The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, often colloquially referred to simply as "IB"[1], is an educational programme taught in one of three languages (English, French or Spanish) and is intended for students in their final two years of secondary school, often before entering university. It is taught in 1,921 schools, to a great extent in international schools, in 124 countries (as of 2007). The programme, administered by the International Baccalaureate Organization, is the only widely recognized pre-university educational programmes available the world over. However, it remains less popular than nationally affiliated preparatory programs in most countries, such as that of the Advanced Placement examination system in the United States and the A Level system in the United Kingdom.
Curriculum
The Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum consists of completing six courses from six different subject areas, writing an Extended Essay (EE) of up to 4,000 words, taking part in the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) class, and fulfilling a requirement of 50 hours in each of the Creative, Active and Service (CAS) pursuits. Grades are awarded from 1 to 7 in each subject, and up to three 'bonus' points may be awarded depending on the grade results of the EE and TOK. Thus, a total of 45 points may be obtained by the candidate for their final diploma. In order to receive an International Baccalaureate Diploma candidates must receive a minimum of 24 points.
If candidates study in a language other than their native language (i.e. their language A1), they receive a Bilingual Diploma. If students choose not to fulfil all parts of the programme they can receive 'subject certificates' for the IB classes they take.
Subject areas
Students pursuing the Diploma take six courses, usually from six different subject areas (detailed below), with three (or four) of them taken at higher level (HL) and the rest at standard level (SL). Higher level subjects require approximately 240 hours of teaching time, and standard level subjects about 150.
Group 1: Language A1 - Generally the student's strongest language, with over 80 different languages available. Students may choose to self-study a language of their choice at standard level if their fluent language is not taught by the school.
Group 2: Second Language - An additional language, taken either at A2, B (SL or HL) or ab initio (SL only). This group may also be replaced by a second A1 language.
Group 3: Individuals and Societies - Humanities and social sciences, such as philosophy, economics, business and management, psychology, social anthropology, information technology in a global society (ITGS), geography and history (or History of the Islamic World). At higher level, there are several different regionalised history classes, including History of the Americas, History of Europe, History of Africa, History of West Asia, and History of East and South-east Asia. The variant/s taught is usually largely dependent on the location of the school. In some schools it is possible to choose three subjects from this group and none from Group 4 with special permission from the IBO. File:IB model.gifThe components of the IB Diploma course
Group 5: Mathematics - The subjects are, in order of increasing difficulty, Mathematical Studies (SL), Mathematics SL, and Mathematics HL. Furthermore, Further Mathematics can be studied at SL in addition to a Mathematics HL course. This group also includes computer science but only as an elective (not a substitute for the other mathematics courses).
Group 6: Arts - Subjects such as visual arts, film, music, dance, and theatre arts. Students can also choose to take another subject from any of the other five groups to substitute for this group. One of the main criticisms of the Diploma Programme is that it discriminates against artists by allowing those specialising in other subject areas to take a second subject within that Group, but offering no such option for those favouring the creative arts. The defence often used to counter this point is that candidates can use their 50 'creativity' hours of their CAS programme to enrich this part of themselves. At some schools it is possible to take ecosystems and societies as both a Group 3 and Group 4 subject, giving the possibility of two subjects from Group 6.
Students must write an essay of at most 4,000 words in any chosen subject (not necessarily one taken for the final exam) but not across subjects. The topic may be any that the student feels is researchable. This task involves independent research and requires producing a comprehensible written piece. Each student is paired with a supervisor, who provides insight toward the final product. It is a mandatory obligation to submit an Extended Essay, often abbreviated as EE, or the candidate cannot receive the IB Diploma.
CAS is an acronym for Creativity, Action, Service. Each DP student must complete at least 150 hours, spread out over at least one and a half years, engaging in creative activity, participating in sport or other physical activities, and doing community service or social work. The general guideline for CAS is to split it evenly among Creativity, Action and Service, hence a de facto requirement of 50 hours of each. The hours of work are to be documented by the school using official forms which are to be submitted to the IBO upon request. Failing to complete the CAS requirements will result in disqualification of a candidate from the IB Diploma. Some schools collaborate with each other and create school-wide or interschool CAS projects, such as the landmines initiative or "Read to Feed".
Each student must complete the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course of approximately 100 hours, which aims to encourage students to be critical thinkers 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 issued by the IBO), and present a TOK issue to their class on their choice of topic.
The grades that the student receives from the TOK essay and presentation are compared with the grade for the Extended Essay by way of a matrix designed by the IBO, which may result in the awarding of 'extra' points for the candidate's Diploma. The candidate may get up to three extra points if both works are of a sufficiently good standard. Without the extra points, it is still possible to achieve the Diploma, but not with the full 45 points.
Assessment
All subjects are assessed using both internal and external assessment, including final exams given worldwide in May (usually for Northern Hemisphere schools) and in November (usually for Southern Hemisphere schools). Each exam usually consists of two or three papers, generally written on successive days. The different papers may have different forms of questions, or they may focus on different areas of the subject syllabus. For example, chemistry Paper 1 has multiple choice questions, Paper 2 has extended response questions, and Paper 3 focuses on the 'option' topics which can vary according to the student's (or school's) preference. Resits for each paper (sat in the next exam session - November or May) are possible for a maximum of three times.
Each individual paper can take anywhere from 45 minutes to three hours, but usually they are between one and two hours in duration. Because of the large amount of subjects being examined in one examination session (of less than a month in length), students often have to write multiple papers in one day. The external assessment is assessed by examiners appointed by the IBO.
A common practice by schools is to hold mock exams, using exams from a previous year's session to introduce students to the examination process. This is also used to determine predicted grades required by IBO prior to assessment. Another common practice is to allow the students a study leave for independent study without scheduled lesson time.
The nature of the internal assessment (IA) varies by subject. They may be oral presentations (used in languages), practical work (in experimental sciences), or written works to be done at home. Internal assessment accounts for 20 to 50 percent of the mark awarded for each subject and is marked by a teacher in the school. A sample of at least five per subject at each level will also be graded by a moderator appointed by the IBO, in a process called external moderation of internal assessment.
The marks collected from the internal and external moderators are again moderated on a world wide scale. The results of every particular year determine the grade-boundaries of that year. Therefore the effects of very easy or very difficult exams are taken into account, however, very good year groups might receive lower marks than expected as the boundaries are drawn up, and vice-versa, less successful year groups may receive higher marks than expected.
Awards
There are two types of award available in the IB Diploma Programme. A student can be awarded the full Diploma or Certificates of Merit in individual subjects.
Diploma conditions
In order to be awarded the full IB Diploma the following requirements must have been met:
at least three subjects are completed at Higher Level (HL) and three at Standard Level (SL).
should four subjects be completed at HL then only two need be completed at SL.
all six subjects have been awarded a numerical grade higher than 1, with a minimum total score of 24.
the CAS (Creativity - Action - Service; community service) requirement of 150 hours has been completed
the Extended Essay and TOK course have been completed and essays submitted.
additionally a grade D or better has been awarded in either the Extended Essay or TOK.
if the overall score is 24-27, there is no grade 2 at HL and not more than one grade 2 at SL; if the overall score is greater than or equal to 28, not more than one grade 2 at HL and no more than two grades 2 at SL; altogether, there are no more than three grades 3 or below
at least 12 points (12 for overall score 24-27; 16 if four HL subjects are taken) have been gained on HL subjects, and 9/8 (6/5 if only two SL subjects are taken) on SL subjects
the final award committee has not judged the candidate to be guilty of malpractice
Certificates
A candidate may also choose not to take the whole Diploma, but to aim for a Certificate in a particular subject. Candidates doing certificates do not have to take part in the extra requirements of the Diploma (the Extended Essay, TOK and CAS). However, if taking World History (social studies certificate), the student is required to complete the Theory of Knowledge. Those candidates who complete extra courses in addition to a Diploma will also receive a Certificate.
Recognition
Upon completion of the Diploma Programme, students receive the IB Diploma, which is used to obtain admission to institutions of higher education. This degree is sometimes regarded as a foreign diploma, so its recognition may vary depending on the university.[citation needed]
In Canada and the United States, some IBDP courses are recognised as equivalent to university/college-level courses, and universities and colleges may award entering students with first-year 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.
In the United Kingdom, most universities, including Oxford and Cambridge, accept the IB Diploma as an alternative to A-levels and some universities actively prefer it to A-Levels. UCAS has created a tariff for IB points which will be in use from 2008 university entry onwards. The tariff suggests that a modest score of 30 IB points (419 UCAS points) is roughly equivalent to 3 A-grades at A Level and 1 A-grade at AS Level (420 UCAS points), whereas the maximum score of 45 IB points (768 UCAS points) is roughly equivalent to 6 A-grades at A Level and 1 B-grade at AS Level (770 UCAS points)[2]. The increasing attention being directed at the IB Diploma by universities has led many private schools to offer it in place of A-levels (due to the perennial national debate over A-level standards), though the political impossibility of placing elements of education policy in the hands of an outside body makes it unlikely that the IB would ever replace UK-based qualifications in the majority of schools; instead, there has been talk of creating an equivalent British baccalaureate programme (see the Welsh Baccalaureate, a much-maligned attempt to replicate the IB within Wales, and the Tomlinson Report, which recommended a new baccalaureate system to replace A-levels).[citation needed]
In some countries, such as Turkey or Peru, the IB Diploma is not considered equivalent to the national end-of-school examination scheme, usually because the IB Diploma is not as specialised, or because certain subjects are not offered. However, in Peru, various universities allow direct entrance to students who succesfully completed the IB. Other countries, such as Germany, set certain conditions for the IB Diploma to be convalidated (German at minimum A2 Standard Level, Mathematic Studies or Mathematics standard level minimum, and Maths or a Science at Higher Level). Some universities, on the other hand, prefer the IB to the certificate which the students usually get in their own country. A list of universities admitting the IB can be found on the IBO web site.[citation needed]
Criticism
The 1-7 grading scale is often misinterpreted as 1-10 by universities and colleges unfamiliar with the IB, which can sometimes lead to underestimation of the student's grades.
Criticism of the Diploma Programme often centres on the limitations of curriculum implementation in the schools. For example, although the IBO may offer many different courses of a particular area, a school may only offer a few, thereby defeating the original intent of the programme.[citation needed]
Criticism also stems from the lack of interaction between IB students and other non-IB students in schools where programmes besides the IBDP are offered. This lack of interaction can cause segregation in participating schools. This can come to be interpreted by "non-IB" students as a form of elitism and even social Darwinism. Schools have addressed this problem by encouraging open access and expanding programs.[citation needed]
Another negative aspect of the program that may exist in some schools is the unnecessary measures taken to keep control of CAS hours. This can be in the form of proposal forms or excessive logging forms.
The IB is also criticised by students for not allowing past examination papers to be freely released to students for the purpose of practice and study. Past exam papers may not be accessed for free, and can only be purchased, per subject from the IBO. The IBO has been known to take action with people exchanging past exams for the purpose of study. This is in stark contrast with most national examination systems, where past exams are released to the public domain at no extra cost.
The IB places responsibility for the administration of the program in the Head of School and the school's IB coordinator. Depending on how a school structures its programme, information about the policies and practices originate from the coordinator. The IB school is responsible for interpreting regulations, and final decisions regarding the Diploma Programme are left to the school administration. The IBO will commonly refer students or parents who have issues with the administration of the program back to the school for resolution.[citation needed]
In the United States
In the US, the IB Diploma Programme is used to set students at an international standard level. Many colleges recognise participation in (and the passing of) IB examinations as college credits. The national average of candidates that receive their diploma is about 80%. [citation needed]
Many American colleges will only give college credit to students for taking higher level courses. The score required often depends on the competitiveness of the college. Some require a score of 5,6 or 7, while others will accept a 4. Other schools, like Binghamton University, offer up to a year's credit for students who achieve a certain total score on the IB Diploma and will accept high SL scores for students who achieve the diploma. Comparisons are also made with the AP programme. However, it is difficult to compare the two systems because IB is scored out of 7 and AP out of 5, and the stated purpose of AP is to earn university-level credit, while the IB is designed as a baccalaureate.
When President George W. Bush announced his American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) he cited the IB programme as crucial to his goals for the initiative.[citation needed]
Pre-IB
In many schools, one or two years of 'Pre-IB' are administered before admission into the formal IB curriculum. This is not a practice managed by the IBO, but by the schools themselves, and the nature of the Pre-IB studies varies greatly between schools. In many countries, Pre-IB consists of adapting to studying in a foreign language (usually English), while completing the compulsory courses demanded by the national education authorities (as opposed to the IBO).
For schools in the United States, the 'Pre-IB' curriculum usually consists of more advanced courses than the regular freshman and sophomore classes in order to prepare the student for the rigours of the actual IB curriculum.
Schools in Canada usually offer a more advanced French language course, or offer an optional language in grade ten, usually Spanish.[citation needed]
Notes
^While this term has a widespread use in this context, it is not correct usage, as there are two other International Baccalaureate programmes besides the Diploma Programme.
