<p>There seems to be a lot of confusion over whether a specific AP class is better than its IB counterpart and vice versa. I am going to give my own opinion by comparing these courses (I am an IB and AP student). Feel free to add on or edit.</p>
<p>In order of rigor (least rigorous to most rigorous)</p>
<p>Math/Science:</p>
<p>MATH: IB Math SL = AP Statistics < AP Calculus AB < AP Calculus BC = IB Math HL</p>
<p>PHYSICS: AP Physics 1 < IB Physics SL < AP Physics 2 < AP Physics B < IB Physics HL < AP Physics C</p>
<p>ENGLISH: IB English SL < AP Language < AP Literature = IB English HL</p>
<p>BUSINESS/ECONOMICS: IB Business/Economics SL < AP Macro/Micro < IB Business HL < IB Economics HL</p>
<p>HISTORY: AP Human Geography < IB History SL < AP European < AP World < AP US < IB History HL</p>
<p>I know I left out quite a few classes, but for the ones I did rank, I have had experience with and thus am comfortable with these rankings. Once again, feel free to edit and to add on more course comparisons!</p>
<p>These comparisons are probably accurate content-wise, but my perception is that IB exams are much harder than the AP counterparts. I could be wrong, but it says a lot when nearly half (48%) of Calculus BC students scored 5s this past year, while the number of 7s in HL Math from May 2013 was a comparatively meager 8%.</p>
<p>Edit: Actually, looking at data from the other subjects, while IB grading does seem overall stricter, the difference isn’t as pronounced as it is in Math, and in fact, subjects like Biology are graded more strictly in AP than in IB.</p>
<p>ENGLISH: IB English SL < AP Language < AP Literature = IB English HL</p>
<p>BUSINESS/ECONOMICS: IB Business/Economics SL < AP Macro/Micro < IB Business HL < IB Economics HL</p>
<p>HISTORY: AP Human Geography < IB History SL < AP European < AP World < AP US < IB History HL</p>
<ul>
<li>Added IB Further Math HL and changed IB Math HL and AP Calculus BC equivalencies</li>
</ul>
<p>Also, it should be noted that my comparisons are based off of the difficulty of the test, rigor of the average course, and the amount of topics covered. </p>
This is kind of late, but I find this to be a really useful post. Personally, I think a lot of this depends on the teacher and the school environment. I’m not going to change the entire chart, but here are a couple of points:
IB Math HL isn’t more difficult than AP Calc BC in terms of content, but the amount of material covered in the exam makes it very difficult to get a good grade in, compared to Calc BC. Also, IB Math Studies SL is even easier than AP Stats, but IB Math SL covers a wider range of material than Calc AB (including stats).
IB Physics HL is said to be the second most difficult course besides IB Further Math (in the IB world). However, because it’s one of the less offered subjects, only the really passionate/talented tend to take it over Physics SL with an amazing teacher. Remember that AP also splits the subject into 3 courses while IB only splits it into two.
IB Chemistry HL is pretty hard when it comes to the IA, apparently. A lot of that depends on your teacher. SL Chem is even easier than the regular grade 12 class for my school. There’s a huge difference in difficulty. I also hear that people who excel in math/physics have trouble with chem, but that might not necessarily be true.
IB Bio HL is not that difficult in terms of material (mostly memorisation, which you can do even without completely understanding the concept but same with all bio courses, I guess), but again like HL Math, it’s the amount of info you’ll need to revise for the exam that makes it challenging.
IB English HL is divided into Lit and Lang/Lit. Lang/Lit might be harder than AP Language, but doesn’t compare to the lit courses in terms of difficulty. IB English HL lit is ridiculously unpredictable in terms of grading- part of it is luck.
All depends on the school. At my school, IB classes are WAY harder than AP classes
also for Calc BC, the rate is high because most do not make it to Calc BC after Calc AB and the ones who do are probably very well versed in math
I think it varies quite a bit in terms of course rigor. I know IB is regarded to be harder at my school, but as a student that takes both AP and IB courses, I wouldn’t say that there is a huge difference.