Universities are increasingly choosing the International Baccalaureate over A levels as a truer guide to a potential student’s abilities)
MANY people looking for a traditional British-style education outside of Britain often think in terms of GCSEs and A levels. They might be surprised to learn that over 100 schools in the UK now also offer the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma programme at sixth-form.
These are mainly private institutions, getting top marks from their students and getting many students into the best universities. The UK Government has also committed £2.5million in funding to ensure that every local authority in the UK has a state-funded sixth-form centre that offers IB as an alternative to A levels. There is no question that universities in the UK admit students with the diploma and many positively seek out students with it.
Many advocates of the IB say that admissions tutors in the UK favour IB students because of the breadth of the qualification. Critics say that it disadvantages students who are not academic ‘all-rounders’ because of the need to take six subjects across the whole curriculum at IB instead of any three at A level; students can end up being forced to take subjects they might not be strong in. So while fewer subjects are covered at A level some argue that the A level course provides more depth. So is it just a question of breadth versus specialism? It is a bit more complicated than that.
Students taking the full IB diploma study at least three subjects at a higher level and three at standard level. All students must study a literature course in their native language as well as a second language. They must study a humanities subject, a science and a maths course with the sixth option being a choice between an arts subject or an additional subject from one of the first five groups. There is flexibility in the levels offered to accommodate students learning a second language from scratch or taking a second language as a near-native speaker, leading to a bilingual diploma.
If students are not keen on maths, they can take mathematical studies instead and can opt to do their least favourite subjects at the standard instead of higher level. This means that it is possible for everyone to do the diploma if they are prepared to work hard. There is sometimes a misperception that only brilliantly able students can take it, but this is not the case. It can accommodate a range of abilities with the pass mark being 24 out of a possible 45, with a minority of students achieving the full 45 points.
As well as studying the six group subjects, students also follow a core course in the Theory of Knowledge, which challenges pupils to reflect critically on diverse ways of thinking and knowing and the complex nature of knowledge. They must also complete a piece of independent research on a topic of their own choosing, resulting in a 4,000 word piece of writing called the Extended Essay. And it is this universities particularly like, the ability to reflect and to do independent research.
Some admissions tutors still say that A levels provide more depth than IB; it is certainly true that in some A level subjects like English Literature there is a requirement for more extended writing than at higher level IB in the subject. On the other hand, where A levels are concerned students often tend to stick to either the arts and humanities or the sciences. At IB students must do both.
The final element at the heart of the IB is the Creativity, Action & Service requirement called CAS which provides the opportunity to develop the whole person and a meaningful sense of citizenship alongside academic study. This can include the Duke of Edinburgh Award, sports and drama activities and community service totalling about 150 hours. Of course, many good schools encourage students to participate in these kinds of activities alongside A level qualifications so this is not exclusive to IB schools.
Universities certainly value IB candidates; the world average mark in IB is around 30 points and this attracts a UCAS (the university admissions system) point score of 419 whereas three A grades at A level only attracts a score of 360 points. However there is an anomaly here. Top universities are unlikely to ask for less than a score of 38-40 at IB, which equates to a whopping 605 UCAS points. An A level student would need five As at A level to attract such a high UCAS point score, but even Oxford only asks for three As at A level. It will be interesting to see how this changes in the light of the new A* grades being introduced at A level.
There are now many private schools in Cyprus offering an A level education but only three schools currently authorised by the IB organisation (the IBO) to offer the IB diploma programme. Pascal Schools in Larnaca and Nicosia started offering the IB programme relatively recently while the American International School in Nicosia has been offering the IB for longer, since 1994.
The IB diploma programme offers breadth and flexibility in the curriculum. It promotes an international ethos and intercultural understanding plus depth through the Theory of Knowledge course and Extended Essay. It is also a linear course, which allows students to develop over the two years of the course before they sit exams. At A level students must sit exams and submit coursework at the end of the first and second year. Anyone looking for an academically challenging course that will lead to higher education options in the UK should now look beyond A levels.
http://www.ibo.org/
