Strategy
Sofia is a rising DP1 student at Lakewood International Academy heading toward an economics degree, most likely at a UK or EU university where subject-specific offers hinge on the exact HL/SL profile she presents at application. The strategy locks three HLs around that target: English A HL for her strongest academic language, Economics HL as the major anchor and Extended Essay host, and Mathematics: analysis and approaches HL, because LSE-tier economics offers routinely name Math AA HL as a condition. Spanish ab initio and Environmental systems and societies fill out the SL groups without adding a heavy lab commitment, and Italian A: literature takes the arts slot in their place, which the IB allows and which also qualifies Sofia for the bilingual diploma.
- Major
- Economics
- Grade
- 10th grade (entering DP1 next year)
- Higher Level target
- 3 HL
- Workload tolerance
- balanced
- Targets
- London School of Economics, Bocconi University, other UK/EU economics programs, plus Georgetown and NYU Stern in the US
- Languages
- English (native, strongest academic language), Italian (native, bilingual), Spanish (true beginner)
- Planning goal
- Meet UK/EU subject-specific offer requirements
- Time budget
- 6-8 hours per week
Your 6-subject diploma package
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HL
Group 1 · Studies in language and literature
English A: language and literature
Your strongest academic language carries the highest HL, and it is the safest place to protect your DP1 grades while you settle into three other HLs.
English is the language you have read and written in the longest, and Lakewood's pre-IB English track has already had you writing literary and non-literary commentary, the exact skill Paper 1 and Paper 2 test at HL. Taking it at HL also balances a package that is otherwise heavy on quantitative subjects, and admissions readers at your UK and US targets read a strong Language A HL as a signal of genuine academic English fluency, not just conversational fluency.
high confidence- Language
- Your strongest academic language, English.
- Major connection
- Indirect but real for economics: every strong personal statement and every Extended Essay leans on the close-reading and argument skills this course builds.
- Skill match
- Plays to your strength. You already read and argue in English more comfortably than in any other subject.
- Readiness
- Lakewood's pre-IB English sequence is the expected on-ramp, and you are on track to finish it with a strong grade.
- Workload
- Moderate and steady: regular reading logs and two long commentaries per term, not spiky around exams.
- If unavailable
- English A: language and literature is Lakewood's only Group 1 offering for native English speakers, so there is no real substitute; if capacity is ever a concern, ask early.
- Sequence
- Start HL in DP1 so the higher paper load lands before Extended Essay writing gets heavy in DP2.
Ask your coordinator: Does Lakewood set a minimum pre-IB English grade before confirming a student for HL, and is there a summer reading list I should start early?
-
SL
Group 2 · Language acquisition
Spanish ab initio
The true-beginner course for Group 2, and the only honest option since you are starting Spanish from zero.
Ab initio is built for students with no prior background in the language, which matches you exactly: two years of classroom Spanish that assume nothing coming in. It is SL-only by IB rule, so there is no HL decision to weigh here, which is one less thing to manage while you are also carrying three HLs elsewhere.
high confidence- Language
- New language, started from zero.
- Major connection
- Low direct connection to economics, but a working second language is a genuine plus on UK and EU applications that read language study as intellectual range.
- Skill match
- Untested territory, honestly. Language acquisition rewards steady weekly practice more than raw aptitude, so treat the first term as calibration.
- Readiness
- No prerequisite. Ab initio assumes true-beginner status, which is exactly where you are.
- Workload
- Light to moderate: vocabulary and oral practice in regular short sessions rather than long problem sets.
- If unavailable
- If Lakewood cannot run ab initio Spanish, French ab initio is the fallback; either satisfies Group 2 identically for diploma purposes.
- Sequence
- Run it across both DP years; ab initio is a two-year course by design and cannot be compressed.
Ask your coordinator: Is Spanish ab initio guaranteed to run both years, and how many true beginners are usually in the section?
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HL
Group 3 · Individuals and societies
Economics
The major anchor of the whole package, and the natural home for your Extended Essay.
Economics HL is close to a requirement for the UK and EU programs on your list; LSE-tier economics offers routinely name it directly, and Bocconi's English-taught economics track expects the same depth. HL adds the extra calculus-based micro and macro units that a pure SL course skips, which is exactly the runway a quantitative economics degree wants to see before year one.
high confidence Math-heavy at HL- Major connection
- As direct as it gets. For an economics applicant, this is closer to required than recommended, especially at your UK and EU targets.
- Skill match
- Plays to your strengths in argument and data reading, and pairs naturally with Math AA HL rather than competing with it.
- Readiness
- No formal prerequisite, but Lakewood's pre-IB math sequence should be solid before HL Economics' quantitative units land in DP2.
- Workload
- Heavy at HL, mostly from the extra quantitative techniques unit and the case-study essays. This is the course the rest of the schedule protects.
- If unavailable
- Economics HL is a core Group 3 offering at nearly every IB World School; if Lakewood's section is ever capped, ask to be prioritized given your stated major.
- Sequence
- Carry it HL across both years, and plan the Extended Essay research for the summer between DP1 and DP2.
Ask your coordinator: Can I confirm now that Economics HL will be my Extended Essay subject, or does that decision happen later in DP1?
-
SL
Groups 3 + 4 · Interdisciplinary
Environmental systems and societies
The interdisciplinary subject that clears both a Group 3 and a Group 4 requirement in one course, without adding a second heavy lab science.
ESS is the only DP subject that counts for two groups at once, which is exactly the efficiency an economics-bound, non-science student wants: it satisfies your science requirement without a full HL lab science competing for time against Economics and Math AA. It also has real overlap with economics, since a meaningful share of the course is resource economics and policy, not pure lab science.
medium confidence Confirm your target unis accept it- Major connection
- Moderate and genuinely useful: the policy and resource-economics units connect directly to an economics major, more than a typical lab science would.
- Skill match
- A mix of data reading and written analysis, both areas you are comfortable in. Less lab-bench time than Biology or Chemistry.
- Readiness
- No prerequisite. Open to any DP1 student.
- Workload
- Light to moderate at SL, and the internal assessment is a fieldwork or data-based report rather than a lab notebook.
- If unavailable
- If ESS is not offered or is full, Biology SL is the fallback for Group 4, though it does not also cover Group 3.
- Sequence
- Take it SL across both years; ESS does offer an HL, but SL is the right level here since your three HLs are already committed elsewhere.
Ask your coordinator: Do my target universities accept ESS toward a science requirement, or do any of them want a single-group lab science instead?
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HL
Group 5 · Mathematics
Mathematics: analysis and approaches
The math the LSE-tier economics offers ask for by name, and the right level given how quantitative your target programs are.
Analysis and approaches HL is built around calculus and proof, which is what selective economics programs mean when they ask for higher-level math: it is the track that reads as rigorous quantitative preparation, not Applications and interpretation, which many economics departments do not accept at the level they want. It is the heaviest course in the package, but it is the one piece of the profile that most directly gates admission at your top UK choices.
high confidence Heaviest HL in the package- Major connection
- About as direct as Economics itself for your target programs. Several UK economics offers name Math AA HL explicitly as a condition.
- Skill match
- This is the stretch course. You are comfortable with math, but HL Analysis and approaches is a real step up from pre-IB math, by design.
- Readiness
- A solid finish in Lakewood's pre-IB math sequence is the expected gate. Hold a strong grade through the end of 10th grade.
- Workload
- The heaviest course in the package. Protect it by not also stacking a fourth HL.
- If unavailable
- There is no real substitute if your UK targets specifically name Math AA HL; if Lakewood cannot guarantee a section, that changes which universities are realistic and is worth raising early.
- Sequence
- Front-load extra support in DP1, since Math AA HL is usually where a rising GPA is most at risk of slipping.
Ask your coordinator: Is Math AA HL guaranteed to run at Lakewood both years, and is there a diagnostic to confirm I am ready for it before DP1 starts?
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SL
Group 1 · Studies in language and literature
Italian A: literature
Your second Language A, taken in the arts slot instead of a visual or performing art, and the subject that also unlocks the bilingual diploma.
You said you want no arts subject, and the IB's own rule for exactly this case is to take a second subject from groups 1 through 4 instead of an arts course; a second Language A is the cleanest version of that swap, since you are already academically fluent in Italian. Taking it at SL rather than HL keeps your three HLs concentrated in English A, Economics, and Math AA, the three that do the most work for your applications.
high confidence- Language
- Native, bilingual: Italian.
- Major connection
- Low direct connection to economics, but it is the subject that completes your bilingual diploma, a distinct, real credential on top of the diploma itself.
- Skill match
- Plays directly to a native-level strength, which is part of why it is the lowest-risk way to fill the sixth slot.
- Readiness
- No prerequisite beyond the home literacy you already have; confirm with your coordinator whether Lakewood offers Italian A directly or arranges it as a school-supported self-taught course.
- Workload
- Light relative to your HLs, though self-taught language courses require real independent reading discipline if that is the route Lakewood uses.
- If unavailable
- If Lakewood does not run Italian A on-site, ask about the IB's school-supported self-taught Language A route before dropping the bilingual diploma plan.
- Sequence
- Run it SL across both years alongside English A, so both Language A subjects finish on the same timeline.
Ask your coordinator: Does Lakewood offer Italian A: literature directly, or would it run as a school-supported self-taught course, and does either route still qualify me for the bilingual diploma?
The core: TOK, Extended Essay, CAS
- Theory of Knowledge
- Your strongest knowledge questions will likely come from where Economics and language meet: how do economic models simplify human behavior into something arguable, and what happens to a concept like "value" when it moves between English and Italian? Bringing your bilingual background into TOK discussions is a genuine advantage most classmates will not have.
- Extended Essay
- Suggested subject: Economics. Write it in the HL you already know best rather than splitting focus into a new area, and frame a narrow, testable question, a local market, a specific policy, or a natural experiment, so the data collection stays realistic on a DP timeline. Start scoping the question over the summer between DP1 and DP2, before exam pressure builds in DP2.
- Creativity, Activity, Service
- Your two strongest CAS threads are already running: editing the student newspaper covers Creativity and some Service through mentoring newer writers, and volleyball covers Activity in a way that is easy to log consistently across both years. Round CAS out with one clearly Service-only commitment, since newspaper and volleyball lean Creativity and Activity, and keep the portfolio entries dated as you go rather than reconstructing them before the DP2 deadline.
Alternates
If a package pick falls through.
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SL
Alternate 1
History
The pick if broader social-science breadth matters more to your UK targets than the ESS science credit does.
History SL would give you a second Group 3 subject and a more conventional humanities profile if Global politics-style breadth carries more weight with your target universities than an interdisciplinary science subject does. Swapping it in means finding a separate Group 4 science, since History does not double up the way ESS does.
medium confidence- Major connection
- Indirect for economics, but real for a broader UK social-science application.
- Skill match
- Reading and essay-writing heavy, which suits your strength in English.
- Workload
- Moderate on its own, but adds a second course search since it does not also cover Group 4 the way ESS does.
Ask your coordinator: If I swap in History SL, which Group 4 science options would still be open this late in subject selection?
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SL
Alternate 2
Psychology
A lighter Group 3 alternate if Economics HL and Math AA HL together feel heavier than expected once DP1 starts.
Psychology SL is one of the more schedule-friendly Group 3 options and has real overlap with the behavioral-economics angle you might use in a TOK or Extended Essay discussion, without asking for the deeper commitment History or a second HL would.
medium confidence- Major connection
- Light but real, mainly through behavioral-economics overlap with your intended major.
- Skill match
- Reading and data interpretation, similar muscles to Economics.
- Workload
- One of the lighter Group 3 options; useful if the three-HL load needs a lighter SL to balance it.
Ask your coordinator: If I add Psychology instead of ESS, does that change which Group 4 science I still need to pick?
Course load guidance
Three HLs, English A, Economics, and Mathematics: analysis and approaches, is the right ceiling for a UK- and EU-facing economics profile without tipping DP1 and DP2 into an unmanageable load. The package spreads the heaviest coursework across both years rather than front-loading everything into DP1: Economics and Math AA carry the most weight in DP2 as HL papers and the Extended Essay converge, so DP1 is protected as the year to build strong habits in TOK, CAS logging, and Extended Essay scoping. Above all, the May exam session at the end of DP2 is the fixed point everything else works backward from; nothing in this plan should crowd the months right before it.
Sequence
- DP1 (11th grade): start all six subjects at their assigned level, English A HL, Spanish ab initio SL, Economics HL, Environmental systems and societies SL, Mathematics: analysis and approaches HL, and Italian A: literature SL, and begin CAS logging from day one.
- Summer between DP1 and DP2: scope the Extended Essay research question in Economics and finish most of the data collection before DP2 coursework ramps up.
- DP2 (12th grade): carry all three HLs through to the May exams, finish CAS with the one dedicated Service commitment, and submit TOK and the Extended Essay well ahead of Lakewood's internal deadlines.
- Spring of DP2: sit the May exam session; keep the months right before it free of new commitments.
Risk flags
- Math AA HL is the heaviest pick in the package; protect it in year 1 rather than letting English A or Economics crowd it out early.
- Confirm ESS acceptance at UK targets before locking it in as the science requirement; some programs want a single-group lab science instead.
- Three HLs plus two Language A subjects is a full load; do not add a fourth HL to chase extra rigor.
- CAS and the Extended Essay both compete for attention if left too late; start logging and scoping in DP1, not DP2.
Bring these to your IB coordinator
- Confirm Spanish ab initio is guaranteed to run for both DP years at Lakewood.
- Verify which HL subjects LSE, Bocconi, and your other UK/EU targets actually require; offers name specific HLs, not just an HL count.
- Check whether Italian A: literature runs on-site or as a school-supported self-taught course, and confirm either route still counts toward the bilingual diploma.
- Confirm Environmental systems and societies satisfies the science requirement at each target university, not just the IB's own group rule.
Coordinator script
I'm heading into DP1 aiming for an economics degree at UK and EU universities, and I'd like to confirm a six-subject package: English A HL, Spanish ab initio SL, Economics HL, Environmental systems and societies SL, Mathematics: analysis and approaches HL, and Italian A: literature SL in place of an arts subject. I'm hoping Economics HL can also be my Extended Essay subject. Could we confirm that Spanish ab initio and Italian A will both run for two years, check whether my target universities require a specific science beyond ESS, and make sure this combination still qualifies for the bilingual diploma?
Tempting subjects to skip
- Business management: Tempting since it sits right next to Economics, but it overlaps enough with Economics HL that admissions readers would see it as repetition rather than range, and it would crowd out the Spanish ab initio or ESS slot your current package uses instead.
- Film: You mentioned wanting no arts subject, and the plan fills that slot with Italian A: literature instead of Film, since a second Language A avoids an arts course entirely and adds the bilingual diploma on top.
Source notes
- Deterministic scoring across the official IB Diploma Programme subject catalog, calibrated to your intake answers.
- Official IB Diploma Programme structure: six subject groups, three Higher Level subjects, and the Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay, and CAS core.
- Typical UK and EU subject-specific offer patterns for economics programs; confirm exact requirements with each university and with your IB coordinator.