What do IB Students Think About IB Courses?
For prospective IB students, choosing subjects can be challenging without a clear understanding of the workload and level of difficulty each course entails. To address this, this page compiles the experiences of current and former IB students across various subjects, along with practical advice to help future students succeed in their chosen courses.
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How difficult is this course for you?
Probably the hardest course of mine due to it's emphasis on both memorization and calculation. It's not enough to "learn" the formulas or even know the derivations. Rather, the student is expected to internalize the concepts. Say one's learning about "force": They have to learn the definition, (SI) units, conversions to work, energy, power etc., and combine all in complex questions. Also, the exam questions, in my opinion, are design to trick/mislead the student into making mistakes, instead of asking harder questions gradually (e.g. mathematics AA).
How heavy is the workload compared to your other IB subjects? Why?
Again, heaviest compared to my other IB subjects since physics is both a quantitative and a conceptual subject. For comparison, we can take CS as conceptual and Maths AA as quantitive. Physics requires more time spent on both of these subjects alone, so studying 2 days before the exam will mean close to nothing.
What do you wish you had known before choosing this subject?
I was warned, so there was nothing I didn't know before choosing physics HL. Though, it would be better if I had known more study materials since the classes are not sufficient enough to understand a topic completely.
How should students study for this course to do well?
I know most students are/will be taking private lessons that's going to be much better than ANY study technique they'd use by themselves. This is for the ones who don't take lessons from outside such as myself: You HAVE TO consume all study materials to learn a topic first, such as Hodder, Oxford, or even your booklet( a lot of reading, yes). Hodder is the best choice to learn first because the teachers use that one. You can find everything you need in IBDOCS or equivalent databases. AFTER you've read and internalised the topic, you should begin solving conceptual questions such as the blue ones in hodder or booklet examples. The reason these questions are important is because they're more isolated than your average IB questions that usually cover multiple topics at once. AFTER you've done all that. Pray for god and begin solving every single past IB questions. I suggest having a whatsapp group with a few friends/nerds so you can gather questions you liked or found hard in there. Repeat for all topics. As a human being that still (somehow) breathes, a 6 can be obtained without the need of a private tutor.
by Uygar
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How difficult is this course for you?
To be honest, the course is not that hard if there is a certain level of knowledge of chemistry from previous years, however the types of questions are not exactly the same compared to previous years. IB style questions and specific explanations that appear in every single unit are so hard to define and get the full mark. For example, in 4 mark definition question in Paper 2 it is nearly impossible to get 4 if you miss one exact word of the definition, which makes the subject not hard but hard to get a 7.
How heavy is the workload compared to your other IB subjects? Why?
It is one of the subjects that is known for its extrem workload unfortunately. When I was taking the class some of my senior friends was saying me not to do so, however I took it and I see the extreme workload. Every single week for 2 years we had kognity tasks and homework consists of 100 questions at least. And trying to solve all these questions which involves calculations is time consuming and tiring. So the homework, labs and extra tasks of this subjects is extreme compared to all other IB subjects :(
What do you wish you had known before choosing this subject?
I dont have a specific thing to mention because I dont think it is a class that should be known before starting IB. it is very okay to start learning at the time of IB because the topics are not hard do understand. I think the secret relies on solving past papers like all other sibjects. AND MOST IMPORTANTLY all definitions that appears on the past papers should be memorized to get the full mark from P2. MEMORIZE THE EXACT VERSIONS OF THE DEFINITIONS.
How should students study for this course to do well?
solving past papers for every single unit and studying for the topics as well. There are soo many seperate topics in the HL chemistry curriculum and it is very hard to know every single detail. I wish luck to all other students who are taking IB chem whether SL or HL :)
by Elifnaz
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How difficult is this course for you?
I would not say it is too difficult, but there are some concepts that require a lot of memorization because of the amount of details. Otherwise, if you enjoy the topics, it is one of the easier HL courses, especially out of the science subjects.
How heavy is the workload compared to your other IB subjects? Why?
It is not too bad, compared to chemistry and math. We need to read the next topic on Kognity a week before, and they start explaining some concepts assuming that you did some reading beforehand. So even if there is not a high workload, when you do some extra studying it catches up with the other topics.
What do you wish you had known before choosing this subject?
You do not need to buy the books, they all have pdfs. This could have saved me some expenses. It is not a subject to neglect, the topics pile up quickly.
How should students study for this course to do well?
Definitely take notes in class. Color coding to memorize concepts works the most well for me. Before the exams, make sure to solve all past paper questions you can find, usually they are very similar to the exam questions. Especially the open ended ones, practice with the mark scheme in front of you.
by Ekin
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How difficult is this course for you?
This course isn't so difficult for me but some aspects can be difficult. Especially understanding theories well enough to draw many different diagrams and understanding how the diagram shows many things and how diagrams change is the hardest part. Because I love economics and I am interested in it I don't have many problems. Overall I'd say there is some easier options but if you are interested in diagrams and understanding how markets are shaped this course isn't so hard.
How heavy is the workload compared to your other IB subjects? Why?
I think that economics have a lighter workload compared to other classes, the only workload that this course has is recaps which almost all IB courses require. Also it needs a good amount of studying before the exams. But apart from these the course doesn't have any additional homeworks and I'd say the quizes are easier compared to my other subjects.
What do you wish you had known before choosing this subject?
It would have been good to know it includes many different kinds of diagrams and that memorizing these diagrams are very important for the course.
How should students study for this course to do well?
Weekly recaps about theories and how these theories effect diagrams or create diagrams is the most crucial part. Also listening the lesson is very important because some of these diagrams and theories are very hard to understand on your own.
by Batu
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How difficult is this course for you?
This course is not extremely difficult for me, as I enjoy close reading and in-depth analysis of literary texts. I am comfortable exploring an author’s intentions, stylistic choices, and underlying themes, and I find it rewarding to interpret subtle details within a text. Expressing my ideas in a clear yet literary manner is one of my strengths, which helps me engage confidently with written and oral tasks. While the course is intellectually demanding, it is challenging in a stimulating way rather than an overwhelming one.
How heavy is the workload compared to your other IB subjects? Why?
Compared to my other IB subjects, the workload for this course is relatively light. Apart from occasional homework assignments, in-class writing tasks, and mock Individual Orals, there is very little ongoing work required outside of lessons. Most of the learning happens during class time through discussions and text analysis, rather than through extensive independent assignments. This makes the workload manageable and allows me to balance the course comfortably alongside more demanding IB subjects that require regular problem-solving, practice, or long-term coursework.
What do you wish you had known before choosing this subject?
I wish I had known how much the course focuses on personal interpretation rather than memorization. Before choosing the subject, I expected it to be more content-heavy, but it actually values independent thinking, discussion, and forming original arguments. Understanding that there are multiple valid readings of a text—and that confidence in one’s interpretation matters as much as accuracy—would have helped me feel more comfortable earlier on. Knowing this in advance would have encouraged me to engage more freely and take intellectual risks from the beginning.
How should students study for this course to do well?
To do well in this course, students should focus on understanding texts deeply rather than memorizing information. Actively annotating passages, paying attention to authorial choices, and regularly practicing analysis in short written responses are key. Participating in class discussions helps develop confidence and refine interpretations. It is also important to practice structuring arguments clearly, especially for assessments like the IO. Revisiting feedback and reflecting on how to improve expression and depth of analysis can significantly strengthen overall performance.
by Ömer
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How difficult is this course for you?
I’ve been good at maths, and I’ve always thought that I would handle whatever program I took part in; however, IB is not like that. It requires great amouns of hard work and that’s just for you to get a shot at higher grades.
How heavy is the workload compared to your other IB subjects? Why?
It is HL maths, HL physics and the rest of the subjects. And the rest doesn’t matter that much at all.
What do you wish you had known before choosing this subject?
That I should not take my math skills for granted.
How should students study for this course to do well?
Just study a lot. First learn the topic itself and grasp it. Then improve yourself with loads of revision.
by Deniz