The IB sciences are undoubtedly extensive, with each offering insight into the world's complexity through a different lens. However, as we enter the diploma program, we're faced with choosing one science at minimum to further study.
IB Biology and IB Chemistry are outstanding contenders for incoming IB students, but according to my IB peers, making the choice is difficult. Both offer not only academic prosperity but different psychological benefits that aid us as students entering higher institutional education. The challenge comes with choosing which benefit to pick up and develop throughout the science course.
So, let's unpack the distinctive qualities of each science. We'll compare the exam expectations of each course, the benefits of effective study strategies, and ultimately, which course could pose greater success for your aspirations.
IB Biology
Through my experience taking IB Biology HL, I found it easier to approach than IB Chemistry. Statistically speaking, of the 96,000 students taking a science class, roughly 45% of IB Diploma graduates took IB Biology, and 70% of SL and HL students passed the exam.
IB Biology provides college-level knowledge surrounding genetics, cells, ecology, human physiology, and even biotechnology. The IB program structures this course to focus more on absorbing biological information and regurgitating class lectures and notes on the exam on both the multiple choice and short answer responses.
With this in mind and balancing six classes for IB, studying biology was more efficient when I used memorization tactics. Continuously repeating definitions and concepts aloud and then repeatedly explaining these processes to close family and friends over time developed my memorization strength and my automatic response to simple biology definition questions on the exam.
The format of the IB Biology exam is unsurprising, as the most challenging questions require you to apply the information to a simple scenario on the multiple choice. Arguably, the short response section was more straightforward, as they mostly asked to define processes previously studied, calculate an index based on a known formula, or define a biological term. The IB Biology exam is supportive of memorization tactics, which can aid you in not only higher academics but also in life situations.
The IB Biology course may be suited for students focusing on more humanities or social science-based topics, like Visual Arts or Psychology. As said, the IB Biology exam has some of the highest pass rates among the sciences. Therefore, less academic energy may need to be spent on the course and can be put on other academic interests. Forging a more robust memorization tactic can psychologically benefit you in the long run.
Practicing countless practice questions online also helped improve my memorization muscle. Many times, when receiving exams, I'd automatically know the multiple-choice answer since I had seen it on practice sites like here at RevisionDojo, yours truly.
IB Chemistry
Having also taken IB Chemistry HL, I can attest to the fact that achieving high marks is not a walk in the park. Looking at the numbers, IB Chemistry accounts for 29% of IB students in the course, producing a 60% passing rate. This science has arguably consumed most of my homework hours in the diploma program.
IB Chemistry covers numerous more topics than Biology, including atomic structure, energetics, kinetics, acids and bases, and organic chemistry. The IB program has oriented this course more toward application-based content. Simply using memorization techniques will not cut it here if you plan big and want to score big.
Understanding chemical processes and laws is the first step to succeeding in IB Chemistry. The second, which many students struggle to do, is applying this understanding to complex short answers, which compromise several parts. IB Chemistry won't always simply ask you the definition of an acid; they'll ask you to identify an acid as part of a Redox equation while also determining limiting reagents and the number of gas molecules on both the reactant and product side. Not easy, right?
However, with this rigorous expectation comes generous psychological reward. Engaging in this improves your higher-level critical analysis and can strengthen your ability to make connections between seemingly disparate topics, which is necessary for admittance at top universities. The IB program set this expectation like many top universities do, for automatic critical thinking skills into complex scenarios, which are reinforced by the IB Chemistry exam. Challenging your abilities by taking IB Chemistry can psychologically enhance these capabilities over time with rigorous practice and focus.
However, suppose your loyalties lie in other sectors of the diploma program, like Humanities and Social Sciences. In that case, universities understand that you challenge yourself in those areas instead of in science. Therefore, students with humanity interests in mind are not required as much to display these skills in science but rather through their prioritized subjects.
IB Chemistry is undoubtedly a subject to take if you're considering a career in the medical or scientific field. IB Chemistry provides more hands-on lab experiences than IB Biology can with distillations, titrations, and filtrations. By universities, it seems IB Chemistry is a more favored subject for those applying in the STEM field.
Again, study materials are ESSENTIAL to succeeding in any IB Course, especially this one. Continuously practicing multiple choice problems every day leading up to the exam can enhance your understanding, and you may see the same issues from the practice sites (hint: RevisionDojo) on your test, as I have every time. Doing so can eliminate anxiety in that exam portion and direct more attention toward the daunting short response section.
Considerations
Based on teaching variations among educators, be sure to consider the teacher's teaching style. For example, you're planning to take IB Biology; however, the teacher instructing the class does so in a manner that doesn't support your method of learning science. Then, consider IB Chemistry or another science where a teacher's approach may improve your scientific development. A course itself may be easy, but the difficulty is ultimately determined by the instructor, who can empower or confuse your understanding.
References:
https://www.ibo.org/contentassets/bc850970f4e54b87828f83c7976a4db6/may-2023-stats-bulletin.pdf
