When you start the IB Diploma Programme, you have to make some subject choices. The Core subjects are obligatory, and consist of TOK (Theory of Knowledge), The Extended Essay and CAS. In addition to the core, everyone chooses six subjects; you need at least one subject from each subject group. You choose if you wish to study these subjects at higher level (HL) or standard level (SL), but you need to have three HL subjects. Some subjects are only offered at standard level at our school.
Below you will find descriptions of the subjects offered at Gjøvik, written by our own IB students.
The CAS approach to learning is an important approach to education that can guide with learning that is beyond the academic perspective. It has a sense of encouragement that requires students to develop a skill set through various activities. In CAS, we learn not only about the help of people and creativeness but we also try to engage in physical activities. The way of presentation that CAS has is very unique, some people take it as a challenge and some take it as a reason to do good, I take it as a challenge to do good and where the challenge also lies in balancing these activities with academic demands. The overall experience has helped enhance my understanding of the world and it teaches valuable life skills that can be used later on.
— Filipp
Theory of Knowledge is the subject that provides the possibility for the students to think in several ways. Students are challenged to think critically about key concepts such as truth knowledge, and certainty, and evaluate certain evidence from multiple perspectives. This subject provides the skill to think of several aspects differently and examine the understanding of how the world around us is shaped and how it works. My opinion of TOK is that it is one of my challenging subjects. The main challenge in this subject is to put things from several other perspectives into connection and to make sure that you fully understand the TOK elements such as scope, methods and tools, perspectives, and ethics. These elements are relevant to each of the Areas of Knowledge (AoK) presented in TOK throughout the course. Regardless of the challenges of this subject, it is exciting to notice new aspects of several topics, such as religion, history, etc. The broadness of TOK is large and discovers new knowledge about, at first glance, simple topics.
— Nellija
The Extended Essay is an individual written essay of a maximum of 4000 words in one of your academic subjects, or you can choose an interdisciplinary World Studies EE. You are expected to carry out some independent research, either doing experiments, or using primary and secondary literature. You will be working on the Extended Essay for almost a year, so choose a topic that you are interested in. You will work with a supervisor (one of your teachers), who will support you through the process. The entire process will start in January of the first year of the Diploma Program, and will be completed at the Symposium in your second year. Through working with the EE you will develop very useful research and academic writing skills which will be of great value in your further education.
— Ann Elisabeth
The core of physics is understanding laws and equations and being able to apply these laws and equations to real world scenarios, and the core of this, again, is maths. Arguably this year I have done more maths in physics than in AA maths, so to be very clear if you dislike maths physics is not the subject for you. During the physics classes you will learn of models to help you better understand and predict the behaviour of the world, and this understanding definitely benefits you if you want to have another science, but especially if you want to have chemistry. The topics covered by the physics course spans a wide range of theories and thoughts, where at the start of the year you will begin with mechanical physics, projectile motion, angular motion, thermal exchange, but as you learn more physics the topics becomes increasingly interesting with topics such as gravitational fields, radioactive decay etc, and if you have HL topics such as special relativity and quantum physics. Still physics is not a subject you can expect to get top grades without studying, even with some of the “easier” topics you need to expect to invest a lot of time into them and with more difficult topics such as special relativity maybe tens of hours. Still with good time management and dedication physics will and can be conquered. Physics is a difficult yet rewarding subject that will enrich your understanding of the world.
— Michael
IB biology covers a wide range of topic about the aspects of life, from molecules and genetics to the whole ecosystem. Biology can be challenging as it can be difficult to remember all the information. However, there is basic information which you will learn about, and after you understand them, it is easier to connect the topics. The textbook for this subject is online, and it is a very useful resource. I like biology because it allows me to learn and understand more about living organisms and their functions, which I find fascinating.
— Lala
Math is a subject which almost everyone is familiar with and is the building blocks for the natural sciences and modern society. AA Mathematics in the IB is a more theoretical approach to math, compared to AI. It focuses on teaching mathematical theories and concepts, as well as analytical skills within math. In AA math you will be looking at, Numbers and algebra, functions, geometry and trigonometry, statistics and probability, and Calculus. So far this year we have worked binomials, functions and trigonometry, where we have rather normal math classes teaching the curriculum and a test at the end of each unit. It is the more difficult of the 2 levels of math that you can choose from, as it is more abstract and theoretical, so you will have to expect to work quite a bit with the subject if you are aiming for top marks, however you will learn a lot of interesting and useful knowledge. AA math is equivalent to R2 in the Norwegian system, so if you are applying to a school in Norway, you will get the bonus points for R2. As it is the more difficult of the 2 math studies it is often required if you want to study math, physics, medicine or other STEM subjects. Although AA math might be a little difficult it is entirely possible to get through it with good time management, and it is a subject which will vastly improve your mathematical knowledge.
— Torbjørn
Math AI stands for Analysis and interpretation. In math AI you learn a lot about functions and graphs. The topics are divided into 5 categories: Number & Algebra, Functions, Geometry & Trigonometry, Statistics & Probability, and Calculus. This subject emphasizes on applying the maths to the real world. Math AI could be suitable for some people as you get a calculator for both exams. Math AI will help you develop mathematical thinking in the context of real-world situations. One of the things I like about this subject is that you get to apply math to the real world, which is a very useful skill to have in the future. If you enjoy seeing maths applied to real-world contexts and issues this might be the subject for you.
— Shin-Ru
As one of the natural sciences, chemistry requires both understanding of the subject and memorization of details. While there’s less understanding and maths than physics, you must remember more specific details. Similarly, you have to remember less than in biology, but understand more. In short, chemistry looks a lot at how parts of the world functions on a microscopic level rather than a more general view. For someone that is unsure what to pick as one of their science subjects, chemistry can be great if you don’t want to memorize every digit of pi, but not calculate your way to victory either. Due to the variety of topics chemistry, you will have a lot of chances to explore different parts of science. You will of course learn about things that are chemistry specific, such as everything that has to do with bonds or reactions between chemicals, however you will run into some physics or biology relevant topics. Due to this, chemistry is great if you have two natural science subjects. Since chemistry is interconnected with a lot of the other topics in either physics or biology, of which you won’t purely learn physics or biology from it, it will help you in the other subjects, giving you that little extra boost which might as well lead to a couple of extra 7s.
— Ole Petter
Norwegian B are classes intended for students that are pretty new to Norway, and still need to improve their language skills. Moreover Norwegian B is offered only on HL (Higher Level), which means that the final exams will require quite advanced abilities in this language. But in our classes we learn all the skills that are needed – from grammatical rules to distinguishing vowels. We read and work with a lot of interesting and light articles, we learn to talk about what we have read, our opinion or just about ourselves, making our speaking skills more and more natural and extended. But we use our creativity also in writing and making presentations. The atmosphere in the class is always very friendly and no one judges or makes fun of anyone, moreover we often work in groups. The teachers are very good at explaining and will help you with every doubt. As everyone has a different background, you also get a chance to learn a lot about different cultures, and tell about yours. Norwegian B classes in our school won’t only allow you to go to Norwegian university without additional language exams, but everyday conversation and use of this language will become much easier for you.
— Alicja
In English A Language & Literature we work with interpretation of the English language. Most commonly, we work with how language is used to convey meanings in texts. The course develops your analytical skills and teaches you how to recognise the effect and implications that authorial choices have. During classes, you learn to structure your thoughts coherently, and acquire a broader understanding of how language is a tool for communication. A major part of the curriculum is the concept of “global issues”, or issues which affects the whole world, and trying to lift your gaze from local to global issues is actually one of the most interesting things about being an IB student. So far, we have worked with a wide range of units, including both literary and non- literary works, such as The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde in SL, and Hamilton the musical in HL. As the IB has a very broad definition of what a text is, the course welcomes you to analyse not only literature, but also documentaries/ films, musicals, and lyrics. Students can sometimes influence the choice of works, and Hamilton was, surprisingly, recommended by a student in our class. The difference between SL and HL is not considerably large, other than that HL students get the opportunity to work with more works than SL. As I am an HL student, I can thoroughly recommend the course, and say with honesty that you start seeing progress in both quality and capability quite early on.
— Eveline
In IB history classes, we learn a lot of interesting facts about what has happened around the world for the record history. Themes vary from the Civil Rights Movement in the USA to Mao, China. So, everyone will find something interesting to study in the history classes. We learn more than history, we learn a way of studying, how to analyze different sources and interpret them in the context of world history. Challenges may be faced when we need to learn different ways of the actual tests, like papers 1,2, and 3. But I would not worry about that as much because the IB program has really good guides, and we learn how to write the tests in class from our teachers. I would encourage everyone to try out the history course that the IB offers, it’s a different perspective of history that makes it interesting to learn.
— Paula
Psychology might be one of the most interesting subjects IB has to offer, who doesn’t want to know what happens in our brain? When talking about psychology most people might think about serial killers, psychopaths, mental health, depression, and while we’ll learn something about that, psychology is so much more. IB psychology is divided into three approaches, the sociocultural approach, the cognitive approach, and the biological approach. We get to learn about everything from memory and decision making to human behaviour and relationships. And you get the chance to dive into yourself, learn more about your identity, how you think, why you think that way, and how that affects the way we view the world and the way we make decisions. Humans are not always rational beings, and sometimes we do things we don’t quite understand. Psychology helps you understand this and gives us insight into the part of ourselves that we don’t know enough about.
— Thea
Students from 2IB (2024) 😎
Arne Mjelde Sæther
47 69 59 80
arnemjeldesaether@gmail.com
Arne Mjelde Sæther
47 69 59 80
arnemjeldesaether@gmail.com
Arne Mjelde Sæther
47 69 59 80
arnemjeldesaether@gmail.com