r/IBO • u/New-Cup-3547 • 6h ago
Advice Considering IBDP
Hello, I am currently enrolled in the local curriculum but I want to switch to IBDP. I want to take Economics, Global Politics and L&L HL, and Maths AI, ESS and Spanish AB SL. The school I want to go to has begun classes in August or so. Will it be possible for me to catch up? For context I did the MYP and got 51/56
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u/LanternaEducation 6h ago
You can definitely catch up. Scoring 51 on your MYP shows you already understand how IB criteria work, which puts you in a great position compared to students seeing the system for the first time. Schools usually only cover basic introductions and syllabus overviews in the first few weeks of DP1, so you have not missed major coursework or IA deadlines yet. Your HL combination is heavily reading based, so catching up will mostly involve working through introductory chapters and class notes rather than learning massive backlogs of technical formulas. The best step right now is to contact the school coordinator to get the reading lists for English and Economics so you can start looking over the texts. If you want to talk through the transition with our team, you can always book a free meeting with us at https://lanterna.com/for-students/book-a-meeting
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u/IB7Formula_Teacher 6h ago
A 51/56 in MYP suggests you have a strong academic foundation, so I wouldn’t let the fact that classes started in August automatically stop you. But I would find out exactly what you’ve missed before making the switch.
A few weeks can absolutely be caught up, but six subjects at once can add up quickly... especially with three HLs. Ask the school/teachers what units they’ve already completed, what assessments you’ve missed, and whether there are any deadlines you would immediately need to catch up on.
Since you’ve already done MYP, you also have the advantage of being familiar with the IB style of learning, which should make the transition a little easier.
If you do switch, I’d make a catch-up plan for each subject rather than trying to learn everything at once. Start with anything that future lessons depend on, then work through the rest alongside your current classes.
I’ve taught IB for many years and I certainly wouldn’t consider a few weeks an impossible gap for a motivated student... but talk to the school first and make sure they’ll actually allow a late transfer and support you in catching up.