The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Program or IBDP is the most prominent portion of the International Baccalaureate (IB) educational foundation, based in Geneva, Switzerland. This program focuses on providing high school students all over the world with 2 years of intense, university-level study, for grades 11 and 12. Although the IB program is similar to the US-based Advanced Placement program, it is much more recognized abroad, and is hailed for providing students with a completely open-minded and highly sophisticated “international” education. The IB program is also held in very high regard by most of the world’s universities. In order to attend the program, prospective students have to be attending an IB school (i.e. a high school with an IB department), and usually undergo an interview with the head of the department, in order to ensure that they are ready for the rigorous nature of the program. The IBDP does NOT cost any money; yes, there are some minor payments, for instance payment for an IB field trip, but outside of that, it is completely free.

Description (Curriculum)

The IB diploma program focuses on two major areas: 3 core requirements and 6 subject groups, and breaks down into 2 “levels”; higher and standard. The 3 core requirements are the Extended Essay (essay of up to 4,000 words on one of the approved subjects), the TOK (Theory of Knowledge) course, which includes 100 hours of instruction on the nature and limitations of knowledge as well as a major essay and a presentation, and a 150 hour CAS (creativity, action, service) requirement, which focuses on allowing students to work within and learn about the community they live in through various involvement, such as volunteering.

The 6 subject groups are more open-ended, and allow the students to have some choice. The one requirement for the subjects however, is that students take 3 or 4 minimum HL (higher level) courses. Higher level courses differ from standard level in difficulty and amount of work.

Group 1: language: this is usually the native language of the school, i.e. English

Group 2: Second Language: students have a large choice of secondary languages they can pursue. Spanish and French in particular are popular choices. I myself took Russian for this subject, as it was my native language (yes, I cheated a little!)

Group 3: Individuals and societies: this group contains a number of subjects, ranging from Geography to History and Economics

Group 4: Experimental Sciences: as the title suggests, this group focuses on the sciences, with courses like Biology, Chemistry and Physics

Group 5: Mathematics and Computer Science: this group includes various math courses and an HL or SL computer science course

Group 6: Arts: this group includes Music, theatre, Visual Art, and film

Grading System

The program finishes off with a group of high-level exams for all 6 subjects. Both the courses, and the exams, are graded with a 7 number system; that is, you receive a mark from 1 to 7 for your courses, and exams, which is then averaged to arrive at your final mark for the subject. A 6 or a 7 is generally considered to be a very high mark, where as a 5 is good and 4 satisfactory. In addition to these marks, three more points are possible with a good Extended and TOK essays, the maximum number of points thus being 45; the minimum to graduate with the diploma is 24.

Course Work/Load

The amount of course work itself is quite high; as the foundation itself states, the program is designed to emulate first Year University. Homework is assigned practically every day for every subject, and there is a very large number of projects, essays, and other assignments which all meet university standards in difficulty and sophistication. Compared to my 2 years at college, for instance, IB homework took up a very considerable portion of my free time, where as in college I had little to no work after classes, with the exception of studying for various tests. While at first glance it seems that the IB diploma program is quite difficult and time-consuming, it does however boast a number of very strong advantages.

Doing well in courses allows you to get transfer credit in college/university

All major universities accept transfer requests for IB courses, with a grade minimum of a 5. This allows you to reduce the amount of courses and money you have to pay for post-secondary education. So for example, if you get a 5 in Geography, a 6 in English and another 5 in Theater, you can get direct or unassigned transfer credit for these courses at your post-secondary institution.

You prepare yourself for university

This works two fold; not only do you learn the material taught in first year university, but you also get used to the workload required in order to succeed at a post-secondary institution. Constant note-taking, essays, projects, presentations and other assignments emulate the situation you are put in at a university.

You get priority over other students in post-secondary application

As the IB program is quite prestigious and highly recognized by all major universities across the world, it grants you a higher “status” than students who complete normal high school curriculums.

If you do well you get access to IB scholarships

Getting marks of 6 or higher in most of your subjects, and doing well on the essays generally gives you a very good chance to be considered for various post-secondary IB scholarships.

You get an international education and open your mind to the world

This may sound cheesy, but it is quite true. TOK in particular allows you to learn about major issues, problems, and ideas of the world. Whereas, for instance, the American high school curriculum still despises evolution and promotes Christianity, IB gives you an open-minded, bias-free perspective of the world and its issues.

Free!

You get access to an internationally-recognized, world-class education for free.

By far the one and most significant disadvantage of the IB diploma program is the amount of work and time you have to put into it in order to succeed. Students who are struggling in the normal curriculum, maintaining C and B grades, should NOT join the IB Program, as you may very well find yourself unable to even graduate. The IB program is for those who take their education very seriously; while this doesn’t mean that only “nerds” join the IBDP, it does however require that you should have decent marks and some interest in your education. If you do not apply yourself, you may end up actually shrinking your post-secondary opportunities, rather than expand them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the IB Diploma Program is a very prestigious and recognized foundation, which allows their students to get ahead and do well in post-secondary routes. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is doing well in school and wants to do well in university; the opportunity is too much to pass up. I would further state that the IB program is better than AP; it is more recognized and “international” than its US cousin. So if you have an IB school in your area, you (or your daughter/son) should definitely give it a chance; if you have any questions, check out their website or simply talk with the IB department of any given high school, or ask me; I will do my best to answer any inquiries.