International Baccalaureate (IB)
Est Year: 1968
Gender Accepted: Co-Ed
About International Baccalaureate:
As a pioneer in worldwide education, the International Baccalaureate (IB) board focuses on cultivating curious, informed, self-assured, and compassionate individuals. The International Baccalaureate curriculum assists school-aged children in taking charge of their own education while helping them acquire skills that will enable them to grow in a rapidly evolving world. Additionally, this curriculum is categorised into what is known as the IB Continuum of Programmes.
IB Board Highlights:
IB Continuum of Programmes:
The International Baccalaureate (IB) offers international education through four programmes designed to take a student-centric approach for students aged 3 to 19. They are;
Primary Years Programme
Middle Years Programme
Diploma Programme
Career-related Programme
International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme:
The Primary Years Programme, also known as PYP, was first offered by the IB Board in 1997. It is structured to meet the needs of children aged 3 to 12. The education provided under this programme emphasises the child's overall development from the initial stages of learning. Moreover, the programme is curated based on six transdisciplinary themes of global significance, each focusing on helping students expand their knowledge and conceptual understanding of multiple subject areas.
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme:
The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) is offered to students aged 11 to 16. It is a five-year programme and was first provided in 1994 to build a solid academic foundation, aiding students in managing their education while establishing connections between the theoretical aspects of the classroom and the real world. The curriculum offered through the IB Middle Years Programme consists of eight subject groups, each requiring a minimum teaching period of 50 hours every year. The final two years of the programme allow students to meet their personal learning goals. In the final year, students are assessed based on grades obtained in examinations, external assessments and coursework.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme:
First offered in 1968, the IB Diploma Programme (DP) is a forward-thinking initiative for students aged 16 to 19. The curriculum comprises six subject groups. The core components of the Diploma programme consist of Theory of Knowledge (TOK), Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS), and the extended essay. The aim of the programme is to foster individuals who are research-oriented, knowledge-driven, and capable of undertaking community service projects.
International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme:
The Career-related programme offered by IB is a unique form of international education for students aged 16 to 19. It was first introduced in 2012 for students in their final school years. The curriculum requires students to undertake at least two IB Diploma Programme (DP) courses: a core course comprising four related modules and a career-related study programme. These initiatives are incorporated into the IB career-related programme to help students pursue higher education, apprenticeships, or job opportunities.
Responsibilities of the IB Board:
The International Baccalaureate (IB) board offers a distinctive, demanding, and multicultural education that fosters students' strong academic, social, and emotional growth. Some of the primary responsibilities of the IB board include
Offering high-quality education
Improving education Worldwide
Supporting learning communities and successful educators through collaborative professional development programmes
Establishing a network of schools that can collaborate and exchange the best practices that are globally recognised.
Encouraging students to think critically and solve problems.
Guiding students to follow their own learning pathway.
Helping students develop the skills and confidence to make a lasting impact.
IB Exam Time Table:
The IB exams are classified based on the specific IB programmes. The final exam schedule for each programme is as follows.
IB Middle Years Programme Exam Timetable:
As per the regulations of the IB board, the IB Middle Years Programme exams held in the morning session must commence after 7:00 AM and finish before 1:00 PM. Similarly, the afternoon session must start anytime after 12:00 PM and finish by 6:00 PM local time.
IB Diploma Programme and Career-Related Programme Timetable:
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme exams will be conducted in two shifts in each zone: the morning session will begin at 10:00 AM, and the afternoon session will start at 1:00 PM.
Guide to Becoming an IB World School (IBWS):
Schools that wish to offer any or all of the International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes must first complete the IB authorisation process, which consists of five stages. A brief overview of the stages is given below.
International Baccalaureate (IB) Authorisation Process for Schools:
The five stages of the authorisation process include
Consideration Phase
Request for Candidacy
Decision on Candidacy by IB
Candidate Phase
Decision on Authorisation by IB
Consideration Phase:
This phase is the initial stage of the authorisation process. During this stage, the schools must access the School Information Form from the official IB website and fill in the necessary details, such as the programme the school wishes to implement, its capabilities in offering the programmes, and other information about the school. This process is done to inform the IB board about the school’s interest and to request any additional information.
Request for Candidacy:
Once the School Information Form is submitted, the school must continue with the authorisation process by completing the school and programme profile and submitting the Application for Candidacy form, which can be obtained from the ‘My School’ section on the IB official website. The school must also submit the supporting documents and pay the respective fees along with the application form to be eligible to apply for the candidate status.
IB’s Decision on Candidacy:
The completed application form will be reviewed by an IB educator, who will offer feedback on the application to the IB staff. Based on the input, the IB staff members will decide whether or not the school is eligible to become a candidate for the IB school status. The IB board’s final decision is put forth to the school only if the school has paid the IB fees concerning the application for candidacy and is relevant to the programme chosen during the consideration phase.
Candidacy Phase:
The candidacy phase consists of four stages: consultation, request for authorisation, verification visit, and IB’s decision on authorisation.
Consultation:
In this stage, the IB board assigns a trained consultant to the school who can offer advice and prepare the school for the following stages of the candidacy phase. The IB consultant will primarily offer advice on the requirements for the authorisation stage, guiding schools in creating an action plan, updating the required school policies, documenting the IB curriculum, and more. The consultants offer 20 hours of remote support and a two-day consultation visit during candidacy.
Request for Authorisation:
Once the school has updated its profile based on the consultant’s advice during the consultation stage, it must apply for authorisation from the IB Board. In this stage, the school must familiarise itself with the IB structure again and complete the Application for Authorisation form accessible from the resource library. The filled-in application must be submitted to the IB board along with the relevant documents. An IB educator will review the application and offer the IB Board members feedback. The IB staff will once again review the application based on the input of the IB educator to verify if the school has met the requirements for authorisation.
Verification Visit:
Once the school’s request for authorisation is approved, the IB board will visit the school to confirm whether it has taken the necessary steps, as stated in the request for candidacy and authorisation forms. The verification visit is usually two days long. However, the length of the visit may vary based on the size of the school or other factors.
IB’s Decision on Authorisation:
This is the final phase of the IB authorisation process. During this phase, the IB staff will determine whether the school has met the requirements based on the verification visiting team’s feedback. However, the authorisation to become an IB school and offer IB programmes solely rests on the deposition of the IB’s Director General. In general, authorisation is granted on the condition that the school adheres to the overall rules and regulations listed in the ‘Rules for IB World School manual’.
Fee for Candidate Schools:
The fees listed below are for schools seeking to become IB schools by participating in the authorisation process. The school becomes eligible for all aspects of the authorisation process by paying the respective fee.
Region-Wise Application for Candidacy Fee:
IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) Subjects:
Diploma Programme (DP) Subjects:
Career-Related Programme (CP) Subjects:
IB Programme Assessments:
The IB programmes' assessments are formulated based on various tasks, including examination papers, written assignments such as essays, oral interviews, scientific and mathematical investigations, fieldwork projects, and artistic performances.The candidate's overall performance is evaluated based on their performance in the respective programmes.
IB Passing Criteria:
Each of the four programmes has its own passing criteria. However, the Primary Year Programme (PYP) does not offer a formal assessment, as its primary aim is to provide feedback on the learning process. The programme-specific passing criteria for the rest of the three programmes are as follows:
Middle Year Programme (MYP) Passing Criteria:
As the MYP is a five-year programme, candidates in their final year will have to participate in the IB external assessment. In this assessment, candidates can either complete the personal project only, leading to a school certificate, or take additional assessments (ePortfolios or on-screen examinations) that can help them obtain an MYP certificate.
Middle Years Programme (MYP) Certificate:
To obtain an MYP certificate, candidates must have
Achieved at least a grade 3 in each of the MYP subjects
Achieved at least a grade 3 in the on-screen examination in interdisciplinary assessment
Completed the personal project with at least a grade 3
Obtained a total of 28 points overall
Meet the school’s expectation for community service
Diploma Programme (DP) Passing Criteria:
The Diploma Programme passing criteria are calculated by summing up the grades obtained by the candidate in each of the six subjects and the core. In this programme, candidates are allotted grades from 1 to 7 for each subject and up to three points for the core subjects (EE and TOK). To obtain a diploma certificate, candidates must earn at least 24 points. The highest score that a candidate receives is 45 points. This upper limit comprises six subjects, each with a maximum score of seven points, giving a total of 42 points and an additional 3 points, thus summing up to 45 points.
Core Points Matrix:
Note: As per the table chart above, Candidates who got a B in the theory of knowledge and a C in the extended essay will receive two points from the core elements.
Diploma Programme (DP) Certificate:
To obtain a Diploma Programme (DP) certificate, candidates must have
Achieved at least 24 points
A grade of at least has been achieved in all subjects
A grade has been achieved in all core subjects
At least 12 points in all Higher Level (HL) subjects
At least 9 points in all Standard Level (SL) subjects
Bilingual Diploma Certificate:
Candidates can obtain a ‘Bilingual Diploma’ if:
They complete two languages from group 1 with a grade of 3 or higher
They complete one of the subjects from group 3 or group 4 in a language that should differ from the group 1 language. Additionally, the candidate must have secured a grade of 3 or above in group 1 language and subjects from group 3 or 4.
Career-Related Programme (CP) Passing Criteria:
Candidates from the career-related Programme (CP)should take at least two-course subjects that are in common with the Diploma Program(DP) and complete a similar assessment process as DP to obtain grades for the courses.
Even though the DP and CP courses are common, students cannot register to complete both the IB Programme simultaneously, as the programme requirements do not allow them to do so.
Career-Related Programme (CP) Certificate:
To obtain a career-related programme (CP) degree certificate, the following conditions have to be met:
The candidates must have obtained a grade of 3 or more in at least two DP courses.
The candidates must have obtained at least a D grade for the reflective project.
The candidates should not have received a penalty for academic misconduct from the final award committee.
The school must confirm if the candidate has completed the specified career-related study.
The school must confirm if the candidate has completed all the personal and professional skills, service learning and language development requirements.
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