How to Choose Your IB Subjects

Choosing your IB subjects can be a daunting task, as it is a crucial decision that can have a significant impact on your future academic and career goals. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme offers a wide range of subjects to choose from, so carefully consider your interests, strengths, and future plans when making your selection.

This article will take you through the different subject groups, the IB’s requirements for your subject choices, and the different levels at which you take IB subjects. We also give you key tips about factors to consider when choosing your subjects, including subject difficulty and your future university decisions.

IB Subject Groups & Subject Choices

The first step in choosing your IB subjects is to understand the different subject groups that are offered by the program. The IB program is divided into six subject groups: Studies in Language and Literature, Language Acquisition, Individuals and Societies, Sciences, Mathematics, and The Arts. Each subject group offers a variety of subjects to choose from, and students are required to take at least one subject from each group - except from the latter group, the Arts, which is optional. In total, you will choose 6 subjects, which will contribute to your overall Diploma score.

IB Subject Level

It's also important to consider the level of difficulty of the subjects you are choosing. The IB program offers two main levels of difficulty for each subject: Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL). Students are free to pick and choose the level within their selected subjects. Most students take 3 SL subjects and 3 HL subjects, while some take 2 SL subjects and 4 HL subjects.

The choice between SL and HL reflects the balance between depth of subject knowledge and workload: Higher Level subjects are designed to be studied in greater depth, but it also necessitates more hours dedicated to learning. You will also likely have 3 final exam papers in HL subjects, rather than 2 for SL, due to the fact that the syllabi for HL subjects are longer with more content to cover. The Ab Initio level is also available for some languages, and is designed for students with little or no prior knowledge of the subject.

It's important to choose subjects that are at the appropriate level of difficulty for you, based on your prior knowledge of the subject matter and the time you can dedicate towards studying it: it can help to ensure that you are able to succeed in the program. This will also be a relevant factor when applying to universities, as some courses or majors require certain subjects to have been studied at HL.

How does choosing IB subjects work?

This is a very school-specific process, so you should ask your teachers for more information. The likely process you will go through is as follows:

1. Submit your subject choices to your school a few months in advance of you starting to study the IB
2. (In most cases) Receive school approval of subject choice
3. (In rare cases) Receive information back from the school that your subject combination is not possible due to timetabling combinations or because they don’t have enough students to offer the subject
4. Revise your choices

What are the best IB subject combinations?

The best IB subject combinations will allow you to focus on your interests while maintaining a diversity of subjects which will allow you to keep an open mind about your future. The factors that we explore below - personal interests, subject difficulty, university planning, and teacher advice - will therefore help you choose the best IB subject combination for yourself. You should pick the subjects you enjoy the most and are most likely to pursue at university at Higher Level, and keep Standard Level subjects the ones that you are required to study by the IB, and perhaps ones which capture your interest, but not enough to want to pursue them further.

For example, if you think you may want to study History at university, but you’re also thinking about Economics, and you have a side interest in keeping up your French, your choice may look like this:

• Higher Level: History, Economics, Maths AA
• Standard Level: French, Biology, English LAL

Your personal interests

An expert IB Maths tutor recommended:

Consider your interests and strengths carefully when choosing your subjects. If you have a passion for a particular subject, such as science or math, it may be beneficial to choose a subject from that group to do at Higher Level.

It's also enriching to challenge yourself and consider taking a subject that may be outside of your comfort zone, as it can help you to develop new skills and broaden your perspective.

Talk to your current teachers to assess where your strengths lie - for example, if you are doing GCSEs, consider which subjects you are achieving highly in. Then, balance this with what subjects you enjoy the most, to come to the right decision.

Have a look at our comprehensive set of IB Study Notes and IB Practice Questions, developed by expert IB teachers and examiners!

Subject difficulty

All IB subjects can be challenging. However, you can use the statistical bulletins of previous IB results to get a sense of which IB subjects have the fewest people scoring highly and which subjects have the greatest number of people scoring 7s.

For example, the hardest subject to score well in, from the May 2024 results, was Visual Arts SL, with only 0.2% of students scoring a 7 and a mean grade of 4.3. In comparison, the easiest subject in The Arts to score well in was Theatre HL, with 12.5% of students scoring 7s and a mean grade of 5.0. Overall, the easiest subjects to score well in were: Russian B HL, with a mean grade of 6.5; Japanese B HL, with a mean grade of 6.3; and Bosnian A HL, with a mean grade of 6.3.

To get an even more accurate sense of difficulty, have a look at the previous results of your school, and see which subjects score the highest overall. Remember, however, that your personal strengths and weaknesses are the most important factor to consider in making your choice.

The image below shows the May 2024 grade distribution for The Arts, and demonstrates a large variety in the mean grades achieved by students.

Source: IB Final Statistical Bulletin, May 2024

Feeling overwhelmed with an IB subject? Remember, IB tutors can be a great resource. They provide targeted assistance to simplify difficult topics and enhance your understanding, making your study journey smoother.

Planning for university

Another important factor to consider when choosing your IB subjects is your future academic and career plans. If you know that you want to pursue a career in a specific field, it may be beneficial to choose subjects that are relevant to that field. It's worth noting that some universities may have subject requirements for certain courses or programs. For example, if you want to pursue a career in medicine, it may be helpful to take Biology and Chemistry as your sciences subjects at Higher Level.

It's always best to check with the universities you are interested in applying to, to ensure that you are meeting their requirements. Universities, especially in the US and in the UK, are very familiar with the IB and so will have helpful information available specifically for you. Most universities will specifically state which IB subjects you need to take for their course on their websites.

Or, if you don’t know what you want to study, be sure to keep your options open! The IB is great because you are able to take six subjects, which gives you a wide variety of choices if you are not sure which subject you would like to study further after school.

Choosing your EE subject

Three further aspects of the IB, beyond the core academic curriculum, provide you with more options to choose to study what you enjoy: the Extended Essay (EE), Theory of Knowledge (TOK), and Creativity, Action, and Service (CAS). In particular, you will be able to choose which subject you complete your 4000-word EE in. The factors explored in this blog post are also helpful to consider for this decision. For example, universities may be interested to hear about what you explored in your EE, so doing it in the most relevant subject will be beneficial.

Subject Syllabus

If you’re unsure about which subjects to choose, you can research what each subject entails using the IB website. Each subject syllabus is available for free online for you to take a look at. It’s a good idea to peruse the syllabi for any subjects you’re potentially interested in. They will provide you with a roadmap for the course and what to expect. You’ll be able to determine better whether the topics covered and the content of each course are going to be of interest to you or not.

School-specific considerations

It's also important to consider the availability of the subjects you are choosing. Not all schools offer the same subjects, so check with your school to see which subjects are available. There may also be timetable restrictions on the combination of subjects that you can choose. Additionally, some subjects may only be offered at certain levels, so make sure that the level of the subject you want to take is available at your school.

Teacher's advice

Finally, it's important to consult with your guidance counsellor or teachers when choosing your IB subjects. They can provide valuable advice and guidance and can help you to make an informed decision about which subjects to choose. Your school will have the best information to help you in this important stage in your life.

Conclusion

In conclusion, choosing your IB subjects can be a daunting task, but if you carefully consider your interests, strengths, and future plans when making your selection, you’ll be sure to make a good decision. Remember, the IB program is challenging, but with the right choice of subjects, it can be an incredibly rewarding and enriching experience that can help prepare you for success in higher education and in your future career.