What Is The Difference Between Ib And A-level?

Over the past 5 years, International Baccalaureate (IB) has been given a renewed focus by schools across the UK. Once a course that was reserved only for public schools, more high performing state schools have now taken the `leap` towards IB. But do we really know what the IB is, and is it really that different to A levels? As a teacher of IB and previously A-level, I would like to share my insights with you.

In a nutshell, the key differences between IB and A-level are:

- Workload. - Breadth of study. - Attitude required to achieve.

I will now take each of these points and illustrate the differences.

Workload - IB works with students selecting 7 subjects, with additional parts of CAS (Community, Action and Service) and the extended essay (a dissertation length research piece). As you will appreciate already, this seems a lot more than the average A-level student would be used to, and this is certainly the case. The IB requires students to not only study hard in the classroom, but also read around their subject to get good grades. This is because of the breadth of the course means that content cannot be covered extensively in the classroom. Whilst this may alarm you, students that love their subjects will enjoy this, given the complexity that some of the courses go into. Now, whilst some of you may be thinking `no way`, consider this. In my opinion, IB workload and complexity is equal or greater to the first year of an undergraduate course. By doing this as a 16-17 year old, you will have an advanced set of skills and experiences that will put you far ahead of your peers. Yes it may be tricky early on, but you will reap the benefits when you apply for university and jobs. Remember, that is what you are studying for in the firsts place...

Breadth of study - A key difference is the breadth of the courses. Especially in Business and Management, you are required to cover about 1.25 times the amount of content of a standard A-level course. IB likes the ability of students to master analysis and evaluation, but is not a sticker for lots of memory busting knowledge questions. Therefore, whilst you may be worried at the amount of content, it will be your ability to form and argument and weigh up both sides of story that will get you that coveted level 7. If you are thinking of IB, start discussing and debating current issues around you. If you find this enjoyable, then IB is for you.

Attitude required to achieve - I remember a few years ago having a student who had been absent for about 4 months of the school year. After returning to school and `cramming` in the traditional way, the student still managed to achieve a `B` at AS level. This traditional way of `cramming` is not possible at IB, and requires students to work throughout the year on a course. This does not have to mean excessive hours of study, but a consistent and mature approach is vital. This is not to say that if you have started an IB course slowly that you cannot get it back - but it is much better to be consistent from day 1.

Hopefully this article will outline some differences, but if you would like more information or for me to share my experiences, please do not hesitate to get in touch.