sorry i don't think so!

Actually my school allows you to start CAS the summer before the first year of IB. You can do some over that summer but CAS can be finished during IB too, it's not as time-consuming as you think.

Thanks for the replies!

I do know that I'm in no hurry to complete it and I have plenty of time to do it during the actual IB, but obviously it would've been easier if it had been possible to start it before the actual IB.

[Tony Stark]

Question: What's the IBO's position on students who were previously registered with an IB World School, but no longer, sitting IBDP exams?

[Sandwich]

Question: What's the IBO's position on students who were previously registered with an IB World School, but no longer, sitting IBDP exams?

Where are you sitting the exams? And position in terms of what?

You must take exams at an IB registered school, to my knowledge, because they only allow exams to be sat in their own assessment centres. So in that sense you have to be registered with that school, even if you only turn up to take the exams. You don't have to actually be a student at the school, however, if the school are happy to admit you into their exam session. This is done at their own discretion and some schools are free and easy, others have caveats. My school for example wouldn't let people do re-sits without paying for a whole new term's worth of fees. The school down the road were fine with accepting all the re-sit students from my school (who unsurprisingly refused to pay for another term's worth of the crappy tuition at my school which led to them not getting the grades in the first place) and letting them sit the exams purely for the price of the entrance fee.

I'm not entirely sure whether that's what you meant, however.

[Tony Stark]

Essentially, it is. However, the problem is my Language B Formal Oral and second Chemistry IA are yet to be submitted. The EE and ToK essay are not yet submitted, either; however as those are externally assessed I don't foresee them being a problem.

[Gaby]

I'll attend the pre-IB this fall and I'd like to know if it's possible to start working on CAS already during the pre-IB.

sorry i don't think so!

Actually my school allows you to start CAS the summer before the first year of IB. You can do some over that summer but CAS can be finished during IB too, it's not as time-consuming as you think.

Thanks for the replies!

I do know that I'm in no hurry to complete it and I have plenty of time to do it during the actual IB, but obviously it would've been easier if it had been possible to start it before the actual IB.

I did over 170h in IB1. 100h of them in Creativity. It's really not that difficult. It's actually the nicest part of the IB, in my opinion. I'll most likely finish all of my CAS before IB2 even begins.

[Nunya]

Hello. I'm a 10th grader from Eastern Europe and I'm extremely confused about this IB programme, which is fairly new in my country; my class is the first one in my school that is going to offer this programme starting with..11th grade, right?(the IB Diploma Programme). There are only three other schools I think in the whole country that run this IB programme.

So, I am extremely confused. Before you say anything, I DID google a lot of things, hence I'm here, but I'm still confused. And I don't have anyone in my school to ask about this, because the only ones who know something are the pincipals of the college(high school) ofc, but they won't say anything useful.. and my classmates just don't care, lol. They don't even know what this is all about.

In 11th grade, can you choose what subjects you want to study and their level, too? Or does the school(meaning the principals, I can see them doing that, lol) choose the subjects they want you to learn and then you can only choose your levels? 3 HL and 3 SL, or..? Or do they choose EVERYTHING in your place and you only learn what they want you to and at what levels they want, too? That, I don't like. And if so, when the time of the exam comes, you can only choose from the subjects you studied for those two years, right? So from the ones the school forced you to learn, right? That is horrible. And I hope I am terribly wrong. For example, what if they choose for us HL maths in grade 11 and in grade 12 HL maths..AGAIN! There's now way I could choose SL maths for my exams, right? I'm so obsessed with this because it can affect my grade..a lot. I CAN cope with SL maths, I've seen some things on the internet, but HL.. I don't know. I wonder if the prorgam is easier than here..

Also, do you study only 6 subjects per year? How can that be? I'm probably so confused because here in my country things are very different.. so.. forgive me

And then the exams in 12th grade, how do they work? Because, like I said, if the school chooses the subjects&levels you study in grades 11th&12th, you can only choose from the ones you studied, right, and the same level that the school chose for you, right? If I am right(I hope I'm SO wrong), this sounds AWFUL! Maybe some aren't that good in maths and want to study a SL math and the same with the exams, but I'm pretty sure the principals will choose HL maths for years 11&12. What then? And it's the same with my other classmates, who are probably better at some other subjects than the ones the school will force us to study. Some people are good at something, others at something else.. you can't just choose for others, seriously. Shouldn't I choose for myself? It IS my choice after all, or it should be. Wasn't that the point? That's what I understood from reading the official IB site.

And then, what about CAS? I don't see that happening in this school. We don't have things like that in this country. Heck, I don't even know if we have teachers for the IB programme. They need to hurry up and train them, or what. Will we receive textbooks? Will the grades from 11&12 years matter for something? Or do only the extended essay&the exams(6 subjects, right?) matter for your final grade on the diploma for your graduation?

I am seriously worried about the fact that the principals WON'T let us choose anything. And I'm pretty sure they will force us to study HL maths, but what if some are disadvantaged by this? Or by OTHER choices they make? This IB programme sounds AMAZING, really, BUT NOT in this school. I'm not 100% sure of anything yet though..

Edited June 24, 2012 by Nunya

[dessskris]

Hello. I'm a 10th grader from Eastern Europe and I'm extremely confused about this IB programme, which is fairly new in my country; my class is the first one in my school that is going to offer this programme starting with..11th grade, right?(the IB Diploma Programme). There are only three other schools I think in the whole country that run this IB programme.

So, I am extremely confused. Before you say anything, I DID google a lot of things, hence I'm here, but I'm still confused. And I don't have anyone in my school to ask about this, because the only ones who know something are the pincipals of the college(high school) ofc, but they won't say anything useful.. and my classmates just don't care, lol. They don't even know what this is all about.

ok but please number your questions next time

In 11th grade, can you choose what subjects you want to study and their level, too? Or does the school(meaning the principals, I can see them doing that, lol) choose the subjects they want you to learn and then you can only choose your levels? 3 HL and 3 SL, or..? Or do they choose EVERYTHING in your place and you only learn what they want you to and at what levels they want, too? That, I don't like.

ok so I think you know that the IB offers a lot, A LOT of subjects...but of course, schools are unable to offer ALL the subjects offered by the IB. school offer subjects that they could (i.e. have the teachers and resources, and enough demand too).

I hope you're familiar with the subject groups (that we have to take 6 subjects from 6 different groups, except that the 6th group (arts) could be replaced by any from the other groups). now, for example, my school"chose" to offer econ and biz for group 3, bio and physics for group 4, and visual arts, chem, geo for group 6. this, is the way my school limit our choices. so, we cannot take psychology, cannot take bio&physics at the same time, etc.

I think that's what all schools do. however, it's still up to you what subjects you want to take (but of course you can only choose out of the subjects offered at your school).

normally (and, ideally IMO) you take 3HL and 3SL. only crazy people would take 4 or 5 HLs. some other crazy people would even do 7 subjects, but we have to say it's not common. if you do less than 6 subjects, or less than 3 HLs, you will not get the diploma (so you'll only receive IB certificates).

don't forget you also have TOK, EE, CAS.

And if so, when the time of the exam comes, you can only choose from the subjects you studied for those two years, right? So from the ones the school forced you to learn, right? That is horrible. And I hope I am terribly wrong. For example, what if they choose for us HL maths in grade 11 and in grade 12 HL maths..AGAIN! There's now way I could choose SL maths for my exams, right? I'm so obsessed with this because it can affect my grade..a lot. I CAN cope with SL maths, I've seen some things on the internet, but HL.. I don't know. I wonder if the prorgam is easier than here..

you choose your subjects in the beginning of (or before) IB1 (or grade 11 in your case, coz in some countries they start IB in grade 12). and those are the subjects you're gonna study in IB2, and sit for the final exams.

however, some US schools allow students to anticipate their exams (take one or two SL subjects exams in the first year, and you study the rest in the second year). I don't think that's the case in the EU though.

Also, do you study only 6 subjects per year? How can that be? I'm probably so confused because here in my country things are very different.. so.. forgive me

refer to my previous answer, but yes normally we study the same 6 subjects throughout the two years. again, don't forget you still have TOK, EE, CAS. feel free to ask if you dont know what those are.

And then the exams in 12th grade, how do they work? Because, like I said, if the school chooses the subjects&levels you study in grades 11th&12th, you can only choose from the ones you studied, right, and the same level that the school chose for you, right? If I am right(I hope I'm SO wrong), this sounds AWFUL! Maybe some aren't that good in maths and want to study a SL math and the same with the exams, but I'm pretty sure the principals will choose HL maths for years 11&12. What then? And it's the same with my other classmates, who are probably better at some other subjects than the ones the school will force us to study. Some people are good at something, others at something else.. you can't just choose for others, seriously. Shouldn't I choose for myself? It IS my choice after all, or it should be. Wasn't that the point? That's what I understood from reading the official IB site.

refer to my answers above. feel free to ask further questions.

And then, what about CAS? I don't see that happening in this school. We don't have things like that in this country. Heck, I don't even know if we have teachers for the IB programme. They need to hurry up and train them, or what. Will we receive textbooks? Will the grades from 11&12 years matter for something? Or do only the extended essay&the exams(6 subjects, right?) matter for your final grade on the diploma for your graduation?

haha, no CAS is not graded

CAS is there to make sure you get the diploma. as in, if you complete all the CAS requirements, well ok you can get the diploma. otherwise, you're not gonna get the diploma. however, CAS does not contribute to your grades at all.

I am seriously worried about the fact that the principals WON'T let us choose anything. And I'm pretty sure they will force us to study HL maths, but what if some are disadvantaged by this? Or by OTHER choices they make? This IB programme sounds AMAZING, really, BUT NOT in this school. I'm not 100% sure of anything yet though..

really?? well, I hope your school works the same way as mine :/

there are 3 different types of IB maths btw, and most schools offer all three. hopefully I've helped clear up your doubts.

do check with your school though! might be different.

feel free to ask further questions!

EDIT: i thought i wrote this, but it's gone. maybe i deleted it by mistake.

TOK and EE are graded with letter grades (A, B, C, D, and also E maybe? dunno about E). there's a TOK/EE matrix, which tells you how many bonus points you get for each TOK&EE grade you achieve. for example if you get As in both TOK and EE, you get 3 points. if you get Bs in both, you get 2 points. wait, I think there's an E, and if you get Es in both, you fail to get your diploma. so you can either get 3, 2, 1 bonus points, no bonus points (but still get your diploma), or fail to get the diploma.

the maximum bonus points is 3 though. so in total, with your 6 subjects (each subject contributing to max 7 points), the total IB points is 45 (from 6*7 + 3)

Edited June 24, 2012 by Desy Glau

[Nunya]

THANK YOU so much for taking the time to answer all of my stupid questions! I really appreciate it

I think that's what all schools do. however, it's still up to you what subjects you want to take (but of course you can only choose out of the subjects offered at your school).

1) Well, what if they're all crappy? What if I wanted something else from that group? Not cool. So, at least, can I choose for myself the level of every subject I choose from the ones offered by the school?

you choose your subjects in the beginning of (or before) IB1 (or grade 11 in your case, coz in some countries they start IB in grade 12). and those are the subjects you're gonna study in IB2, and sit for the final exams

So it means that there has to be quite a few teachers teaching for not even 20 people. Because this IB programme is for ONE class in the entire school only and not all students from the class will choose the same subject from one group..

haha, no CAS is not graded

CAS is there to make sure you get the diploma. as in, if you complete all the CAS requirements, well ok you can get the diploma. otherwise, you're not gonna get the diploma. however, CAS does not contribute to your grades at all.

Yes, I know CAS is not graded. Sorry for not making myself clear. I was simply saying that CAS seems so unlikely to happen here, even though it is required. It also seems to take a lot of your free time. And our school won't offer anything. So, my other questions, which were not CAS related:

2) Will we/the teachers receive textbooks?

3) Will the grades you get in years 11&12 matter?

do check with your school though! might be different.

Oh, that is hopeless. Trust me, I've tried it before.

4) Also, can you tell me a bit more about TOK and EE? I know that's a 4000 word essay, but this is it is TOK at least interesting? It seems important for the IB.

5) I'm also curious as to what you did for your CAS-the creativity part. I'm pretty sure my school won't offer anything so I'll have to figure it out myself.

Thanks again and I will definitely be posting more after they tell us a bit more about it(sooner, hopefully).

[Emmi]

1) Well, what if they're all crappy? What if I wanted something else from that group? Not cool. So, at least, can I choose for myself the level of every subject I choose from the ones offered by the school?

Unfortunately you're stuck with whatever levels your school offers (standard or higher). In some of your subjects you might only be offered them at standard level or only at higher level, so if you wanted to do that subject you'd be forced to take it at the level your school offers. Example: At my school you could take mathematics at either math studies (SL), at standard level, or at higher level, the choice was up to you, but if you wanted to take visual arts you could only do it at standard level because higher level wasn't offered.

2) Will we/the teachers receive textbooks? 3) Will the grades you get in years 11&12 matter?

You SHOULD receive textbooks in some form or another. You might have to buy them, you might just be loaned them for the year, or you might just use handouts. Depends on how your school wants to run it. For classes like your Group 1 and 2 classes I doubt you'd need a textbook, but for things like math, history, sciences, etc you will need a good textbook or two.

Depending on how your school does grades. Oftentimes many schools have practice exams known as "mocks" that simulate exam conditions and these are often the basis of your predicted grades (what your teacher believes you will score on the final IB exam). Or your school might use grades that you earn in class just to assess how you are performing in class. Ask your teachers. More often than not grades DO matter, so try hard to do well.

4) Also, can you tell me a bit more about TOK and EE? I know that's a 4000 word essay, but this is it is TOK at least interesting? It seems important for the IB.

TOK is a class that you will take during your two years of IB. Your school will run the course based on what works for it. At my school it was a year long class divided into two years. We took the first half of the course during the second semester of IB1, and then the second half during the first semester of IB2 (we run on a two-semester school year, with each semester lasting about 18 weeks). TOK is essentially epistemology, or "how do you know what you know?" You learn about things called knowledge issues, learn about different areas of knowledge, and ways of knowing. You'll probably watch The Matrix or Inception at least once also. You can read more about TOK in the TOK forum on here.

For TOK you are given a grade based on two major components: a presentation and an essay. The presentation is given either by you or in a small group and it's centered around a main knowledge issue and you analyze it using the TOK guidelines. The essay is a 1,200 to 1,600 word essay that you write. You will be given a list of prescribed titles, which are questions the IBO has published, and you will choose one of them to write about. The questions change each year, so the title that I chose to write on, "Using history and at least one other area of knowledge, evaluate the claim that it is possible to attain knowledge despite problems of bias and selection," won't be on your list! Don't worry about these too much right now.

The EE is a research paper that you will write, and has a maximum word limit of 4,000 words. The minimum depends on your subject and question. You will pick a subject to write in (such as biology, history, your A1 language, music, psychology, economics, philosophy, mathematics, physics, etc), and from there you will decide on a subject area, and then narrow it down to a specific question that you will write your EE on. Then, depending on your question, you will do research, experiments, etc and then write the paper. This is how I came up with mine:

history > 20th century history > early 20th century history > WW1 and WW2 > Spanish Civil War > why the nationalists won the Spanish Civil War

You most often don't start this until the end of IB1 or the summer between IB1 and IB2, so don't worry about it too much right now.

5) I'm also curious as to what you did for your CAS-the creativity part. I'm pretty sure my school won't offer anything so I'll have to figure it out myself.

The creativity part is anything that is related to the arts or anything that requires you to do some thinking/planning. Most often this involves things like visual arts classes, theater, music lessons, etc. but if you were working on a big project, any planning you did for it would count as creativity also. So like if you were planning a clothing drive, the time you spent organizing the event, making posters, etc would count as creativity. For me, I earned my creativity hours by working on my school's decorating contest stuff.

Hope this helps a bit

Edited June 25, 2012 by Emy Glau-ski

[Nunya]

Thanks a lot guys! You did clear up a lot of things

Well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see what the school is going to do.

[dessskris]

Thanks a lot guys! You did clear up a lot of things

Well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see what the school is going to do.

yeah you should! will you be the first batch to do the IB? (i.e. can't you ask your friends at school who are going through it already?)

[Nunya]

yeah you should! will you be the first batch to do the IB? (i.e. can't you ask your friends at school who are going through it already?)

Yes, we're the first ones, unfortunately otherwise I would've asked someone a long time ago.

[Prerna Gupta]

HI. I need help regarding my extended essay and its urgent... Please help me out. Please...

So I am planning to do my extended essay in the subject economics and i wanted to do it on the company MKU which is a supplier of defence goods. They supply domestically and also export a large percentage of goods each year. They sell their goods through agents and also directly to the government. Additionally they participate in many tenders as well.

Now I am facing obstacles regarding what my research question can be. The most obvious and the only one that i can think of is determine the market structure that MKU works under. But I just wanted to know if someone can help me come up with a better topic and if not please help me by guiding me through on how to go about my EE.

Please help me out. i am stuck.

[carpediem]

HI. I need help regarding my extended essay and its urgent... Please help me out. Please...

So I am planning to do my extended essay in the subject economics and i wanted to do it on the company MKU which is a supplier of defence goods. They supply domestically and also export a large percentage of goods each year. They sell their goods through agents and also directly to the government. Additionally they participate in many tenders as well.

Now I am facing obstacles regarding what my research question can be. The most obvious and the only one that i can think of is determine the market structure that MKU works under. But I just wanted to know if someone can help me come up with a better topic and if not please help me by guiding me through on how to go about my EE.

Please help me out. i am stuck.

We can't come up with your research question - it states in the syllabus that "students are expected to formulate a precise research question", and hence you must make one up yourself. If you post what your research question is, users here can tell you whether or not it's a good research question or not.

Edited July 6, 2012 by carpediem

[ibdoom]

What are the GPA equivalents of IB scores? For instance a 7 is a 4.3...and so on.