IB Math HL vs. Calculus BC

Pre-College Issues International Baccalaureate (IB)
1

I attempted to find a syllabus online, but I yielded no results. So what IS the class? Is it like Calculus BC?

I’m currently in both Calculus AB and IB Math SL. I’m doing well in both, but I prefer the way the IB Math teacher structures her class better than the way the Calc teacher structures it (and I would have the Calc AB teacher if I took BC and the IB Math SL teacher if I took Math HL). However, if IB Math HL has less actual Calculus than Calculus BC, I will suck it up and take Calculus BC.

The only reason why I’m worrying so early is because my counselor claimed IB Math SL and Calculus AB were basically the same, but I’m doing Law of Sines and graphing histograms in SL whereas in Calculus AB I’m learning about derivatives.

I’m not necessarily asking which class is better, I just want to know the difference in content. If someone could provide a syllabus, that would be great.

2

bump

3

My D took BC last year and is taking HL this year. She says HL is basically the same material as BC with harder problems. So, it is not less Calculus it is more Calculus (assuming that your school does the Calc option). Consider whether the colleges you are considering accept IB courses for credit. AP tends to be more widely accepted.

4

The sequence at my kids school for ib kids terminates is sl or hl so you take either:

Algebra 2
Precalc
IB math SL

OR

Algebra 2
Precalc
Calc BC
IB math HL

So it would seem that as with the other poster her school has HL as beyond BC

5

@nw2this Thank you!

6

@VickiSoCal In my school, people commonly take IB Math HL after SL, but they generally tend to feel unprepared for the rigors of IB Math HL.

7

@cliffnotes Calc BC is mandatory junior year if you are on the HL track, it is essentially HL year one. I can’t imagine taking HL after SL. They are not supposed to be sequential.