The International Baccalaureate @ BEDFORD
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The International Baccalaureate @ BEDFORD SCHOOL
What is the IB? The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma is over 50 years old and is an international non-profit organisation that is free from government control. The International Baccalaureate Diploma is highly regarded in the UK and it is a strong international educational currency taken by over a million students worldwide. The programme aims to develop students who have excellent breadth and depth of knowledge – students who flourish physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically. Bedford School has been offering the IB Diploma since 2003. The IB is grounded in the very best educational research and models of assessment. It is widely held to be the gold standard of post-16 education providing a fantastic grounding for the most competitive universities and developing the skills highly prized by employers.
IB learners strive to be: y Knowledgeable y Caring
y Principled y Balanced y Communicators y Thinkers y Open-minded y Reflective y Inquirers
The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationallyminded people who, recognising their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world. IB HE
L E AR
N
ER
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y Risk-takers
PROFILE
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The International Baccalaureate @ BEDFORD SCHOOL
Student Profiles Ashlesh Chandrapu IB 2019-2021 IB Subjects HL: English, Economics, Geography SL: Maths, Spanish, Design Technology Degree / University History, King’s College London School Career School Monitor, Movember Strava Competition Organiser, Movember 300km in 30 Days. Sport and Hobbies Cricket 1st XI, Badminton 1st XI
Michael Lee IB 2019-2021 IB Subjects HL: Economics, Physics, Maths SL: English, French, Music Degree / University Economics and Management, New College, Oxford School Career Deputy Head of House, Vice-President of the Music Society and Secretary of the Adrian Boult Society, Economics Society, Academic Colours, Arts Colours (music), Crossman Brass Prize. Sport and Hobbies Symphony Orchestra, Brass Ensemble, Jazz Orchestra, Concert Band, School Musical, Grade 8 Trumpet with Distinction, Grade 8 Piano with Distinction, Fives, Tennis.
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The International Baccalaureate @ BEDFORD SCHOOL
The Content of the IB Students take three subjects at higher level and three subjects at standard level. Students must take English, a science, mathematics, a humanities subject, a foreign language and either a creative arts subjects or an additional, humanities subject, science or language. In addition to these six subjects, the diploma has three core elements: Theory of Knowledge, an extended essay and CAS (creativity, activity and service). It is a holistic education and the best possible preparation for university and the workplace.
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The International Baccalaureate @ BEDFORD SCHOOL
The Core Theory of Knowledge (ToK), the extended essay and Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) help to develop life-long learners and encourage students to contribute to local, national and international communities; they make the whole educational experience coherent and connected.
Theory of Knowledge encourages students to reflect on the nature of knowledge, and how we know what we claim to know. The extended essay is a guided piece of research on a topic chosen by the student. Creativity, Activity and Service involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies and encourages initiative, collaboration, a sense of accomplishment and reflection as students learn from their experiences.
>2500 universities worldwide recognise the IB
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The International Baccalaureate @ BEDFORD SCHOOL
The Benefits of the IB The IB Diploma has a distinctive vision and encourages both depth and breadth so that its students have the skills and abilities to be successful in a changing world. The higher level subjects allow students to specialise in the areas that interest them the most and but the breadth offered by additional subjects at standard level gives flexibility, breadth and the opportunity to continue with subjects and skills that might have been abandoned in a narrower curriculum.
The IB at Bedford School The aims of the IB Diploma sit harmoniously with the educational vision of Bedford School. Our IB students gain fantastic diploma scores, get into the very best universities and go on to rewarding careers. Many students combine their IB studies with playing high-level sport or involvement in music or drama; they also take on leading roles in the school as monitors, heads of house, captain sports teams or lead academic societies. Bedford School IB students are busy and motivated young men and, along with their A-Level peers, they participate fully in the varied aspects of school life.
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The International Baccalaureate @ BEDFORD SCHOOL
FAQs Do only very clever people succeed at the IB? Certainly not! Analysis of our historical academic data clearly demonstrates that Bedford School students of all abilities succeed in the IB; in fact, the ‘value added’ for IB students is better than that of A-Level students. The keys to IB success, like almost everything in life, are motivation and organisation. Do you have to work really hard in the IB? If you are looking for an easy route you should not really be contemplating Sixth Form study. IB students study more subjects than A-Level, but the overall learning requirement is similar. One practical advantage of taking more subjects is that each exam is lower-stakes (and you also have coursework to boost your grades). You will need to work hard to succeed in whichever Sixth Form option you choose. Why does the IB require us to study subjects we might not otherwise choose? Everyone job requires skills like report writing, oral communication and numeracy. Although it might mean taking a subject that you wouldn’t have chosen at A-Level, you will be at a distinct advantage at university and in the job market if you have a wider range of skills and abilities. Why do we need to study a foreign language? Languages are a very useful life skill and, in many industries fluency in a second language can lead to a higher salary. Certainly, language skills increase employment opportunities across the world. We offer Mandarin and Spanish ab initio (from scratch) – these courses are therefore less demanding but count the same as the other standard levels. Do universities and employers know about the IB? The IB has been around since 1968 and is rather more stable than the A-Level curriculum, which has been through several reforms. University admissions tutors are very familiar with the IB and recognise what IB applicants offer universities: IB students with points of or above 37 are more likely to achieve upper second class degrees than their equivalent A-Level colleagues. There is some evidence that being an IB student gives you an advantage when applying to certain Russell Group universities. Is the IB any good for medicine? Absolutely! Year in, year out, boys who study the IB go to top universities to do Medicine. The IB helps develop the scientific knowledge as well as the broader skills needed to study Medicine.
>100 universities worldwide offer scholarships for IB Diploma recipients
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The International Baccalaureate @ BEDFORD SCHOOL
IB Reflections from Old Bedfordians
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The breadth of the program has been useful at many points in my career to date, and although the quantity of material covered in each subject may sometimes be slightly less than with the corresponding A level program, I believe that the IB approach is much more effective. The course architects have made a real effort to develop students’ skills of reasoning and creativity; in contrast to the rote learning and box ticking that I believe is too often found at A level. It’s no secret that the IB presents an increased workload, but if you make a plan of action at the start of the course, it’s definitely manageable. Apart from a few weeks in the run-up to the final exams, I had my weekends and most evenings free to do whatever I wanted. The exams at the end of the course were intense but it made university finals much less daunting. The world is full of so many interesting things, and the IB offers a great chance to explore some of them.
Dr Hari Jackson CTO at Techspert.io
In my role as an investment banker at the global boutique advisory firm, Lazard, I rely on many of the skillsets that I developed whilst at school doing the IB. The IB promotes a sense of self-reliance and inner motivation that has given me the tools to thrive as an individual in competitive working environments such as investment banking.
The international nature of the curriculum has also provided me with a unique perspective that is vital when navigating the myriad countries and cultures represented by the people and institutions in the City of London. Most of all, however, I am grateful that it fostered a sense of intellectual curiosity by continuing to study 6 subjects plus TOK & Extended Essay: life is a lot more interesting when you have the tools and broad understanding to engage with new information, people and experiences.
Richard Wilson Associate, Lazard
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The International Baccalaureate @ BEDFORD SCHOOL
Useful Links The IB Diploma at Bedford School www.bedfordschool.org.uk/upper-school/academic-excellence/international-baccalaureate/
The IB Organisation www.ibo.org
More Information For further information on the IB Diploma, please contact: Mr Adrian Finch Director of International Baccalaureate (IB) email: afinch@bedfordschool.org.uk
bedfordschool.org.uk