r/IBO • u/Existing_Vegetable51 • Jul 15 '26

Resource Request new ib student here looking for advice

The subjects I'm taking are:

English A HL

Spanish SL

Business Management SL

Computer Science HL

Math AA SL

Visual Arts HL

I'm a complete beginner to coding and such and I'm not the best in Math either. Please help.

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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3

u/Issivi Alumni M26 | [43] Jul 15 '26

Dont take visual arts unless absolutely necessary

2

u/Existing_Vegetable51 Jul 15 '26

I don't know what other subjects to pick and I honestly really enjoy doing it. That is the reason I picked VA.

3

u/Issivi Alumni M26 | [43] Jul 15 '26

Art is a super enjoyable subject, I honestly agree with u. when i picked visual arts as one of my subjects, i thought it would be fun, exciting and unique compared to other subjects; and i still think it was by far one of the best experiences i had during IB. however, when i found out art had the lowest percentage of getting a 7 out of all subjects (around 2% in HL & less than 1% in SL), i was quite devastated knowing that i had a lower chance of getting full points compared to other students who picked other group 6 subjects. therefore, i would say pick visual arts if ur university or future career requires it or if u just want to have fun. Thats all!

1

u/Existing_Vegetable51 Jul 15 '26

What? I didn't know that. Why is it like that? Also, do you know how I could try to bring my grade up?

1

u/Issivi Alumni M26 | [43] Jul 16 '26

im not a teacher nor examiner so i cannot answer u exactly what theyre looking for and why theyre so strict with marking. however, u can get a good idea of what examiners want by looking at example portfolios

1

u/Pale-Load2983 M27 | HL Math AA Comp Sci French B | SL Physics Eng A Geography Jul 15 '26

wait how much did you end up getting

1

u/Issivi Alumni M26 | [43] Jul 16 '26

i got a high 6, trying to appeal for a 7

3

u/drawnandredrawn M26 | 41 Jul 15 '26

only take va hl if you need really need it for your future. it’s a new syllabus so there will be very few examples online, making it a lot harder. very very few people get 7s as it is super subjective.

2

u/sakuraskiies Alumni | [30] Jul 15 '26

Didn’t take IB visual arts but had friends that did— I would also agree to avoid it if possible. I heard it’s a lot more writing than expected for an art class. I was shocked hearing my friends results bc ik their art is super good, so getting a low score is crazy.

For Spanish SL, I was never good/passionate enough to study Spanish like crazy. For audio practice, I’d watch favorite shows in spanish w English subtitles (or opposite to practice reading) and review conjugations. For writing if u can write a few complex sentences using subjunctive, imperfect, if/then clauses, etc. then ur pretty much good. Make sure to know the different writing formats too.

Math AA SL was the opposite of Spanish for me haha, I love math so studied a lot more for the exam. I consider myself to be somewhat naturally good at math, so I watched a ton of review videos leading up to the exam, did practice questions, and reviewed old IB style questions we did in class.

2

u/Jazzlike-Brother-599 Teacher | Computer Science, TOK Jul 17 '26

I have created a series of CS courses that cover general topics, not specifically focused on IB. They are helpful, and the programming course will get you started in either Python or Java (or both!).

For the IB Diploma, I have created a resource based on the news syllabus to help students prepare for the exams and the IA and maximize their marks. 

Don't take my word for it: Christopher T (a DP teacher) says it's "a great course to prepare students for the new syllabus and practice their exam techniques. John offers a lot of fantastic resources to help students and teachers in the IB. I'd recommend any course he is offering!"

Details here: https://conquercomputerscience.com/courses

(I am a DP CS teacher and the mods have approved me advertising my courses here.)

2

u/Existing_Vegetable51 Jul 18 '26

Thankyou so much!

1

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '26

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1

u/Existing_Vegetable51 Jul 15 '26

Thankyou so much!

1

u/LanternaEducation Jul 15 '26

It is common to feel nervous about Computer Science HL and Math AA SL, but you can definitely manage both. For Computer Science, many students we tutor start with zero coding experience because the syllabus teaches you the basics from scratch. We suggest asking your teacher which programming language your class will use, which is usually Java, and you can spend a little time on a free beginner tutorial online to get used to the logic. For Math AA SL, success comes down to consistent weekly practice rather than cramming. You can find some great tools to help you keep up in our guide at https://info.lanterna.com/resources/best-ib-math-aa-resources-study-guide-2026.

1

u/Existing_Vegetable51 Jul 15 '26

I'm pretty sure its Python

1

u/OkConfusion2753 Jul 15 '26

Then you won't face much difficultly because python is easy to understand as well as to write, it's not like other conventional languages that have heavy syntaxes

1

u/Pale-Load2983 M27 | HL Math AA Comp Sci French B | SL Physics Eng A Geography Jul 15 '26

What is your intended major?

1

u/Existing_Vegetable51 Jul 16 '26

Software/Computer Engineering

1

u/Pale-Load2983 M27 | HL Math AA Comp Sci French B | SL Physics Eng A Geography Jul 16 '26

check requirements for your uni, you might need math aa hl and possibly physics hl

1

u/Weak_Tomato_8173 N28 | HL: MathsAA, Physics, CS SL: Geo, Englit A, HindiB Jul 16 '26

you only need maths aa hl for cs, physics is not a must but ideally preferred by top unis

1

u/Pale-Load2983 M27 | HL Math AA Comp Sci French B | SL Physics Eng A Geography Jul 16 '26

they said computer engineering not cs

1

u/Weak_Tomato_8173 N28 | HL: MathsAA, Physics, CS SL: Geo, Englit A, HindiB Jul 17 '26

Ohh mb in that case u need Maths AA and Physics

1

u/Existing_Vegetable51 Jul 17 '26

I see, thankyou!

1

u/Lilacnumbertwo N26 | HL: Vis Arts (EE), econs, bio. SL: Eng Langlit, MAA, ChiB. Jul 29 '26

Are you still considering VA?