Students enrol in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) at the commencement of their 11th Grade Year. It is a two year programme, culminating in externally set and assessed exams covering content from the entire two years. The curricula are standard across all schools enrolled in the DP and revised on a regular basis.
When students enrol in the DP they must fulfil the three requirements for The Core (see tab) and select six courses, one each from the following groups. All courses are two years in length.
Group 1 — Studies in Language and Literature: Courses aimed at studying the language and/or literature in a students native language. Course offerings are available in a wide variety of languages. The contents can very similar to a typical High School English class including works by William Shakespeare or George Orwell, which could be translated into different languages.
When studying in a native language it is classed as Language A. Options exist to study various native languages online if the school does not have the staffing to provide support. For example, if a native Norwegian speaker is living in China, they can study Norwegian literature online supported by the IBO.
Group 2 — Language Acquisition: These courses are aimed at students learning a second language. There are many different options available depending on the staffing at individual schools. There exists two different levels for Group 2 subjects, Language B for students who have previously studied this language or ab initio for students who are being exposed to this language for the first time.
For students who are truly bilingual, the option exists to study two Language A's. Students who successfully complete the IB Diploma while taking two Language A courses are awarded a Bilingual Diploma.
Group 3 — Individuals and Societies: These courses fall under the broad discipline of the Humanities and includes the following options: Anthropology, Business Management, Economics, Geography, History, Philosophy, and Psychology.
Group 4 — Sciences: These courses fall under the broad discipline of the Experimental Sciences and includes the following options: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Design Technology, and Physics.
There is also one Interdisciplinary course, Environmental Systems and Societies, which can be taken as either a Group 3 or Group 4 course.
Group 5 — Mathematics: In addition to the two levels offered by all subjects (see below), there is also Mathematical Studies, which focuses on more practical applications of Mathematics, and Further Mathematics for the truly advanced and exceptional mathematical students.
Group 6 — The Arts: Options include Dance, Music, Film, Theatre, and Visual Arts. If students are not interested in studying the arts, they may instead take an additional course from Groups 1-5 in place of a Group 6 subject.
When selecting their courses, students must select three courses to study at the Higher Level (HL) and three to study at the Standard Level (SL). HL courses obviously go into more depth and include more advanced materials. Some subjects such as Mathematical Studies, ab initio languages, and Environmental Systems and Societies are only offered at the Standard Level. Not all schools have the facilities to offer every subject listed above, so there may be variation in the options for each Group at individual schools, but all six Groups should be offered.
At the completion of the programme, students will earn a grade from 1 to 7 for each subject and between 0 and 3 depending on their score on the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge (see "More About The Core"). This makes a maximum score of 45 for the Diploma.
Header image of IB Diploma Programme Hexagon from ibo.org, available at: http://www.ibo.org/img/imagebank/dp_eng_reduced.jpg
All information on this page found on the IBO website about the curriculum in the Diploma Programme, available at http://www.ibo.org/diploma/curriculum/
When students enrol in the DP they must fulfil the three requirements for The Core (see tab) and select six courses, one each from the following groups. All courses are two years in length.
Group 1 — Studies in Language and Literature: Courses aimed at studying the language and/or literature in a students native language. Course offerings are available in a wide variety of languages. The contents can very similar to a typical High School English class including works by William Shakespeare or George Orwell, which could be translated into different languages.
When studying in a native language it is classed as Language A. Options exist to study various native languages online if the school does not have the staffing to provide support. For example, if a native Norwegian speaker is living in China, they can study Norwegian literature online supported by the IBO.
Group 2 — Language Acquisition: These courses are aimed at students learning a second language. There are many different options available depending on the staffing at individual schools. There exists two different levels for Group 2 subjects, Language B for students who have previously studied this language or ab initio for students who are being exposed to this language for the first time.
For students who are truly bilingual, the option exists to study two Language A's. Students who successfully complete the IB Diploma while taking two Language A courses are awarded a Bilingual Diploma.
Group 3 — Individuals and Societies: These courses fall under the broad discipline of the Humanities and includes the following options: Anthropology, Business Management, Economics, Geography, History, Philosophy, and Psychology.
Group 4 — Sciences: These courses fall under the broad discipline of the Experimental Sciences and includes the following options: Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Design Technology, and Physics.
There is also one Interdisciplinary course, Environmental Systems and Societies, which can be taken as either a Group 3 or Group 4 course.
Group 5 — Mathematics: In addition to the two levels offered by all subjects (see below), there is also Mathematical Studies, which focuses on more practical applications of Mathematics, and Further Mathematics for the truly advanced and exceptional mathematical students.
Group 6 — The Arts: Options include Dance, Music, Film, Theatre, and Visual Arts. If students are not interested in studying the arts, they may instead take an additional course from Groups 1-5 in place of a Group 6 subject.
When selecting their courses, students must select three courses to study at the Higher Level (HL) and three to study at the Standard Level (SL). HL courses obviously go into more depth and include more advanced materials. Some subjects such as Mathematical Studies, ab initio languages, and Environmental Systems and Societies are only offered at the Standard Level. Not all schools have the facilities to offer every subject listed above, so there may be variation in the options for each Group at individual schools, but all six Groups should be offered.
At the completion of the programme, students will earn a grade from 1 to 7 for each subject and between 0 and 3 depending on their score on the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge (see "More About The Core"). This makes a maximum score of 45 for the Diploma.
Header image of IB Diploma Programme Hexagon from ibo.org, available at: http://www.ibo.org/img/imagebank/dp_eng_reduced.jpg
All information on this page found on the IBO website about the curriculum in the Diploma Programme, available at http://www.ibo.org/diploma/curriculum/