IB Overview

• Language A: English

• Language B: Mandarin

• Language B: Japanese

• Language B: Spanish

• Language ab initio: Japanese

• Economics

• History

• Biology

• Chemistry

• Physics

• Sports, Exercise and Health Science (SEHS)

• Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS)

• Applications and Interpretations (AI)

• Analysis and Approaches (AA)

• Music

• Visual Arts

Extended Essay (EE) is an independent, self-directed research essay of up to 4,000 words that's graded externally by the IB. It has to be focused on one academic subject, and written on a topic that's been approved by the IB.

TOK is a class that all students at St. John's school must take, whether the student is an IBDC or not. TOK class teaches the nature of knowledge and builds skills in critical thinking. IBDC must complete a presentation (graded by the teacher) and a 1,600 word essay (graded externally).

St. John's school requires all students to complete CAS credit hours to graduate. To earn CAS credit hours, students must participate in activities outside of class, either community service, athletics, or creative activities. For most of the students, their regular extracurricular activities and sports count for CAS hours. Students are responsible for checking what activities and how many hours count towards their CAS hours.

These are the exams that you take at the end of the year in May. SL courses consist of Paper 1 and Paper 2, and HL courses may consist of Paper 3. Depending on the course, each paper may vary in the format of the problems and rules of the exams. The different types include: essays, structured problems, short-response questions, data-response questions, text-response questions, case-study questions, multiple-choice questions, free-response questions, etc. 

The Internal Assessment (IA) varies by subject. There may be oral presentations (usually in languages), practical/laboratory work (in experimental sciences or performing arts), investigations (in mathematics) or written work. 

IA's worth 20% to 50% of the mark for each subject, and is graded by the teachers in the school. Each IA will be sent to the IB and also be graded by a moderator appointed by the IB. IA is a work done in class and is graded by your teachers. So even if you are not an IBDC or not taking the IB exam, everyone in the class is required to do any class work including IA.

• 7 : Excellent

• 6 : Very good

• 5 : Good

• 4 : Adequate; considered as a Pass

• 3 : Somewhat adequate

• 2 : Superficial

• 1 : Very rudimentary

• A candidate must take and complete the assessment components of six subjects, together with the core elements (TOK, EE, CAS)

• A candidate must take at least one course from each of the subject groups

• A limited number of interdisciplinary courses count across subject groups (for example, Environmental Systems and Societies simultaneously satisfy Group 3 and Group 4)

• Students are not allowed to take subjects whose content overlaps

• The maximum number of points can be awarded is the full score of 45, with 42 from the subjects and 3 from TOK/EE.

• CAS requirements are met

• Achieved AT LEAST 24 total points

• A grade has been awarded in ALL subjects, TOK, and the EE
  (non-submission of any assignment leads to a cancellation of the IBDC)

• A grade of AT LEAST a 2 in ALL subjects

• NO MORE THAN TWO of grade 2's (SL or HL)

• NO MORE THAN THREE of grade 2's or below (SL or HL)

• AT LEAST 12 points on HL subjects
  (For IBDC registered for four HL subjects, the three highest grades count)

• AT LEAST 9 points on SL subjects
  (For IBDC registered for two SL subjects must be awarded AT LEAST 5 points on SL subjects)