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The International Baccalaureate (IB) is a group of three educational programmes and their respective examinations, as established by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).
These three programmes are the following:
- the Primary Years Programme (PYP) for pupils aged 3 to 12
- the Middle Years Programme (MYP) for pupils aged 11 to 16
- the Diploma Programme for pupils aged 15 to 19
The programmes are modelled after educational systems from around the world, without being based on any particular one, incorporating both the breadth offered by some as well as the early specialisation offered by others. Their rigorousness and high standards have ensured its wide recognition throughout the world.
Diploma programme
This programme is intended for students in the final two years of secondary school – often before entering university.
Upon its completion, students receive a diploma which may be useful in obtaining admission to institutions of higher education. This degree is regarded as a foreign diploma, so recognition varies widely depending on the university.
Particularly in the USA, some IB courses are recognized as equivalent to college level courses, and colleges may award entering students with credit for high IB exam scores. In this regard it is similar to the Advanced Placement Program, or superior to it, depending on the institute of higher learning in question. However, IB exams are only taken after most colleges send acceptance letters, so IB exam scores do not confer a benefit to college admission in the USA.
In other parts of the world, the IB Diploma is used only to assess a student's suitability to enter university. In some, particularly countries with strong secondary school standards, it is not considered equivalent to a school-leaving diploma. It is therefore advised to know which university you are planning to attend, and to enquire in advance whether they admit IB Diploma holders or not. A list of universities admitting the IB can be found on the IBO web site.
Grades are awarded from 1 to 7 in each subject, and 0 to 3 possible points for good results in the Extended Essay and the Theory of Knowledge class. Diploma students take 6 courses, and complete the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge class, for a total of 45 possible points per diploma. If candidates fail one part of the final examination, they must receive a total of fourteen points in the three higher level courses to receive the diploma. If candidates choose not to fulfil all parts of the programme, they can only receive a certificate.
If candidates take examinations or submit an extended essay in group 3 or 4 in a language other than their A1 language or if they take both a language A1 and a language A2 or two languages A1, they are awarded, on condition that they fulfil other criteria for the IB Diploma, a Bilingual Diploma. Candidates who take an additional, seventh subject in addition to their Diploma subjects are awarded a special type of certificate different from the one given to candidates failing or being examined only in certain subjects.
Syllabus
Subject areas
Students pursuing the Diploma take one course from each group, with at least three (but not more than four) taken at higher level (HL), and at least two (but no more than three) taken at the standard level (SL). Higher level subjects require approximately 240 hours of teaching time, and standard level subjects require at least 150. Students may also elect to take fewer IB courses - while these students do not receive the Diploma, they may still receive the Certificate of Merit with less stringent requirements.
- Group 1: Language A1 – Generally the student's strongest language, and has been offered in over 80 different languages in the past. Students may elect to self-study a language of their choice in this category.
- Group 2: Second Language – An additional language, taken either at A1, A2, B or ab initio.
- Group 3: Individuals and Societies – Humanities and Social Sciences, such as philosophy, economics, business and management, psychology, social anthropology, geography and history. There are several different history classes – history of the Americas, Islamic history, and European history are also offered, generally dependent on the country the student is from.
- Group 4: Experimental Sciences – Subjects such as physics, chemistry, biology, environmental systems and design technology.
- Group 5: Mathematics – The subjects are mathematical studies SL (for students without the background for calculus), mathematical methods SL(precalculus and introductory calculus), and mathematics HL (calculus and statistics). This group also includes computer science and further mathematics (SL) but these courses are only electives (and not substitutes for the other mathematics courses).
- Group 6: Arts – Subjects such as visual arts, music and theatre arts.
Instead of a Group 6 subject, candidates may select an additional subject from Group 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5. This subject is often referred to as the student's "sixth area." A common choice is a second science or a second history/social studies class.
All subjects are assessed using both an internal and external assessment, including final exams given world-wide in May (usually for Northern Hemisphere schools) and in November (usually for Southern Hemisphere schools). The internal assessments are graded by a teacher in the school and vary by subject. The external assessment is assessed by examiners appointed by the IBO.
Extended essay
Students must write an essay of at most 4000 words (with a +/- 10% flexibility) in any chosen subject (any topic that they feel is researchable, not necessarily one taken for the final exam) under a title they have chosen. This task involves independent research and requires producing a comprehensible written piece. Each student is paired with a mentor, usually a teacher or a professional in the field, who provides insight (and corrections) toward the final product. It is important to submit an extended essay, often abbreviated as EE, or the candidate may not receive the IB diploma.
CAS
CAS is an acronym for Creativity, Action, Service. Each diploma student must complete at least 150 hours spread out over 1.5 years doing something creative, participating in sport or other physical activities, and doing community service/social work.
Theory of Knowledge
Each student must complete the Theory of Knowledge course (TOK) which aims to encourage students to be critical and to teach students basic epistemology. To complete requirements for TOK, diploma candidates must write a TOK essay of 1200–1600 words on a set title (from a choice of ten), and present a TOK issue to their class on their choice of topic. (See external links below for more information.)
External links
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