Studies after
IGCSE: IB
r/IGCSE Live Session #1
22 June 2024, 21:00 GMT+8
Please CHECK IN by clicking the link in chat!
Overview of the session
Overview of the IBDP (for IBCP, please ask in the Q&A)
IB subject groups; choosing subjects
Life in the IB: more than academics!
Transitioning to senior school; advice
“Do I have to prepare before IB?” (no.)
Cons of the IB experience
Last words and encouragement
Q&As, list of resources at the end
Expected time before Q&A: 40 to 45 minutes
About me: your host!
Undergrad maths student at UofAdelaide, Australia
IB subjects: HLs - Maths AA, English Literature,
Spanish (B HL), SLs - Physics, Geography,
Philosophy, achieved 40/45
Completed 11 IGCSE subjects, 9A* and 2A
south Career interests: applied maths, although interested
in humanities as well
Also a long-time contributor on the IB Discord
Overview of the IBDP
6 subjects over 2 years: 3 higher level, 3 standard, 7 points each
IAs: coursework, e.g a lab report, a research essay, or a speaking
exam, weighted 20-25%
TOK: making connections between subjects and the real world,
exhibition in year 1 and essay in year 2: with EE, makes up 3 points
EE: one essay, 4000 words max, go in-depth into subject and
topic of your choice with supervisor, choose subject and topic
dp1 Nov-ish, start planning and writing during summer
CAS: creativity, physical activity, service, 7 learning outcomes and
group project: pass/fail
IB subject groups (1)
Group 1: your best language, analysing language and literature, IA:
spoken commentary about themes in 2 bodies of work (called IO),
HL students also have 1500 word essay
Group 2: foreign languages, focusing on communication: reading,
writing, listening, speaking (IA); ab, SL, HL in increasing difficulty
Group 3: humanities, e.g econ, business, history, psych, IA:
research essay, also usually involves data analysis (*)
Group 4: sciences, bio/chem/phys but also CS, DT, and sports sci,
IA is an experimental lab report (**)
(*): maybe not for history/glopo/philo etc. (**): for CS, a project that solves client’s needs, e.g database management
IB subject groups (2)
Group 5: mathematics, AA is pure (more algebra/calculus), AI is
applied (more stats/function modelling), IA is an investigation (*),
significant gap between AAHL and other options
Group 6: free option: choose again from groups 1-4, or arts (film,
music, visual arts), IA: portfolio piece, no finals for arts!
,
Your dilemma: two sciences or two humanities, start by thinking
about HLs, then SLs are just what you enjoy the most
(*): for intl maths 0607 students, think of it as a longer version of paper 6, 12 to 20 pages double spaced
Possible subject choices
you probably
won’t choose your
subjects like this,
but the sky’s the
limit!
Choosing your subjects
What you like, what you’re good at, what you need for uni
Subject choice: smaller schools have less options
Don’t stress: can try out subjects and switch for at least the first
month
Make an informed decision: subject briefs and subject guides i.e
syllabuses are online, parents do not know best (ask your
teachers or uni counsellor if you’re unsure)
DP1 vs DP2
DP1 DP2
Mostly just classes, learning content Depending on school, hit with many IA
Some focus on CAS, writing reflections deadlines in the same week, especially
every month/for each activity from October onwards (*)
Some focus on EE, start choosing subjects Might have lots of energy in the first IA, but
and topic in Nov or so: a good RQ takes be completely drained for your last IA
time; your essay will collapse on a weak Don’t panic for DP2 mocks! Motivator to
foundation (**) get you revising for finals
Class performance and DP1 end-of-year Days become empty and boring after all
exams used to determine predicted the IAs are done, only exam revision: do
grades for uni: don’t panic! fun things and get together with friends!
Don’t fear: IB is only hellish for around 6 months in DP2! (***)
(*): The later your school lets you submit drafts and finals, the more screwed you are
(**): The EE process might last a year on paper, but after planning, you can definitely write the whole thing up in 48 hours (I personally
wouldn’t risk any less time) (***): More if you procrastinate! Don’t risk your teachers chasing you up for the deadline...
The DP rollercoaster!
Transitioning to senior school
More privileges! (study/’free’ periods, more leadership opportunities, smaller
class sizes and more teacher attention, better relationships with peers...)
You can balance school, sleep, and social life! Know when you’ve over-
committed and take care of your mental and physical health first.
Leadership and making a difference to your school and your community: many
more options than just being a prefect
Have to think about uni options, reading website, making lists, maybe also
talking to older students online about their experiences: you are going to be
living in that city, probably independently!
“With great power comes great responsibility” (Spider-Man)
CAS: why IB can be fun at times
Learning through trying new things is a really good way to find out what your
interests are and what you are passionate in
What I personally did for CAS:
C: school choir, made a band with friends and performed in front of DP
students, home cooking, digital art, creative writing
A: school cross-country race, hiking, bowling
S: charity council, maths competition club leader, school TED talk speaker,
neurodiversity advocate in general
Please do your reflections! They will come in handy for uni personal statements and
the journey matters much more than the final result
IB doesn’t want you to suffer; wants you to become a well-rounded, global citizen
CAS learning outcomes
1 to 5: easy!
you’ll probably
achieve them many,
many times
6 and 7: harder, but
start from what
interests you and
then think about
how you can share
it with the world
Coursework and IAs: general advice
Done is better than perfect: it’s not
worth perfecting one IA if you have
barely started working on your other
IAs
Ask your teachers for extensions early:
internal deadlines can be flexible and
you will have more breathing room
Planning super thoroughly saves you
time later on
Find what works for you: I found I
absolutely couldn’t work at home, so I
spent 1 hour every day after school
(useful for EEs and essay-based IAs) working on IAs, for example
Do I have to prepare stuff before IB?
No!
“IB is a marathon, not a sprint” (*) - come into IB feeling well-rested and save
your energy for when things get really frenetic with your IAs in dp2
Besides, the most challenging part about the IB isn’t the academics, but with
time management and learning to write well-written coursework: learning this
is part of the process and you don’t have to know everything before starting
Risk of going off a complete tangent without supervision for IAs and the EE
Look into things and maybe study ahead a bit cause you want to, not cause
you feel obligated to (there may be some special cases, such as (**))
(*): said every IB coordinator ever when introducing IB to students, it’s a running gag
(**): such as if you want to do AAHL but you have IG core maths ability, for example
Some negatives of the IB experience
Dealing with shitty school bureaucracy: not having the option to take subjects, EE
supervisors who don’t know your subject, being forced to catch up on your EE
during CAS week, teachers who don’t explain things or teach properly (*)
Mental and physical health: competition with other students, not sleeping well
due to early starting times, over-committing to academics and ECs and thus
burning out, loneliness and social isolation, not being able to exercise cause
school is too draining, not knowing how to reach out for help
IB organisation: past papers being locked under a paywall, exam unpredictability
cause IB sucks at explaning things to the public, inability to intervene if your
school is shit
Try your best but don’t dwell on what you can’t control
(*): my heart goes out to all of you if you are self-studying content cause of this
Last words and encouragement!
IB is intense: it’s going to be the journey of your lifetime so make the most of it
and don’t spend your time just locking yourself in your room to study
Personally, IB has made the transition to university much more comfortable, and
the limited freedom you get in the IB has allowed me to make the most of my
education (and it also helps with time management, definitely)
Good luck and best of wishes for your futures! I have one last image to share with
you all...
Please don’t procrastinate...
ask for help before it’s too late.
Thank you for coming!
Our Q&A section will begin shortly.
(The next slide also has a list of helpful resources)
Some helpful resources
IB Reddit and Discord: https://www.reddit.com/r/IBO/ and discord.gg/ibo
SaveMyExams (general), Revision Village (sciences and maths), PaperPlainz
(physics), BioNinja (biology), IB Taskmaker (maths), Chris Doner, OSC on YouTube
(physics), IB Maths Resources (maths IAs, paper 3)
GeographyAllTheWay, GeographyPod (geo), Antonio Luna (Spanish), IB English Guys
(English), IB Psych Matters (psych), EcoNinja (econ), ThinkIB (general)
TOK2022.net (TOK), search results for “ib cas handbook” (CAS), ManageBac
