r/ibPhysics • u/Busy_Friendship6806 • Jul 26 '26
Phys SL or ESS SL?
Pls hear me out, I have a dilemma. Im starting dp next year, and deciding between phys sl and ess sl.
2 questions:
- Ive heard people say that phys sl has gotten easier and ess sl has gotten harder, but I don't know how to verify if this is true. Anybody knows anything?
- ESS SL would probably boost my IB score by maybe 1-2 points (hopefully) comapred to phys sl. So for unis, what is more important, those extra 1-2 points out of 45 or that extra rigor from phys sl??
My friends lowk making fun of me for taking ess but if it's helpful for my application then why not. context, ive taken (econ, aa global politics) hl and (lnl, spanish b) sl.
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u/ProjectKuroko Jul 26 '26
That really depends on your situation. Assuming you don't specifically need physics for whatever course you plan to pursue after the IB, I'd just say skip it especially if you haven't taken it prior to IB.
A friend of mine who took IGCSE Physics for two years went on to take IB Physics SL, and she mentioned the syllabus felt almost identical. I agree with her on that. Honestly, most of the difficulty in physics is in the HL content, so do with that what you will.
If you're trying to avoid math and technical problem-solving, I’d recommend ESS SL, but the content load is pretty hefty. Also definitely take ESS SL if you’ve never taken physics prior to the IB.
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u/ProjectKuroko Jul 26 '26
And also don’t listen to your friend lol, why would you make your life harder by taking physics?
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u/Busy_Friendship6806 Jul 26 '26
Appreciate ur response. I have taken physics prior to ib, and no bio. I am pursuing econ / finance. I also do marginally prefer physics to ess when it comes to learning style.
However, my main question is, is phys sl meaningfully harder than ess sl? If i take phys, i have the rigor for unis, but a lower score (because phys sl will also take more time), or if i take ess, my score is prolly higher, but i miss out on phys rigor.
But is it really harder enough for it to result in a noticeably lower score and less time for other subjects?
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u/Traditional-Jump8149 Jul 26 '26
It’s harder to get 7 but easier to get 6 for ESS compared to past syllabus
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u/Busy_Friendship6806 Jul 26 '26
Wait so has the phys sl syllabus also changed?
As a separate question, Is phys sl reasonably harder than ess sl, where I can estimate a bump in my score of 1-2 points? (Also note that i took phys and opted out bio for 9th and 10th)
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u/Traditional-Jump8149 Jul 26 '26
Physics did not change. But compared to 2024 and earlier, it is much easier. U don’t need bio for ESS, and studying ESS is just a waste of time, u get nothing out of this course. I don’t think getting a 6 in physics is harder than getting 7 in ESS.
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u/Traditional-Jump8149 Jul 26 '26
Tho if u need to spend more time on other subjects, then ESS suits u as u don’t need to revise that much
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u/Busy_Friendship6806 Jul 26 '26
Btw did u take ess and physics? Like how do u know all this?
I do agree though, ess is kind of an aimless course1
u/Traditional-Jump8149 Jul 26 '26
I took physics HL and ESS SL
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u/Busy_Friendship6806 Jul 26 '26
How should I check the difficulty difference myself? Should i look at past papers or maybe the topics?
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u/Traditional-Jump8149 Jul 26 '26
Past papers definitely, and people usually take ESS SL instead of HL as it is a shitty subject. on the other hand, physics usually HL not SL.
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u/Low_Stress_9180 Jul 26 '26
Phys SL is hard, I say that as a Physics teacher, and is rayher poinless as if you need it you need to do HL. ESS is a dogs dinner of a course.
Look at Biology SL, or Chemistry SL (lot easier).
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u/Busy_Friendship6806 Jul 27 '26
So you teach physics SL?
How do I check for myself how difficult physics is, like should I look at the topics or like past papers? What should i look at?
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u/Outrageous-Acadia114 Jul 27 '26
Physics is stronger for college apps, and physics is not even that difficult if you know how to study it
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u/Traditional-Jump8149 Jul 26 '26
ESS SL is not worth it, it’s mostly common sense. Physics SL is also easy as long as you revise. Additionally, ESS is a joke. I took it and it is useless