IB diploma vs. AP Calculus

[Anonymous]

Year two of the IB HL AA course is a survey course of different college level math topics. They are not really "post-Calculus" topics bc the first year of the IB sequence is more like
Pre-Calculus rather than Calculus. That's one of the reasons our school offers the AP Calc BC course between the first and second year of the IB sequence. (Another reason is that IB is very rigid and you cannot take the IB exam until senior year, even if you finish the IB sequence junior year...so they put Calc BC in between so the second year of IB math is senior year for students who start IB math in 10th grade, which is most students who take Algebra in 7th).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Year two of the IB HL AA course is a survey course of different college level math topics. They are not really "post-Calculus" topics bc the first year of the IB sequence is more like
Pre-Calculus rather than Calculus. That's one of the reasons our school offers the AP Calc BC course between the first and second year of the IB sequence. (Another reason is that IB is very rigid and you cannot take the IB exam until senior year, even if you finish the IB sequence junior year...so they put Calc BC in between so the second year of IB math is senior year for students who start IB math in 10th grade, which is most students who take Algebra in 7th).

Wait. So if year 1 of HL is precalculus and year 2 is not really calculus either, then it seems like IB is really not a good choice for an American STEM student (unless their high school has hacked the IB curriculum by inserting AP Calculus into the sequence, as many schools apparently do).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In our school , the first yr (jr) of IB HL is AP calc bc

That doesn't make sense. Are you saying they cover AP calc BC over the course of those two years? If not then you are mistaken. IB math HL does not go above Calc senior year, as you seem to imply.

I am saying school have the math HL path kids take the actual AP Calc BC course in junior year (with other AP students and take the AP exam) then 1 yr of IB HL class in senior year and take IB HL exam senior year

[Anonymous]

Here are the credits MIT will give you for advanced math classes:
AP:
A score of 5 on the Calculus BC exam will grant you credit for 18.01.
A score of 5 on the Calculus AB exam allows you to enroll in the accelerated Calculus sequence of 18.01A/18.02A.

IB Higher Level Maths:
A score of 7 will grant you credit for 18.01.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here are the credits MIT will give you for advanced math classes:
AP:
A score of 5 on the Calculus BC exam will grant you credit for 18.01.
A score of 5 on the Calculus AB exam allows you to enroll in the accelerated Calculus sequence of 18.01A/18.02A.

IB Higher Level Maths:
A score of 7 will grant you credit for 18.01.

This seems to confirm that IB HL does not go beyond AP Calc BC, even when it’s taught after AP Calc BC.

With some context, it also explains why high schools insert the AP course into the IB sequence:
- 40% of test-takers score a 5 on the BC exam, and students can take that exam junior year, so as to report that score on their college applications.
- But only 20% of test-takers score a 7 on the IB HL exam, and students cannot take that exam until the end of senior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IB Math in the DP is a rigorous course. But it just doesn’t have the calc name. Right now in 9th in the Middle Years Program at an IB school my kid is in Integrated Math 2, which has significant algebra, geometry, and trig. He will never have a class called Algebra or Calc on his transcript. But colleges understand the IB diploma.

Actually - DD is on the IB diploma track and her junior year she took IB Math HL (I think the official title was "Analysis and Approaches"). Looking at her transcript, I was surprised that the class was titled AP Calc BC.

[Anonymous]

The problem is that for a good understanding of IB HL math you really need to take alg in grade 7, because then you can take IB HL 1 10TH, AB CALC BC 11TH AND IB HL2 IN 12TH. This is the problem i have fun into with FCC. They only let a minuscule amount of kids take Alg 1 in 7th and then they go like "well they can just do IB HL1 in 11th and IB HL2 in 12th---well frankly that is setting up kids for failure. They need to let whoever wants to take math 8 in 6th grade so they can do Alg in 7th

[Anonymous]

anyone here who had a kid take both AP BC Calc in 11th and IB AA HL2 in 12th? can they comment on which class was harder? and why?

[Anonymous]

These websites have some good info on what is taught in the four different IB Math classes:

https://blogs.ibo.org/blog/2019/06/20/mathematics-subject-breakdown/?fbclid=IwAR1i6VSkOnHR5vFUm4CJC3YkLUt4LK0TvqMgbVhqpT_q9eG1QgbUb2xopIQ


https://www.revisionvillage.com/new-ib-maths-curriculum-information/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:anyone here who had a kid take both AP BC Calc in 11th and IB AA HL2 in 12th? can they comment on which class was harder? and why?

Definitely AP Calc BC.

[Anonymous]

My kid found IB AA to be harder than Calc BC.

[Anonymous]

My DD is taking IB Math HL (2) right now as a senior and it’s the hardest math class she’s taken.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DD is taking IB Math HL (2) right now as a senior and it’s the hardest math class she’s taken.

This is helpful--did she take AP BC Calc last year?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:These websites have some good info on what is taught in the four different IB Math classes:

https://blogs.ibo.org/blog/2019/06/20/mathematics-subject-breakdown/?fbclid=IwAR1i6VSkOnHR5vFUm4CJC3YkLUt4LK0TvqMgbVhqpT_q9eG1QgbUb2xopIQ


https://www.revisionvillage.com/new-ib-maths-curriculum-information/

This is really helpful-thanks!