The IB Diploma Programme

What is the Diploma Programme? 

The IB Diploma Programme (DP) is an academically challenging and balanced programme of education with final examinations that prepares students, aged 16 to 19, for success at university and life beyond. It has been designed to address the intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being of students. The programme, has gained recognition and respect from the world’s leading universities.

The Diploma Programme prepares students for effective participation in a rapidly evolving and increasingly global society as they:
• develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically
• acquire breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding, studying courses from 6 subject groups
• develop the skills and a positive attitude toward learning that will prepare them for higher education
• study at least two languages and increase understanding of cultures, including their own
• make connections across traditional academic disciplines and explore the nature of knowledge through the programme’s unique theory of knowledge course
• undertake in-depth research into an area of interest through the lens of one or more academic disciplines in the extended essay
• enhance their personal and interpersonal development through creativity, action and service

• Creativity, action, service (CAS) involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout the Diploma Programme. Creativity encourages students to engage in the arts and creative thinking. Action seeks to develop a healthy lifestyle through physical activity. Service with the community offers a vehicle for a new learning with academic value. The three strands of CAS enhance students’ personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning and enable journeys of self-discovery.

The curriculum
IB Diploma Programme students must choose one subject from each of five groups (1 to 5), ensuring breadth of knowledge and understanding in their best language, additional language(s), the social sciences, the experimental sciences and mathematics. Student may choose either an arts subject from group 6, or a second subject from groups 1 to 5.

Assessment
Students take written examinations at the end of the programme, which are marked by external IB examiners. Students also complete assessment tasks in the school, which are either initially marked by teachers and then moderated by external moderators or sent directly to external examiners.
The marks awarded for each course range from 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest). Students can also be awarded up to three additional points for their combined results on theory of knowledge and the extended essay. The diploma is awarded to students who gain at least 24 points, subject to certain minimum levels of performance across the whole programme and to satisfactory participation in the creativity, action, service requirement. The highest total that a Diploma Programme student can be awarded is 45 points.
Assessment is criterion-related, which means student performance is measured against pre-specified assessment criteria based on the aims and objectives of each subject curriculum, rather than the performance of other students taking the same examinations. The range of scores that students have attained remains statistically stable, and universities value the rigour and consistency of Diploma Programme assessment practice.

Quality assurance and professional development

Any school, or group of schools, wishing to offer one or more International Baccalaureate programmes as an IB World School must first be authorized.  The requirements are the same for all schools, and the procedure is designed to ensure that schools are well prepared to implement the programme(s) successfully. All IB World Schools are required to participate in an ongoing process of review and development, using the same programme standards and practices.

As part of its ongoing commitment to the development of a highly skilled global learning community, the IB provides a wide range of high-quality professional development opportunities to help new, experienced and expert school leaders and educators understand, support, and successfully deliver IB programmes reflecting IB standards and practices.

Mission and strategy

"The IB is more than its educational programmes and certificates. At our heart we are motivated by a mission to create a better world through education.
We value our hard earned reputation for quality, for high standards and for pedagogical leadership. We achieve our goals by working with partners and by actively involving our stakeholders, particularly teachers."

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.
These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

Strategy
The IB has seen tremendous planned growth in the past five years, delivering successful performance through a strong focus on quality, access and infrastructure.
The new strategy builds upon our successes and ensures that the IB has a clear direction for the next five years. At its heart lies our ambition to establish the IB as a global leader in international education.
To achieve this, the IB Board of Governors has endorsed the vision together with a set of strategic goals and strategic objectives.

IB employee profile

“Your mission is the IB’s mission”

The IB employee profile is our behavioural competency framework which has been developed to drive and underpin the behaviours required by IB employees.

The IB employee profile brings together the behaviours that all IB employees should demonstrate within the workplace.

The IB employee profile seeks to reflect a balance between the values of the IB and the behaviours required by employees to successfully deliver the IB mission. The employee profile is:

“The IB mission in action in the workplace”.

It brings together the behaviours that all IB employees should demonstrate within the workplace.

Our 10 staff behavioural competencies:

Impact and influence

Communicating with understanding, confidence, clarity and effectiveness and having a positive impact on others.

Passion for the IB mission
Aligning behaviour to the needs, priorities and goals of the IB and inspiring passion for the IB mission.

International Mindedness¨
Culturally aware and respectful, having a global outlook, identifying opportunities for global working.

Stakeholder focus
Always acting to discover, meet and exceed the needs of the IB’s current and future internal and external stakeholders.

Managing and developing self and others
Managing and developing self, supporting or managing the performance, development and well-being of others, to achieve organizational goals and support the IB community.

Delivering results

Having accountability for work and managing time and resources effectively, delivering results to a high standard and taking responsibility for own actions.

Teamwork and cooperation
Working to support and develop collaboration within and across teams through leadership.

Driving to improve
Having the courage, forethought and independence of spirit to use change and/or continuous development to drive organizational improvements and organizational learning in a socially responsible manner.

Decision making

Exploring and identifying the best and most ethical approach, taking personal responsibility, meeting challenges and resolving problems.

Organizational development

The difference

What is the difference between IB and IGCSE?

The IB is an all encompassing description for what is three different programs.

PYP for primary aged children.
MYP for middle school to IGCSE level.
IBDP for the diploma program, post 16 education.

I presume you are comparing MYP with IGCSE. I teach IGCSE and IBDP but I have never taught the MYP, but based on my experience of teaching students who have done both to enter the IBDP, it doesn't make much difference.

IGCSEs are more difficult than UK GCSEs so do not compare them to those.

What is the difference between IB and A levels?

IB students take six subjects, three at higher level and three at standard level. These subjects are studied for two years and are examined at the end of that two year period.

In contrast, A Level students, usually take 4 or 5 subjects in the first year and a smaller number in the second year. It is possible to “cash in” a subject at the end of year one and accept a qualification called the AS Level. The full two year course of study is known as the A Level.

The IB offers a broader education: there are six subject groupings and students have to take a subject from each of the first five. In practice this means that IB students have to study literature in their own language, a second language, a social science subject, a science and mathematics. The final subject area is the Arts - Music, Theatre or Visual Arts and it is possible to take one of these subjects as the sixth option or, instead, take an additional science, an additional language or an additional social science subject. This flexibility means that it is possible to take Biology, Chemistry and Mathematics – if you want to study medicine – plus literature, a language and a social science subject. It is also possible to take unusual subject combinations – Italian, English, Chemistry, Mathematics, Psychology and Art, which would be difficult to replicate in an A Level school.

There are also a number of other requirements which are an integral part of the IB. Each student prepares a 4000 word essay based on an original piece of research and there is a compulsory Theory of Knowledge course which is also assessed. Finally, the IB involves a compulsory programme known as CAS (Creativity, Action and Service). This involves a minimum of 50 hours each of a Creative activity and Action activity and a Service to the Community activity and it is impossible to be a warded the Diploma without satisfying this component.

Schools which offer the A Level will, of course include sporting, cultural and volunteering activities within their sixth form curriculum but there is no attempt to integrate these elements in the same way as which this has been done with the IB.

How difficult is the A Level when compared with the IB Diploma? The maximum score achievable for the IB is 45. Only about 65 students worldwide are able to do so each year. The pass mark is 24 points. It is possible to fail the Diploma as, worldwide, only 78% of students who take the Diploma each year pass it. Compare this with the A Level where hundreds of schools and colleges are able to report that their students achieved a 100% pass rate when the results are published each year. According to the UCAS tariff, 45 points is the equivalent of 5 grade A* at A Level, 40 points is the equivalent of 4 grade A* at A Level and 35 points is the equivalent of 2 grade A* at A Level and 1 grade A. Finally, the percentage of students achieving a Diploma each year has remained constant over the

What is actually IB?

The IB has been established since 1968. The concept driven curriculum is therefore not a fledgling idea but it is a compilation of best practice and research over the last 44 years. The International Baccalaureate is designed for students aged 3 to 19. It focuses on the total growth of the developing child, touching hearts as well as minds and encompassing social, physical, emotional and cultural needs in addition to academic development. The IB draws on research and best practice from a range of national systems with a wealth of knowledge and experience from international schools to create a relevant, engaging, challenging and significant educational framework for all children.

Curriculum documents are published in English, French and Spanish but schools may offer the programme in other languages under certain conditions. The PYP, MYP, DP and IBCC are the four programmes offered by the International Baccalaureate (IB). The IB has specific standards and practices that are common across all of the programs and work to define the complex model of international education whilst bringing cohesion and a common language across the world.