Diploma Programme

The International Baccalaureate Organization's Diploma Programme, created in 1968, is a demanding pre-university course of study that leads to examinations; it is designed for highly motivated secondary school students aged 16 to 19. The programme has earned a reputation for rigorous assessment, giving IB diploma holders access to the world's leading universities. The Diploma Programme's grading system is criterion-referenced: each student's performance is measured against well-defined levels of achievement consistent from one examination session to the next. The IBO has shown, over the course of 30 years, that students are well prepared for university work.

The programme is a comprehensive two-year international curriculum, available in English, French and Spanish, that generally allows students to fulfil the requirements of their national or state education systems. The Diploma Programme incorporates the best elements of national systems, without being based on any one. Internationally mobile students are able to transfer from one IB school to another. Students who remain closer to home benefit from a highly respected international curriculum.

The programme was born of efforts to establish a common curriculum and university entry credential for students moving from one country to another. International educators were motivated by practical considerations but also by an idealistic vision: students should share an academic experience that would emphasize critical thinking, intercultural understanding and exposure to a variety of points of view.

The Diploma Programme Curriculum

The programme has the strengths of a traditional and broad curriculum, but with three important additional features:

Theory of Knowledge (TOK)

is an interdisciplinary requirement intended to stimulate critical reflection on the knowledge and experience gained inside and outside the classroom. The course challenges students to question the bases of knowledge, to be aware of subjective and ideological biases, to develop the ability to analyze evidence that is expressed in rational argument. It is a key element in encouraging them to appreciate other cultural perspectives. The course is unique to the IBO, which recommends at least 100 hours of teaching time spanning the programme's two years.

Creativity, action, service (CAS)

The IBO's goal is to educate the whole person and foster responsible, compassionate citizens. The CAS programme encourages students to share their energy and special talents with others: students may, for example, participate in theatre or musical productions, sports and community service activities. Students should, through these activities, develop greater awareness of themselves, concern for others, and the ability to work cooperatively with other people.

An extended essay of 4,000 words

Each student has the opportunity to investigate a topic of special interest. The essay requirement acquaints diploma candidates with the kind of independent research and writing skills expected by universities. The IBO recommends that a student devote a total of about 40 hours of private study and writing time to the essay, which may be written in one of 60 subjects, including many languages. The essay permits students to deepen their programmes of study, for example by selecting a topic in one of their higher level (HL) courses. Or they might add breadth to their academic experience by electing to write in a subject not included in their programme choices.

The six academic subjects

These are studied concurrently and students are required to study both the humanities and the sciences. Diploma candidates must select one subject from each of the six groups, although a second subject from groups 1 to 5 may be substituted for group 6. At least three but not more than four are taken at higher level (HL), while the others are standard level (SL); HL courses represent a minimum of 240 teaching hours, SL courses cover 150 hours. Students are thus able to explore some subjects in depth and others more broadly, a deliberate compromise between the early specialization of some national systems and the breadth found in others. The science-oriented student is challenged to learn a foreign language and the natural linguist becomes familiar with laboratory procedures.

Group 1 - language A1
More than 80 languages have been offered for examination as part of the IBO's policy of encouraging students to maintain strong ties to their own cultures. Very good writing and oral skills and respect for the literary heritage of the student's first language are complemented by the international perspective given through world literature studies.

Group 2 - second language
All diploma candidates are examined in a second language. Several options accommodate near-bilingual students with a very high level of fluency, genuine second language learners with previous experience learning the language, and beginners. The principal aim for the subjects in group 2 is to enable students to use the language in a range of contexts and for many purposes; the courses focus on written and spoken communication.

Group3 - individuals and societies
Subjects included in this group are: business and management, economics, geography, history, history of the Islamic world, information technology in a global society (at SL only), philosophy, psychology, and social anthropology.

Group 4 - experimental sciences
The subjects available in group 4 are: biology, chemistry, physics, environmental systems (SL), design technology. Practical laboratory skills are developed and collaborative learning is encouraged through an interdisciplinary group project. Students develop an awareness of moral and ethical issues and a sense of social responsibility is fostered by examining local and global issues.

Group 5 - mathematics
All candidates for a diploma are required to complete a mathematics course, and four options are available to cater for different abilities and levels of student interest. Each course aims to deepen a student's understanding of mathematics as a discipline and to promote confidence and facility in the use of mathematical language.

Group 6 - arts and electives
This includes visual arts, music and theatre arts, with emphasis placed on practical production by the student and exploration of a range of creative work in a global context. Students may elect certain subjects from other groups or a specially approved course (school-based syllabus). In September 2001 group 6 becomes arts only and will include dance and film. Classical languages will move to group 2 and computer science to group 5.

Assessing student work and awarding the diploma
Classroom teachers and IB examiners work in partnership to ensure that students have ample opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned. Grades reflect attainment of knowledge and skills relative to set standards applied equally to all schools. Top grades are not, for example, awarded to a certain percentage of students. Responsibility for all academic judgments about the quality of candidates' work rests with some 3,400 IB examiners worldwide, led by chief examiners with international authority in their fields. There are more than 598,000 IB students worldwide. Each year approximately 80% of candidates who attempt the diploma succeed in earning it. Examinations are offered in May for northern hemisphere schools and in November for those in the southern hemisphere.

Subjects offered at Berg: