Curriculum Overview

The IB Diploma Program (DP) was created in 1968. It 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 program 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. They believed that students should share an academic experience that would emphasize critical thinking, intercultural understanding and exposure to a variety of points of view.

The curriculum contains six subject groups together with a core made up of three separate parts.  This is illustrated by a hexagon with the three parts of the core at its centre.

Students study six subjects selected from the subject groups. Normally three subjects are studied at higher level (courses representing 240 teaching hours), and the remaining three subjects are studied at standard level (courses representing 150 teaching hours).

All three parts of the core-extended essay, theory of knowledge and creativity, action, service-are compulsory and are central to the philosophy of the Diploma Programme.

The three core requirements are:

• extended essay
• theory of knowledge
• creativity, action, service.

All Diploma program students must engage in these three activities.

Extended essay

The extended essay is an independent, self-directed piece of research, culminating in a 4,000-word paper.

Theory of knowledge

The theory of knowledge (TOK) requirement is central to the educational philosophy of the Diploma Programme.

Creativity, action, service (CAS)

The CAS requirement is a fundamental part of the programme and takes seriously the importance of life outside the world of scholarship, providing a refreshing counterbalance to academic studies.

Note: This information about the IB Diploma Program has been obtained from the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) website at ww.ibo.org.

Graduation Requirements

The IST Diploma

The IST Diploma includes the courses of study taken from Grade 9 to Grade12. Students will be provided with a transcript, which outlines the courses taken, the unit value of each course and the level of achievement. The final two years of the IST Diploma are based on the International Baccalaureate Diploma course.

Students will be required to complete the following units to satisfy the minimum requirements of the IST Diploma.

Note:
A unit will be awarded after two semesters of satisfactory study of a subject.
A unit will consist of a minimum of 90 hours of class time.
Half units will be awarded for semester subjects or subjects with a contact time below the minimum requirement.
Students who do not complete four years of study at IST will have their previous school records considered towards their IST Diploma.
Students who satisfactorily complete the full IB Diploma Course will automatically qualify for the IST Diploma.
Students must comply with the IST attendance policy to qualify for graduation.

In Grades 11 and 12, it is expected that most students will study the full International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.

Under some circumstances it may be deemed inappropriate for a student to complete the full IB Diploma Program.  It is therefore possible for a student to choose to complete:

• IST Diploma subjects
• IST Diploma subjects and some IB Certificate subjects

Note:
Successful completion of IB Certificate courses will lead to certification from the IB. Assessment of these courses involves external examination, and work assessed in the school, which has been externally moderated.

IST Diploma subjects will be based on the IB Diploma courses. Assessment will be internal only.