International Baccalaureate (IB)

What is the IB Diploma?

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, which has been taught at Worth School since September 2001, is a challenging two-year curriculum, primarily aimed at students aged 16 to 19. It offers a broad, six-discipline curriculum where subject choices are flexible whilst encouraging in-depth study in specific areas of individual interest whether this is in the sciences or the arts. This deliberate combination of breadth and depth equips students with the skills and attitudes demanded in a world of international mobility and global communications. It leads to a qualification that is widely recognised by UCAS and the rest of the world’s leading universities. The UCAS tariff rate can be found here.

However, as the Independent newspaper reported in 2001, “The most perceptive students are looking beyond gaining entry to good universities, but are looking at the skills they will need to compete for the top jobs around the world. The IB offers the only means of delivering that kind of breadth at the moment.” The Diploma Programme seeks to move students away from the narrow confines of a ‘specialist curriculum’ and prepares students for beyond university by encouraging them to:

ask challenging questions
learn how to learn
develop a strong sense of their own identity and culture
develop the ability to communicate with and understand people from other countries and cultures.

This is achieved through the IB learner profile which aims for IB learners to be: Inquirers, Thinkers, Communicators and Risk-Takers, who are Balanced, Principled, Caring, Knowledgeable, Open-Minded and Reflective. Such qualities sit very comfortably with the school’s own ethos and Benedictine values.

The IB at Worth School

In 2007 Worth School Diploma students averaged 33.2 points, the equivalent of 4 As at A Level, with some students obtaining over 40 points, the equivalent of over 5 As at A Level. The university destinations of some of Worth’s former Diploma students can be found here.

Please follow these links to discover more about the IB Diploma at Worth School:

What is the IBO?

How do I get my Diploma?