International Baccalaureate (IB)

Are you a student currently studying the IB, or about to commence your IB program? You're in the right place!

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What is the IB?

It is an International Academic Program which is another alternative to A levels. This is a highly academic program with final exams that prepare students for university and careers. You select one subject from each of the five categories, which include two languages, social sciences, experimental sciences, and mathematics. You must also choose either an arts subject from the sixth group or another from the first to fifth groups.

How is the IB graded?

Subjects might differ from schools and countries but these are the ideal subjects given in the IB.

IB is graded through a point system (7 being the highest and 1 being the lowest) and the highest mark you can achieve in total is 45. For the 6 subjects you study you can achieve a maximum of 42 points.

Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay are combined to gain 3 extra bonus points. These 2 subjects will be marked from A (highest) to E (lowest) and then will be converted to points.

What are the benefits of studying the IB?

Even though there are a lot of subjects, this program is great for students to gain new skills and be an all- rounder. IB also helps students have a better idea of how work will be in university especially with coursework and that is one of the main things you will work on when studying IB and it is known as Internal Asssessment (IA). Doing CAS is also a great opportunity for students to be independent and find activities / services to do outside of school to build up their portfolio on CAS as well as their CV/ personal statement when applying for university.

The marking matrix used in the IB.

How do universities use the IB to select students?

All universities around the world accept the IB as a qualification gained in secondary school. Depending on the degree you are applying to, universities mainly focus on your Higher Level (HL) subjects.

Each university has their own requirements for students applying to study a course at their institution. The most common way is considering your total point score out of 45, and your total point score of your HL subjects. Another way is asking applicants to achieve a certain grade in a particular grade at HL or at standard level (SL).

If you complete the IB programme well enough, universities may prefer you over the other qualifications e.g. A-levels.