IB vs HSC (1 Viewer)

[Vanity-]

Okay so I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right section but anyway .. I am currently in year 10 and have to choose whether I want to do the IB or HSC next year. Most of you probably don't know what's in the IB, but all feedback is appreciated. I was wondering which one you guys would recommend in terms of the difficulty between the two, scaling, or anything really.

Thanks

 

[Carrotsticks]

I heard that the IB is more difficult than the HSC.

 

[super.muppy]

I heard that the IB is more difficult than the HSC.

thats what i heard too though imo HSC is much more acredited and more widely known

 

[harrisony]

The IB is very hard, what are you ranked in all your subjects?. One student at my school got a perfect score in the IB last year (one of like 25 or something students in the world), I talked to him and he loved the IB although another friend hated it.

One other thing is that you can fail the IB, you can't fail the HSC

 

[stevey6404]

Hmmm, if you're planning to do the IB, you'll have to be an independent worker and this requires high organisation skills.Also, teachers will expect you to do your own work. Usually, most people who are quite talented, eg achieving high marks in year 10 in a range of subjects, are capable of achieving high marks in the IB.
It also depends if you're planning to go overseas for university, what courses you're planning to get in to, what IB subjects you're going to do and if they run on different timetable lines.

 

[Vanity-]

Thanks for all your input guys, greatly appreciated! Well from all your opinions so far, I'm leaning more onto the HSC side now. I'm not really sure about my rankings as my school doesn't use that system strangely, but I think I'm performing above average but not top. I was just considering the IB cause 9 girls achieved 99+ compared to 3 that did the HSC, so I had the impression that you'd perform better in the IB..

 

[musing]

Do you go to MLC School by any chance?

Anyways, my friend is doing IB and she said it's not hard as everybody thinks.

 

[kateemily]

if u are willing to work hard (just as hard as u would work if u wanted 2 do well in the hsc) and are vaguely smart, you would be an idiot not 2 do the IB. I worked just as hard and sometimes harder than my friends who did the IB and their system has a far superior awarding system than the hsc. theres no comparison or anything, if u earn that marks thats it, full stop.

if it means anything, if i had to do yr11 and 12 over again, knowing what i do now and more about the 2 systems, id do the IB and not even contemplate the hsc. its especially beneficial if u wanna get into a high scoring uni course, itll help goodluck with it all

 

[annabackwards]

thats what i heard too though imo HSC is much more acredited and more widely known

HSC is only widely known and accredited in Australia whilst IB is known internationally and accredited in many more places

 

[Misyndo]

thats what i heard too though imo HSC is much more acredited and more widely known

>HSC is much more acredited and more widely know.

>International Baccalaureate (IB)
>International
>International

 

[Drongoski]

I have tutored IB Maths (SL). It's around 3U to 4U, and include some topics not in the HSC, and do not include some of the HSC topics. Tests more on understanding theory than problem-solving in HSC 3U/4U. IB Maths(HL) is around 4U with some 1st Yr University Maths topics.

Unlike the HSC, you don't have assessment each term. Apart from projects etc, you take the final exam and what you get are your marks; unlike the NSW HSC where you have all this nonsence of scaling/alignment in an attempt to "iron out" the effects of different schools having different standards.

From my observation, it appears in schools like MLC, Trinity Grammar which offer both IB and the HSC, the brighter students opt for IB. Those less academically able would find the IB a struggle. It's my guess anyway.

SL = Standard Level
HL = Higher Level

 

[Luxxey]

Ah, the age old question that I debated myself a few years ago.

The IB is for all-rounders, since you need to pick subjects from each "group". Whereas, in the HSC, you can choose your strongest subjects.

IB also has a lot of "extra" subjects, like TOK (Theory of Knowledge) and CAS (Community Action Service.. I think). You must present a TOK essay and have completed a set number of CAS hours by the end of the IB. On top of this, there is an EE (Extended Essay) due at the end of the year which can be written in any subject but must be 4000 words. In contrast, the HSC is entirely subject-based.

The reason why more girls do better in the IB is:
a) It is not rankings based. You get a score from 1-7.
b) Depending on the subject, 7 can be anywhere from 80+ to 90+.
c) Due to difficulties like the Highers (more on that later), the IB is generally composed of more intelligent students than the HSC (though there's personal choice and blah blah blah)

In comparison to the ~40 people who get 99.95 ATAR every year, there is no limit on how many can get 45/45 in the IB (equivalent to 99.95). Hence it's easier to achieve 99.95, but only if you're an all-rounder, etc.

Moreover, you need to choose 4 Higher subjects in Yr 11, with a minimum of 3 in Yr 12 (from memory). One of my best friends does Higher Mathematics, and it's quite difficult (equal to if not more than 4U). Higher Chemistry has only 1 student in my school. Higher English has ridiculous unseen essays and analyses of poems that are difficult if you aren't good at extrapolating meaning. This is in contrast to doing the HSC, where you can do simpler subjects like 2U maths, 1U religion, 2U english, etc. instead of being forced to choose some extensions.


OH and the IB classes generally finish the syllabus with a good 6 months or so to go, which is spent purely on revision, whereas some HSC subjects don't finish until just before (looking at you, Chemistry). The exams are later, too.

---

Seeing as you've said you're not at the top of your cohort, unless you can dramatically pull your ranks up through sheer hard work, don't do the HSC. The IB is much fairer in marks and you will not be judged against your peers. That said, you need to be an all-rounder.

Personally I chose the HSC because my ranks were good, I was strongest in the subjects I could choose, and I could focus my attention on fewer tasks. For me, it was appropriate.

Up to you.

(Oh, and yeah, sounds like MLC by your comparison of HSC and IB girls. Info day should be coming up... if not, just ask some students.)

 

[occer]

I'd choose HSC by far, even though it's a pretty awful system.

 

[Vanity-]

Indeed, I do attend MLC . Well thanks again guys, especially Luxxey, now you've completely left me sitting on the fence haha. My options are open again and I'm probably just going to wait until the teachers talk through about it with us. The main thing that really is putting me off the IB is the compulsary language, which I am horrible at.