Why take the International Baccalaureate?

Learning beyond the classroom

The IB mission statement: 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. 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. At King’s we have been delivering the IB Diploma Programme for twenty years, and this has had a significant educational impact throughout the school. As a school we are challenged to consider wider international perspectives, to take ourselves out of our comfort zones in considering, and delivering, the Theory of Knowledge course, and to stretch ourselves in supporting students in some wonderfully obscure extended essays. The IB Diploma is an invigorating and inspiring experience.

The IB Diploma programme, by its nature, engenders in students organisation, critical thinking, reflective thought and a broadening of the mind. It is no coincidence that almost every education system around the world offers more breadth in the sixth form curriculum than the national system of England and Wales. The Diploma is a renaissance education for a 21st Century of world citizens, and a superb preparation for university and a life of learning beyond.

Currently, around 40% of pupils at King’s pursue the IB route, below the course is detailed:

The IB students will study six academic subjects, three at High Level (HL) and three at Standard Level (SL) and a core of three additional components. The three HL subjects are, broadly speaking, equivalent to A Level courses in terms of intellectual challenge. These HL subjects provide the depth of knowledge that universities are keen to see in specific subject areas. Combined with the three SL subjects, the IBDP inculcates a broad range of skills. The SL subjects whilst developing skills have significantly less content than HL courses, fewer lessons and less homework.

The six academic subjects are anchored by the core of the diploma programme. The core incorporates Theory of Knowledge, the extended essay, and the Creativity, Activity, Service (or CAS) programme.

Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is a particularly distinguishing feature of the IB diploma. It is a course that ponders philosophical and epistemological questions from a personal perspective. It goes to the heart of all of our knowledge, regardless of subject specifics, and at the same time provides a transdisciplinary bridge between areas of knowledge, encouraging us to compare and contrast what ‘knowing’ is in our subjects, developing high level debating and critical thinking skills.

The extended essay is a 4000word piece of academic writing. The essay allows students to pursue an area of their own particular academic interest, helping them to develop the research and writing skills they will find essential for university, and gives them a wonderful opportunity for genuine independent learning.

The Creativity, Activity, Service (or CAS) programme is also part of the core of the Diploma. The CAS programme is a recognition of the value of co-curricular activities, and it serves to encourage students to reflect on their own development

beyond the classroom, and our role in the wider community.

King’s has a strong history with our IB results. One of the most successful schools in the world, we have averaged over 40 points for many years. The worldwide average point score is typically about 30.

In 2019, the last time conventional examinations were sat, King’s IB students averaged 40.7 points. More than three quarters of students scored 39 points or more – enough to meet almost any offer from any university including Oxford. Only Cambridge regularly asks for scores over 40 points.

The core differences between the IB programme and A Level is the A Level programme is more focussed on three or four subjects that normally reflect the direction students are likely to take after their time at school. The IB programme is a more holistic approach requiring students to study a broader range of subjects and consider the links between them. Both qualifications are widely accepted for entry into universities worldwide.

Feedback from King’s students:

“By studying the IB I have been able to pursue my interests in subjects that lie outside my chosen university degree (medicine). Not only has this made my learning extremely enjoyable, as each day is so varied, but it has also allowed me to develop my knowledge and skills in areas that I otherwise would not have pursued at A Level, such as essay writing and oral work in English which is paramount to many university interviews, degrees and later careers.” Alissia

“The IBDP is an amazing education, I just have so many fantastic things to say - it is about shaping students into bright, curious, and vibrant individuals. The coursework projects have enabled me to make my own choices about exploring personal interests in all my subjects.” Ketan

PAUL LLOYD, Director of IB

www.kcs.org.uk

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“An inclusive, vibrant and friendly school.”

KING’S MIDDLE SCHOOL PUPIL