SL Math

SL Math vs SL Math Studies

Hey y'alls,

    How are y’all doing today? Well I am well, thanks for asking. Anyways... about 3 months ago I changed my math course; I went from taking SL Math Studies to SL Math because of the opportunities I wanted to acquire in the future (some colleges will not accept Math Studies). I thought it'd be interesting to share with you the difference between the two courses being that I have had a feel for both of them. For starters, in the IB they offer four different courses of math. There is Math Studies at a Standard Level, SL Math, HL Math, and HL Further Math. 

     I found that in SL Math Studies you focus on important topics that are interconnected, but you only study them briefly. Math Studies focuses on placing more emphasis on student understanding of fundamental concepts than on symbolic manipulation and complex manipulative skills. It gives greater emphasis to developing students’ mathematical reasoning rather than performing routine operations, solving mathematical problems embedded in a wide range context and using the calculator effectively. Personally, I thought the best thing in the entire Math Studies course was the fact that you could use a calculator on both Paper 1 and Paper 2. Moreover, people who select this course are people who will not choose a career path that pertains to math. 

     I also found that the SL Math course is more rigorous than that of SL Math Studies.  The course focuses on introducing important mathematical concepts through the development of mathematical techniques, and developing mathematical concepts in a comprehensible, coherent and rigorous way. Students who take this course are expected to apply their mathematical knowledge to solve problems set in a variety of meaningful concepts. Personally, SL Math can be difficult and stressful, but if you really desire to do well then you will find your way to success. It has been a rough ride for me in my change of math courses, but I'm sure I will make it :)

I hope this helped! More information can be found on the two subjects at ibo.org.

- Felicinda J.