The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) is an internationally recognised academic programme designed to meet the needs of highly motivated high school students. A comprehensive two-year programme which enables students to fulfil the requirements of various national education systems, the IBDP’s curriculum model incorporates the best elements of several national assessment systems.
Students select six courses which they study for two years and complete a compulsory core (see the diagram below). Each course lasts two years from G11-G12 and in May of the G12 year the students sit for the IBDP Examinations.
6 Subjects x 7 (Highest grade per subject) = 42
(Highest attainable grade- TOK/EE/CAS) = 3
Total obtainable points = 45
All students must take 3 Higher Level courses of 240 hours tuition - these are the subjects that they show most interest in and are likely to utilise and pursue at University. Students must also take 3 Standard Level courses of 150 hours tuition.
Students will also take the Theory of Knowledge course, the Extended Essay and the Creativity, Activity Service programme.
A student must choose one subject from each group within the IB programme that we offer at IGBIS:
Language A (Language and Literature): English SL/HL, Chinese SL/HL, Korean SL/HL, Malay Lit SL and a choice of a Self Taught Mother Tongue / First Language SL
Language B (Language Acquisition) or another Language A: English B SL/HL, Mandarin B SL/HL, Malay B SL, Spanish B SL/HL and Spanish Ab Initio SL or a second Language A subject (see above)
Individuals and Societies: Business Management SL/HL, Economics SL/HL, Geography SL/HL, History SL/HL, Psychology SL/HL
Experimental Sciences: Biology SL/HL, Chemistry SL/HL, Physics SL/HL, Sports Exercise and Health Science SL/HL, Design Technology SL/HL
Mathematics - Applications and Interpretations SL, Analysis and Approaches SL/HL
Arts: Theatre SL/HL, Visual Arts SL/HL, Music SL/HL (or anotherone subject from groups 1-4)
To receive a Bilingual IB Diploma, students must fulfill one or both:
Completion of two languages selected from group 1 with the award of a grade 3 or higher in both.
Completion of one of the subjects from Group 3 or Group 4 in a language that is not the same as the candidate’s Group 1 language. The candidate must attain a grade 3 or higher in both the group 1 language and the subject from group 3 or 4.
The Core
Creativity – Activity – Service (CAS) - CAS is one of the three essential elements that every student must complete as part of the Diploma Programme (DP). Studied throughout the Diploma Programme, CAS involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies. It is not formally assessed. However, students reflect on their CAS experiences as part of the DP, and provide evidence of achieving the eight learning outcomes for CAS.
Extended Essay (EE) – The EE is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000 word paper. One component of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) core, the EE is mandatory for all IBDP students.
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) – TOK is assessed through an oral presentation and a 1,600 word essay. It asks students to reflect on the nature of knowledge, and on how we know what we claim to know. TOK is part of the International Diploma Programme (IBDP) core, and is mandatory for all IBDP students.
* In addition to the Core requirements, all G11 and G12 students must take the Health and Wellness class
The full IB Diploma is pretty much universally selected at all Universities around the world. There are however often specific subject requirements for specific university degrees and courses, which still need to be researched carefully:
Direct Entry = Pretty much everywhere with a few exceptions*… and we will talk about subject choices later!
Germany for example (need to prove German language proficiency)
Please see an overview of recent offers for IB CP Students in the spreadsheet below. More information is available on the What Universities Want page, link below.
HL courses: Minimum MYP level 6 (or a recognized equivalent, usually B or above at IGCSE)
SL courses: Minimum MYP level 4 (or a recognized equivalent, usually C or above at IGCSE)
Students who intend to do performance in the music course must have been having lessons on a musical instrument for the previous 2 years and must commit to continue having lessons for the duration of the DP Music course.
Please see individual course pages for more detail relevant to guidance for specific subjects