Secondary School IB Grades
The final grades of high School prepare students to complete the International Baccalaureate Organisation Diploma Programme, designed to prepare today's young people for admission to universities and a successful academic experience.
Overview
The International Baccalaureate Organisation Diploma Programme (DP), created in 1968, is a highly demanding pre-university course of study that leads to examinations; it is designed for highly motivated secondary school students aged 16 to 19. The programme has earned a reputation for rigorous assessment, giving IB Diploma holders access to the world’s leading universities. The IBO has shown, over the course of 35 years, that students are well prepared for university work.
The Diploma Programme’s grading system is criterion referenced: each student’s performance is measured against well defined levels of achievement consistent from one examination session to the next. Grades reflect attainment of knowledge and skills relative to set standards that are applied equally to all schools. Top grades are not, for example, awarded to a certain percentage of students. Validity, reliability and fairness are the watchwords of the IBO’s international assessment strategy.
The programme is a comprehensive two-year international curriculum that generally allows students to fulfill the requirements of their national or state educational systems. The Diploma Programme incorporates the best elements of national systems without being based on any one system. Internationally mobile students are able to transfer from one IB school to another while students who remain closer to home benefit from a highly respected international curriculum.
Today there are equal numbers of students from international schools and state or national systems. The idealistic vision of the initial developers – that students should share an academic experience that would emphasize critical thinking, intercultural understanding and exposure to a variety of points of view – has remained unchanged. The IBO’s goal is to provide students with the values and opportunities that will enable them to develop sound judgment make wise choices, and respect others in the global community. The Diploma Programme equips students with the skills and attitudes necessary for success in higher education and employment.
Berlin International School International Baccalaureate Diploma
Diploma candidates are required to select one subject from each of six groups (later they make a decision which three subjects will be taken at Higher Level and which three at Standard Level). This is a deliberate compromise between the early specialization preferred in some national systems and the breadth found in others.
Subjects offered
| Group 1 | First Language and World Literature English A1, German A1, + Privately Tutored Languages such as Korean A1 and self-taught Language A1 |
| Group 2 | Second Modern Language English A2, English B, German B, French B, Spanish B, German ab initio |
| Group 3 | Individuals and Societies Economics, Geography, History, Business and Management |
| Group 4 | Experimental Sciences Biology, Chemistry, Physics |
| Group 5 | Mathematics Higher Level Mathematics, Mathematics Standard Level, Mathematical Studies |
| Group 6 | The Arts and Electives Visual Art, Music or a second subject from groups 1 to 4. |
Each subject is taught for 5 lessons per week. A Higher Level (HL) course represents a minimum of 240 teaching hours; Standard Level (SL) courses cover 150 hours. Students are thus able to explore some subjects in depth and others more broadly. The science- oriented student is challenged to learn a foreign language and the natural linguist becomes familiar with laboratory procedures.
In addition to studying six academic subjects, the diploma candidate must also fulfil three further requirements:
Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
TOK is an interdisciplinary requirement intended to stimulate critical reflection on knowledge issues and experience gained inside and outside the classroom. The course challenges students to question the bases of knowledge, to be aware of subjective and ideological biases and to develop the ability to analyse evidence. TOK is a key element in encouraging students to appreciate other cultural perspectives.
The course is unique to the International Baccalaureate Organisation, which recommends at least 100 hours of teaching time. Diploma candidates are encouraged to reflect on all aspects of their work throughout the programme. They examine the grounds for the moral, political and aesthetic judgments that individuals must make in their daily lives.
The course is taught for 4 lessons per week from the beginning of the IB programme until the end of the first semester of the second year.
Creativity, Action, Service (CAS)
The IBO’s goal is to educate the whole person, to help students become responsible, compassionate citizens. The CAS requirement encourages students to share their energy and special talents with others: students may, for example, participate in theatre or musical productions, sports and community service activities. Students should, through these activities, develop greater awareness of themselves and concern for others, and the ability to work cooperatively with other people.
Creativity is interpreted broadly. It includes a wide range of arts activities but can also be defined as the creativity students show in designing and implementing service projects. Action can include not only participation in individual and team sports but also taking part in expeditions and in local or international projects. Service encompasses a host of community and social service activities, such as helping children with special needs, visiting hospitals and working with refugees or homeless people.
Diploma students are required to undertake a minimum of 50 hours of creativity, 50 hours of action and 50 hours of service activities during the two years of the diploma programme. These activities must be recorded and critically analysed by the students.
Extended Essay
Each student has the opportunity to investigate a topic of special interest. The essay requirement acquaints diploma candidates with the kind of independent research and writing skills expected by universities. The IBO recommends that a student devote a total of about 40 hours of private study and writing time to the essay. The essay permits students to deepen their programmes of study, for example by selecting a topic in one of their Higher Level (HL) courses. Or they might add breadth to their academic programme by electing to write in a subject not included in their programme choices.
Authorization and Eligibility
Only schools authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization are eligible to teach the curriculum and to register candidates for examination. IB Diploma candidates must be students in good standing at an authorized member school. The Diploma Programme is offered by over 1200 schools in more than 100 countries worldwide.
University Recognition
IB graduates gain admission to selective colleges and universities throughout the world. Students with strong IB examination results may also receive advanced standing or course credit, depending upon the policy of the institution they are attending. In addition, formal agreements exist between the IBO and many ministries of education. German nationals who wish to attend German state universities must ensure that they meet the requirements of the agreement with the Kultusministerkonferenz in order to gain equivalency with the German Abitur and therefore the right to study in Germany.
Award of the Diploma
Each examined subject is graded on a scale of 1 (minimum) to 7 (maximum). The award of the Diploma requires students to meet defined standards and conditions including a minimum of 24 points and to satisfy completion of the extended essay, Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and CAS activities. The maximum score of 45 points includes three points for the combination of the extended essay and work in TOK. Those who fail to satisfy all requirements or who elect to take fewer than six subjects are awarded a certificate for examinations completed. The May examination session serves the majority of candidates with a smaller November session available primarily for schools in the southern hemisphere. Over 50,000 students annually are assessed by the IBO. Each year approximately 80% of candidates attempting the Diploma succeed in earning it.
Assessing Student Work
Responsibility for all academic judgments about the quality of candidates’ work rests with more than 5000 examiners worldwide, led by chief examiners with international authority. A variety of assessment methods are used to value both the content and the process of academic achievement and to take into account different learning styles and cultural patterns. Conventional external examination techniques are chosen from a range of options: oral and written, long and short responses, date-based questions, essays, multiple-choice questions (only used in experimental science examinations). These are complemented by internal assessment of coursework by the teachers responsible for evaluating students over the two-year period. With classroom teachers and international examiners working in partnership, the emphasis is on ensuring that students have ample opportunity to demonstrate what they know and are able to communicate.