On my part, on top of having to be already taking subjects I want to take at higher level prior to IB, I needed to have a grade of at least B in them. I needed recommendation from my mentor to be able to get into IB. I also needed recommendations from my teachers in each subject to be able to take them higher level.

“The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme is a challenging two-year curriculum, primarily aimed at students aged 16 to 19. It leads to a qualification that is widely recognized by the world’s leading universities.

An illustration to show what is studied by IB students:

http://www.ibo.org/img/imagebank/Programme%20models/DPcurriculumEN.jpg

Students study six subjects selected from the subject groups. Normally three subjects are studied at higher level (courses representing 240 teaching hours), and the remaining three subjects are studied at standard level (courses representing 150 teaching hours).”

I took chemistry, english and visual arts at higher level and the rest at standard level.

You should take at HL the subjects you’re strongest at. It’s a lot of work and you must be willing to exert effort for those subjects.