IBDP

Introduction

The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) is a rigorous, internationally respected curriculum for students aged 16 to 19, recognised by top universities worldwide. The programme consists of six subject groups and the DP core, which is designed to broaden students’ learning and encourage the practical application of knowledge and skills. Students must take one subject from each group, including three at Higher Level (HL) and three at Standard Level (SL). The IB grading scale ranges from 1 to 7 (highest).

The following schools have the IBDP curriculum:

DP Core Subjects

Overview

Assessment Model

Overview

Assessment Model

Project Involvement

CAS requires students to take part in a range of experiences and at least one project. These should involve:

real, purposeful activities, with significant outcomes
personal challenge
thoughtful consideration, such as planning, reviewing progress, reporting
reflection on outcomes and personal learning

All students should be involved in self-initiated activities. The CAS project can address any single strand of CAS, or combine two or all three strands of creativity, activity and service.

Example

Creativity Project

For a creativity project, a talented musician could learn a particularly difficult piece, or a different style of playing.

Activity Project

Activity projects do not have to be sports-related or competitive. A valuable activity project could help a student overcome a personal fear, such as rock climbing.

Service Project

Service projects must be beneficial for the community as well as providing a learning opportunity for the student.

DP Subject Groups

The courses offer a broad range of texts, and students grow to appreciate a language’s complexity, wealth and subtleties in a variety of contexts. Students take their studies in a language in which they are academically competent.

Subjects

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

The main emphasis of the modern language courses is on the acquisition and use of language in a range of contexts and for different purposes while, at the same time, promoting an understanding of another culture through the study of its language.

Subjects

Content Outline

Assessment Structure

Content Outline

Assessment Structure

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Each subject is designed to foster in students the capacity to identify, to analyse critically and to evaluate theories, concepts and arguments relating to the nature and activities of individuals and societies.

Subjects

Students learn to analyse, discuss and evaluate business activities at local, national and international levels. The course covers a range of organizations from all sectors, as well as the socio-cultural and economic contexts in which those organizations operate.

Standard Level (SL)

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Higher Level (HL)

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Economics is an exciting, dynamic subject that allows students to develop an understanding of the complexities and interdependence of economic activities in a rapidly changing world. The DP economics course uses economic theories to examine the ways in which choices are made in response to scarcity.

Standard Level (SL)

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Higher Level (HL)

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

The geography course embodies global and international awareness in several distinct ways. It examines key global issues, such as poverty, sustainability and climate change. It considers examples and detailed case studies at a variety of scales, from local to regional, national and international.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

The global politics course explores fundamental political concepts such as power, equality, sustainability, and peace in a range of contexts and at a variety of levels. It allows students to develop an understanding of the local, national, international and global dimensions of political activity, as well as allowing them the opportunity to explore political issues affecting their own lives.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

History is an exploratory subject that fosters a sense of inquiry. It is also an interpretive discipline, allowing opportunity for engagement with multiple perspectives and opinions. Studying history develops an understanding of the past, which leads to a deeper understanding of the nature of humans and of the world today.

Standard Level (SL)

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Higher Level (HL)

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

The Digital Society subject includes an explicit inquiry framework as well as a skills-based toolkit to support student success. This framework guides students as they learn to focus and refine inquiries, explore sources, investigate impacts and implications of digital systems, reflect on emerging trends and share their discoveries.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Philosophy is a systematic critical inquiry into profound, fascinating and challenging questions such as: What is it to be human? Do we have free will? What do we mean when we say something is right or wrong? These abstract questions arise out of our everyday experiences, and philosophical tools such as critical and systematic thinking, careful analysis, and construction of arguments provide the means of addressing such questions.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure (SL)

Assessment Structure (HL)

The psychology course examines the interaction of biological, cognitive and sociocultural influences on human behaviour. Students undertaking the course can expect to develop an understanding of how psychological knowledge is generated, developed and applied. This will allow them to have a greater understanding of themselves and appreciate the diversity of human behaviour.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

In studying this course, students will come to appreciate how anthropology as a discipline contributes to an understanding of contemporary issues, such as war and conflict, the environment, poverty, injustice, inequality and human and cultural rights. The study of social and cultural anthropology offers critical insight into the continuities as well as dynamics of social change and the development of societies, and challenges cultural assumptions.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

The Diploma Programme SL world religions course is a systematic, analytical yet empathetic study of the variety of beliefs and practices encountered in nine main religions of the world. The course seeks to promote an awareness of religious issues in the contemporary world by requiring the study of a diverse range of religions.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Students explore the concepts, theories, models and techniques that underpin each subject area and through these develop their understanding of the scientific method. A compulsory, interdisciplinary project fosters collaboration and encourages students to consider the environmental, social, and ethical implications of science while developing solutions to global issues.

Subjects

Studying the Diploma Programme (DP) biology offers a deep understanding of scale of life ranging from molecules and cells of organisms to ecosystems and the biosphere. As an experimental science, DP biology requires not only a theoretical understanding of the subject, but also an awareness of how biologists construct knowledge claims and the limitations of these methods.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Computational thinking lies at the heart of the course and is integrated with other topics. This will be supported by practical activities including programming. Candidates will learn programming skills as a critical element of developing higher-level skills applicable to virtually all fields of study.

Curriculum Overview (SL)

Assessment Structure (SL)

Chemistry helps explain the properties and behavior of matter, which is fundamental to understanding the world around us. The DP chemistry course therefore emphasizes the development of representative models and explanatory theories, both of which rely heavily on creative but rational thinking.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

DP design technology aims to develop internationally minded people whose enhanced understanding of design and the technological world can facilitate our shared guardianship of the planet and create a better world. It focuses on analysis, design development, synthesis and evaluation.

Standard Level (SL)

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Higher Level (HL)

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

As an experimental science, the Diploma Programme (DP) physics course requires not only a theoretical and practical understanding of the subject, but also an awareness of how physicists construct knowledge claims and the limitations of these method. Studying physics offers numerous benefits and opens a wide range of opportunities for further studies.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

The Sports, Exercise and Health Science (SEHS) course incorporates the disciplines of anatomy and physiology, biomechanics, psychology and nutrition, which are studied in the context of sport, exercise and health.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Through studying environmental systems and societies (ES&S) students will be provided with a coherent perspective of the interrelationships between environmental systems and societies; one that enables them to adopt an informed personal response to the wide range of pressing environmental issues that they will inevitably come to face.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

All DP mathematics courses serve to accommodate the range of needs, interests and abilities of students, and to fulfill the requirements of various university and career aspirations. The aims of these courses are to enable students to develop mathematical knowledge, concepts and principles, logical, critical and creative thinking, and employ and refine their powers of abstraction and generalization.

Subjects

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

The arts are fundamental to developing the values at the heart of an IB education. Through practical engagement and rigorous academic exploration, students cultivate creative and intellectual curiosity while developing the skills to imagine new possibilities and create innovative solutions.

Subjects

The course focuses on the composition, performance and analysis of dance, or “expressive movement,” which is practised amongst peoples of various backgrounds, and for a variety of purposes, throughout the world. Students create, participate in, and reflect upon dance forms and styles from a range of cultures and traditions, both familiar and unfamiliar.

Standard Level (SL)

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Higher Level (HL)

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

Through the DP Music course, students will develop to become well-rounded modern musicians through a combination of practical work, theoretic and technical training and the development of creative competencies.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

The Diploma Programme (DP) film course aims to develop students as proficient interpreters and makers of film texts. Through the study and analysis of film texts, and through practical exercises in film production, the film course develops students’ critical abilities and their appreciation of artistic, cultural, historical and global perspectives in film. Students examine film concepts, theories, practices and ideas from multiple perspectives, challenging their own viewpoints and biases in order to understand and value those of others.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

The theatre course encourages discovery through practical inquiry, experimentation, creative risk taking and the presentation of ideas to others. Theatre is a powerful form of expressive communication and students are required to consider their responsibilities as theatre-makers. They must think carefully about what they wish to communicate and how to best to do so.

Curriculum Overview

Assessment Structure

The IB Diploma Programme visual arts course encourages students to challenge their own creative and cultural expectations and boundaries. It is a thought-provoking course in which students develop analytical skills in problem-solving and divergent thinking, while working towards technical proficiency and confidence as art-makers.