Mathematics

 

Top of the week to you hard workers!

 

 

In the past week we've been quite busy coming up with our - just about final - Business IA questions and coming up with a FOA (Further Oral Assessment) for English. We will also be talking about this in the future. Instead of that, today we will be talking about Mathematics, which is an obligatory subject in the IB system.

 

To make up a short introduction, you can choose between four different levels of Mathematics: Further Mathematics Level ( Most schools do not offer this ), Higher Level, Standard Level and Standard Studies Level. At this point, it is worth to consider your plans in the future, whether you actually need to take up extra time for your math studies. For instance, if you are planning a career in the business world, HL, SL or studies will all suffice. Of course this all will depend on your choice of university and you should research this before choosing your level. Also, if you are planning to study arts, law or languages then Math Studies is more than enough. It is known that in the United Kingdom, most universities will not accept you if you are studying Math Studies, so that is also worthwhile considering. If you want to study physics HL or SL in the IB, you will need Standard or Higher Level Mathematics. However, there are always exceptions to the rules depending on your school.

 

IN HIGHER LEVEL AND STANDARD LEVEL MATHS: IN PAPER 1, YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO USE CALCULATORS. IN PAPER 2 YOU CAN!

 

Now, to dig deeper into the subject we will start with Higher Level Mathematics. Some people within the system consider this the most difficult and demanding amongst all the subjects. However, we don't really agree with this, because we believe Higher Level Physics is way more demanding. We are not saying that Higher Level Mathematics will be easy, it will most certainly not, it is indeed highly time consuming, demanding and just doing your homework will not be enough to survive in this subject. Not to scare you guys, but in this subject, being smart will not suffice anymore, you need to practice, practice, practice. Or be a genius, whatever you like. It is not impossible, we assure you, but it will need enormous amounts of commitment and interest, just like Higher Level Physics. It is good to have Higher Level Mathematics if you are planning to study maths in the future or pursue a scientific or architechtural career.

The ground we cover in HL Maths is greater than what is studied in Standard Level and basically we just dig a little deeper into the subjects such as Calculus, Algebra, Trigonometry etc.

 

YOU CAN ALWAYS DROP DOWN A LEVEL BUT YOU CANNOT CLIMB UP.

 

Standard Level Mathematics is somewhat easier than Higher Level Maths, but it still requires effort and contionous practice. So don't think your getting away easy, you're not. This is a good choice of level, because it will be accepted in univrersities around the globe and provides a good basis for your future studies. We recommend you to choose this, if you're not quite sure what you are going to study in the future and feel as though Higher Level will be too much for you to handle. We do recommend you to aim high though! There's not much else to be said on Standard Level Maths, as the title says it is standard level. No rocket science involved.

 

YOU CAN DROP EVEN FURTHER DOWN IF NECESSARY, IT IS POSSIBLE! BUT AGAIN, NO CLIMBING UP.

 

 

If you feel as though Higher or Standard level mathematics is still too much and you do not see yourself needing mathematics in your future studies, this is the choice for you. It is not math for dummies, as it is often perceived as. This level is not provided in every school, for instance, in 2013 this level was implemented in our school. Before it, people had to survive with Standard Level. The basic concept of Mathematical Studies is to learn the every day mathematics what you can implement into your daily life. The same topics are covered but in less detail, which is great for people who aren't interested in mathematics. In test conditions, you can use calculators in both papers; paper 1 and paper 2.

 

 

 AFTER THIS, THERE IS NO DROPPING DOWN OR CLIMBING UP. IF YOU ARE DROPPING DOWN YOU ARE DROPPING OUT, FOR GOOD.

 

 

In test conditions for all these levels, it is good to know that one point = one minute. For Paper 1 we have 90 minutes to complete the paper and 90 points to score. Use your time wisely, if you feel as though you're not going to solve the question, skip ahead so that you don't waste your precious time. Don't think too long!

 

For us, during the second year of IB, we will start on our Math Explorations where we will have to come up with an equation of some sort and prove it in everyday conditions. Of course, for different levels there will be different requirements. But that's a given.