The International Baccalaureate (IB) provides a high-quality education program to an international school community.
Studied as an alternative to the standard Australian curriculum, International Baccalaureate programs are designed to promote diversity and to cater for the individual student’s learning style.
The IB offers students a challenging training ground for tertiary study. Established in Switzerland in 1968, the non-profit International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) was created for members of the diplomatic and international business community who travelled the globe with their children and, therefore, required a universal education format.
As of February 2024, the IB works with more than 5700 schools in 160 countries to offer four challenging programs to more than 1,950,000 students aged three to 19 years. Between 2018 and 2022, the number of IB programs offered worldwide has grown by 34.2 per cent.
Within the IB, four different programs are available: the Primary Years (PYP), for ages three to 12; the Middle Years (MYP), for ages 11 to 16; the Diploma and IB Career-Related Programme (CP), for ages 16 to 19. These programs aim to develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills of students so that they may live, learn and work effectively in a rapidly globalising world.
The PYP
In the PYP, the IB challenges children to become active participants in their own education, respecting them as individuals in their own right, nurturing their strengths and encouraging creativity. Through an inquiry-led curriculum, children explore local and global issues through the lenses of different subjects, imbuing them with the confidence to question and think critically and creatively about the world around them.
The MYP
The MYP encourages the development of students as active, compassionate and lifelong learners. Students are motivated to identify and make connections between traditional subjects and the tangible world.
The Diploma
The Diploma program is undertaken in the final two years of high school as an alternative to the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). In addition to studying six subjects, IB students must write an extended essay of up to 4000 words, study and be assessed in Theory of Knowledge, and complete a requisite number of Creativity, Action and Service hours (such as performing and creative arts pursuits, sport and community service). Assessment, a combination of internal work and end of Year 12 examinations, is described by the IBO as “rigorous”.
The IB diploma, particularly thanks to its extensive assessment program, provides students with an internationally accepted qualification for entry into higher education. Upon its completion, IB students are regularly accepted into some of the best-known and most widely recognised tertiary institutions in the world.
The Diploma is a global alternative to the state-based certificates and prepares students to meet tertiary study and their chosen career paths with the maturity and depth of understanding required to flourish.
The IB Diploma Program is formulated as a “school-leaving diploma” that prepares motivated students for further study. The social and diverse nature of the course has been designed to inspire a curiosity as well as respect for all cultures. The unique program teaches students to:
The Career-related Programme
This unique program for students in their final school years equips them with future-ready skills and prepares them to follow their career pathways, combining academic subjects with their own professional interests.
For more information, please visit ibo.org.