HSC, A Levels, AP or IB: Which Curriculum will help you get into Top Universities?

Getting into university has become increasingly competitive and with thousands of applicants each year, top institutions are looking for those candidates who prove that they can handle an international curriculum workload. But, which classes should you take to get to your dream university? There are a number of factors that can help you decide what curriculum is right for you. Here we help you compare the Australian HSC curriculum with the most commonly studied international curricula - the A Levels, International Baccalaureate (IB) and Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

A-Levels, IB and APs are academically challenging and are considered the highest high school options students can take. The end result for all of them is an independent document certifying that a level of achievement higher than a high school diploma has been reached, helping students to apply to top universities. But despite the similarities there are certainly significant differences between them.

A-levels are developed by the UK government using predominantly British content but adapted for the international market. The IB is an international organization and it aims for its students to be globally aware, using international resources and content. AP courses are an American-based high school curriculum, developed by the US organization College Board with predominantly American content.

3 Key Differences between the AP, A Levels and IB you need to consider

1. The HSC, AP, A Levels, and IB curriculums are structured differently

The International GCSE pathway is fairly straightforward and starts in Year 11 or earlier with students sitting up to six subjects. These subjects are structured as first introductions to the specific topic areas that they cover.

In Year 12 students move on to the A Levels that are further broken down into two parts: the AS Level, called “Advanced Subsidiary”, (usually done in Year 12) and A2 Level (typically done in Year 13). Traditionally, students take 4-5 AS Level subjects and then go on to take 3-4 of those subjects at the A2 Level.

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Learn more about our Pearson Edexcel online GCSE and A Level Programme

The IB Diploma Programme is for students aged 16 to 19 and has 9 components to graduate. Students have to take six subjects with three or four at Higher Level (HL) and the rest at Standard Level (SL). In addition, all students have to study Theory of Knowledge (ToK), Extended Essay (EE) and Creativity, Activity & Service (CAS) Project.

The Australian Higher School Certificate (HSC) is the highest level of attainment students can reach in secondary school in New South Wales. All students must complete two Patterns of Study: the Preliminary Pattern of Study of 12 units usually completed in Year 11; and the HSC Pattern of Study of 10 units usually completed in Year 12, including English. Any units of Year 12 subjects can only be taken if the corresponding preliminary Year 11 course is taken in the previous year and passed. Most HSC courses are worth 2 units.

Both patterns of study must include at least 6 units of Board Developed Courses; 2 units of a Board Developed Course in English; 3 courses of 2 or more units (either Board Developed or Board Endorsed Courses); and 4 subjects.

While the HSC, A Levels and IB are complete high school curricula, the APs are additional college-level courses offered in US high schools or through an online high school. Many students self-study for this year-long subjects along with their regular course load to demonstrate academic rigour.

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Learn more about how you can take part time AP Courses to boost your college applications

2. The A Levels, IB, and AP use different assessments components

The International GCSEs are 100% externally assessed through a set of examinations at the end of your study. The same is true for most AS and A Level subjects besides arts courses like Drama, Music or Photography. There are usually two exam dates in the year giving students flexibility based on their schedule. Plus, this gives students the opportunity to resit exams if they feel they have underperformed.

The IB Programme is unique in that final scores are a combination of internal and external assessment. Internal assessment often takes the form of long-term projects such as papers, reports and presentations and comprise between 15 and 25% of your final IB score for that subject. The rest of the IB is externally assessed, mostly in the form of one cumulative exam at the end of your second year of study.

Like the IB, the HSC is also both internally and externally assessed. The HSC mark is a 50:50 combination of a student’s examination mark and school-based assessment mark for each course. School-based assessment marks measure performance in a wider range of course outcomes than can be tested in an external examination. The examination mark for each course shows the student's performance in the HSC examination for that course, which was set and marked by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).

The APs are completely externally assessed through one standardized examination at the end of the academic year.

3. The A Levels, IB, and AP are graded differently

During an examination series for the International GCSEs and A Levels, students sit a number of individual exams (known as papers) for a single subject. Each paper has a specific weighting defined in the syllabus of every course. The weighted average of these papers will be the student’s final grade. Pearson Edexcel International GCSEs are awarded using the new nine point grading scale (9–1), introduced by the UK government to raise standards and recognise top-performing students. As part of this new system, each student’s raw mark is scaled on a bell curve against the performance of all other students taking the exam. Simply put, this means that you don’t have to get 90% of the questions correct to end up getting a 90% on your report card. Your scores are relevant to those of your peers.

In the IB, each academic subject is scored out of 7, with 7 being the highest possible score. The assessed components of the DP Core are scored on an A-E scale. CAS is a Pass/Fail requirement of the IB Diploma. Thus at the end of the IB Diploma Programme you will receive a score out of 45, with 42 of those attributed to academic subjects. Depending on the combination of your scores for ToK and EE, you will receive between 1-3 points, bringing the total possible score to 45.

The British Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has developed a tariff system that helps compare IB scores with equivalent A Level grades. An IB score of 38 points out of a maximum of 45 is equivalent to five 8-9 grades at A-level. A score of 30 IB points reflects 6-7 grades at A level.

Student performance in each HSC course is measured against defined standards. HSC marks for each course are divided into performance bands and each band aligns with a description of a typical performance by a student within that mark range. With the HSC results students may wish to calculate a rank order known as the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR). The ATAR is not a mark, nor is it a summary of the HSC. It is a ranking system used to allocate university placements.

AP exams are scored on a scale of 1-5. Many US and Canadian universities give college credit for scores of 3 and above in the AP exams.

What are some advantages and disadvantages of each curriculum?

HSC vs A Levels vs IB vs AP: Final Thoughts

Which programme is most recognized globally?

While all the three international curricula discussed above have global recognition, the A Levels are probably the most well-renowned with the widest reach. International GCSE and A Levels are studied in over 10,000 schools by over a million students in 160 countries. Over 1,400 universities worldwide recognise A Level qualifications. They are accepted by every UK university, by 600 universities in the US (including all the Ivy League universities) and in many other major student destinations, such as Canada, Australia, Singapore, South Africa, Germany and the Netherlands. To compare, over 5,000 schools worldwide offer the IB curriculum. AP courses are offered by many US curriculum schools around the world.

On the other hand, due to its focus on Australia, the HSC does not have the same global recognition as the IB or A Levels. While it is certainly not impossible to gain admission to top global universities through studying HSC, admissions officers are far more used to evaluating students who have studied common international curricula.

Which programme can help you get into top US/UK universities?

Top universities in both countries recognize all three of these international curricula. However, there is a level of familiarity that universities might have with their own country’s curriculum. This does not mean that you will not get into US universities with A Levels or IB, or vice versa. If you are looking to challenge yourself, the IB would be the more rigorous. The A Levels, on the other hand, give you a level of flexibility while challenging you and allowing you to score your best due to their exam structure. If your school does not offer an international curriculum, taking part-time AP classes can help enhance your university admissions profile.

Which programme is right for you?

The programme that is right for you should be the one where you feel most comfortable as a student. If you are looking for a more flexible curriculum that allows you to pursue a variety of subjects while having multiple exam date choices then the A Levels are the perfect choice for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for a more rigorous programme, then the IB is the right choice. The APs are also rigorous as they are college-level courses.