What is the Best IB Subjects Combination? 🤔

One of the first things that you have to do as an International Baccalaureate student in IBDP is to choose the right combination of IB subjects. This in itself is an experience on its own, since it allows you to truly understand what you are interested in and what field of study you want to take further.

Remember that this is a journey and that you need to make the most of every bit of this journey. So as you proceed with it, be sure to make the right decision after putting a lot of thought into what is required of you.

Process of choosing IB subjects

The best part about choosing IB subjects is that you have the freedom to choose the subjects that you like without there being any extra pressure on you. You have to choose a subject from each of the five groups there are.

While this can seem a little burdensome, it also allows you to understand that this is what gives you the freedom to create a group of your choice, which is exactly what you want. So try to enjoy this process and see it as a chance to help you develop your skills.

Check the subject list offered in your IB school

Contrary to popular belief, the subject choices that you make do not limit you to one particular path. In fact, they allow you to keep several options open in front of you. These subjects that you are required to choose allow you to develop skills wholistically, which is exactly what you need to do.

But when you choose the subjects you want to go with, you need to be mindful of the fact that you can only do great when you choose subjects that you are truly interested in. It is only when that is the case that you are motivated to keep going and give your best to what you do.

The first step of the process is to narrow down your subject choices based on your area of interest. You can do this by looking at the subjects that your school offers. There are subjects that certain schools do not offer.

For example, the International School of Geneva, La Châtaigneraie, does not offer psychology. If you wish to study subjects that your school does not offer, then you can study these online using different available tools. But for the IB, it is recommended that you stick to the ones your school offers for greater ease.

To better sort this out, you can speak to your school’s IB coordinator, who can better guide you. Coordinators have greater knowledge in this arena and can make you understand things in context, which greatly simplifies the decision-making process for you.

Select IB subjects concerning the university you want to attend after

Another option ahead of you is to look at the university course requirements that you plan on attending. If you have a specific university in mind, then it is recommended that you take this course of action to allow you to do things much better. More often than not, they have very specific subject and grade requirements that allow you to do things much better.

Here are a few examples of university courses and the subjects they require you to take.

In certain cases, there are a specific number of points that you need to get to if you wish to attend the university of your choice. For this, you must be sure that the subjects you choose are doable for you in a way that allows you to reach that number of points in all of them.

Only go for a specific combination if you are very sure you can score well on this based on your university’s requirements.

Keep IB subject options open

Some students argue that, at this point, they are still figuring things out and are not very sure about what they want to do in university. They are open to exploring options, and thus they aren’t very sure about certain subject choices, so in this case, you can choose subjects that allow you to do just that.

What is that, then? You can choose subjects that allow you to keep your options open. Here is a list of certain subjects that King’s College Cambridge has put together for you if you wish to explore options ahead of you.

Group 1: Language A Literature
Group 2: Language B, Classical Languages
Group 3: History
Group 4: Chemistry, Physics
Group 5: Mathematics
Group 6: Consider taking a second option from groups 1-5.

They recommend that you take at least one of these to help you further.

Choose IB subjects according to your career plans

If you have a long-term career path in mind, then you have to take things further in a more planned manner to help you with where you are headed.

For example, if you plan on having a career in engineering, then it will be beneficial for you to take math and physics at a higher level. That will help you with the career path that you have in mind. But this is only beneficial if you are very sure about what you want to do.

IB subjects combination in terms of employability

Let’s talk about employability in relation to the subjects that you pick in the IB. It is important to realize that the most important thing there is for recruiters is to think about transferable skills and how much of this you can understand while you study. It is essential to realize this to be able to give your best in what you do and focus on learning as well.

Say if you have a combination of math, physics, and computer sciences, then this tells recruiters that you are great at problem-solving. If someone has economics and English alongside global politics, then chances are that they are much better at analysis and communication.

So based on what you want to come off as, you can make a better subject choice for yourself. But this is something that you need to be mindful of for you to do a good job. Do not forget that you will also be required to write numerous IB assignments like extended essay and internal assessments. Their main topics and subjects will depend on what subject combination you have chosen.

What is the best IB subject combination for me?

So if you are wondering what the best IB subject combination is, then you should know that ultimately, it all boils down to what works best for you, the career goals you have in mind, where you see yourself a few years down the road and what you want to do in life. But remember that there are certain things that you always have to bear in mind when you select IB subjects.

To make this all a little simpler for you, this guide will help.

Architecture

Visual arts and physics are preferred if you wish to study architecture. The main idea behind this is to allow you to understand things better based on this area of preference. But also understand that someone who is more of a linguistics person will never understand this subject combination ideally. So it is best to go with something you think you can do well. It all depends on what things work best for you.

Sciences

If you wish to pursue sciences in the long run, then the one that works best for you is biology, chemistry, and math. Having said that, you must remember that at the end of the day, it all boils down to what you love to do. If you don’t like the sciences, then chances are that you will not be able to do well in it either. So only go for it if you think it will work well for you.

Business

Business is a very broad field. Many ask what the best IB subject combination for business is. So depending on what you want to do in that, you can choose what subjects you want. You can choose to go for business and management, visual art, social anthropology, and so on.

You can also opt for different creative advertising courses. But understand that the most important thing is for you to be interested in what you pick. If you want to go into the business field but also have a keen eye for accounting, then you can pick that too and make a combination that works for you in that arena too. Pick a combination that you think will work ideally for you.

Computer Science

If you are a tech geek and want to pursue computer science, then also you have several options ahead of you. First, you can go for computer science and math.

While this is a great subject combination for all of those who love computers, it can seem like a very hard IB subject combination for someone who does not have any background knowledge about it or hasn’t done something like it before. So depending on what you like and your scope, you can make your pick.

Economics

If you understand how the economy works and how you can better work your way through that, you can also do an economics and math combination for yourself. This is also a great combination for those who wish to work their way through things well. Remember, it is all about how you wish to proceed with your career in the future and what goals and aspirations you have in mind for that.

Engineering

If you wish to pursue a career in engineering, then you can opt for math, physics, and chemistry. These subjects will give you the background knowledge that you need to understand these well, and then slowly proceed further taking these subjects.

What are the easiest IB subjects?

Many ask what are the easiest IB subjects. First, you should know that this is not something that you can get a universal explanation for. It depends entirely on what you think and how you choose to proceed with this. The idea is for you to first understand your scope of understanding and then slowly proceed with things in a way that allows you to pursue your interests in the best way. The idea is to ensure you first understand what is required of you and how you should do things a certain way.

Say if you are good at linguistics, then language and literature would definitely be the most suitable subject combination for you. For you, probably biology and chemistry would not be the easiest way to go about things, because you would not be able to fully understand what is required of you in those subjects. The point to explain this to you here is that it depends entirely on what your scope of understanding is.

What might seem like very easy subjects to you might not be the easiest ones for someone else. It depends on what you think and how you think you can choose to proceed with these subject combinations.

Now it’s your time to decide which IB subjects combo suits you best

So when you are choosing IB subjects, you need to make sure to analyze all the important factors that will help you make this choice. You can get advice from knowledgeable people, but make sure to go for the subjects you think will work best for you.

At the end of the day, you are the one who has to get things done a certain way and has to carry forward with these subjects as well. So make sure that you have the right idea about what you are doing.

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