IB Diploma Programme (Years 12 and 13)
The International Baccalaureate Organisation’s Diploma Programme is an academically rigorous course of study designed to prepare students for both university and the challenges of global citizenship. The qualification is highly respected throughout the world and enables graduates access to the world’s top universities. Indeed, many universities now prefer the Diploma to their own national examination systems as it combines both depth and breadth of study with an objective and exacting assessment programme that ensures a just and fair evaluation of a student’s academic performance. As the IB diploma’s goal is the education of the whole person, students must undertake additional requirements in the form of a ‘Creativity, Action and Service’ component, in which they prove themselves capable of sharing their enthusiasms, talents and energy with other members of the community by participating in voluntary work, sport, drama and other pursuits.
At the heart of the IB’s mission is the model of a student as an independent learner, who is capable of exploring ideas in an open-minded, reflective and balanced manner. The ‘IB Learner Profile’ outlines the qualities that the Programme inculcates in its graduates. The aim is to create caring, principled and knowledgeable young people who maintain an open-minded, respectful and enquiring approach to other cultures and traditions. These values are embedded in the IB Diploma curriculum, and are an integral part of the way that each subject is taught and assessed. Critical thinking, the consideration of multiple viewpoints and independent inquiry are at the heart of the educational experience of a Diploma student.
The IB Diploma at BBS
The school is proud of its record of guiding and helping students through the demanding two year Diploma programme. The recent School Inspection praised the ‘high quality’ of the IB curriculum and how it was delivered. BBS pupils benefit from the close monitoring, help and support provided by a team of dedicated teachers who are always at hand to provide additional clarification and assistance. Our strength as an IB school lies in the quality of our teaching. Although there are entrance requirements that have to be met, we are just as proud of the student who works hard over two years to achieve 28 points as we are of the academic high-flyer who achieves the maximum 45 points, and we aim to cater for both students equally well. The small class sizes (4 – 12), close links with parents and individual attention are hallmarks of our IB Diploma provision. There is also a strong programme of co-curricular activities (for example, debating, drama, Model United Nations) that enables students to complement their academic subjects with useful pursuits that help develop the whole person. In order to discover whether BBS is the right school, we encourage all prospective students to attend a three day trial period at the school, during which academic assessments are made alongside more informal evaluation of whether BBS is the correct choice.
The Diploma Programme Curriculum
Each IB Diploma student chooses six academic subjects. The curriculum ensures breadth of study by insisting that a student must study two languages, the humanities and the sciences. The curriculum is most commonly represented in the form of a hexagon:
A student must choose one subject from the first five groups of subjects. They are then free to choose their sixth subject from group 6, ‘Arts and Electives’ or choose another subject from groups 1 to 4. Of the final six subjects, three subjects are studied at Higher Level and three subjects at Standard Level. In addition, a student must follow a ‘Theory of Knowledge’ course which introduces philosophical ideas and encourages critical thinking about the nature of knowledge. The CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) programme enables students to spend a minimum of 150 hours helping others, expressing themselves and contributing to the community. All IB students must also write an Extended Essay of 4000 words on a subject of their choice, which is ideal preparation for the academic demands of university. Further details of the IB curriculum can be found in the IB Handbook.
We currently offer the following subjects at IB Diploma level. We always endeavour to allow students as much choice as possible in choosing their subjects, but there are some restrictions due to timetable constraints.
Group 1 English A Language and Literature, German A Language and Literature
Group 2 German B, French B, Spanish B
German Ab Initio
Group 3 Economics, Geography, History
Group 4 Biology, Chemistry, Physics
Group 5 Mathematics Higher, Standard and Studies
Group 6 Music, Visual Arts.
