International Baccalaureate May 2009 Examination
External Assessment for the Diploma Program in IB World Schools
May 4, 2009
The academic year 2008-2009 is nearing its end, especially for tens of thousands of candidates around the globe, who have been following the very rigorous, two-year pre-university International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. For the next three weeks, Diploma Program candidates will take the IB May 2009 External Examinations.
With the ever-increasing number of schools shifting to the more elite and highly-recognized International Baccalaureate program, examinees' statistics are anticipated to go higher than last year's 87,777 registered candidates. Four thousand IB examiners stationed in over 100 countries are tasked to assess the various papers.
Programs Offered by the International Baccalaureate Organization
With headquarters in Geneva, the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) is a not-for-profit Swiss Foundation that aims to "create a better world through education." Education is child-centered and IB learners are profiled as "Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-takers, Balanced and Reflective." Programs offered are the IB Primary Years (ages 3-12) – taught in English, French, Spanish, and any other languages; IB Middle Years (ages 11-16) – supported in English, French, Spanish and Chinese, but may also use other languages; and the IB Diploma (ages 16-19) – available in English, French and Spanish, with examination sessions in May and November.
Key Features of the IB Diploma Program and Subject Groupings
Aimed at 16-19 year old students in their final two years of high school, students in this course need to study six subjects, three at Higher Level (HL, 240 teaching hours), and three at Standard Level (SL, 150 teaching hours); produce a 4,000-word Extended Essay (EE); complete a course in Theory of Knowledge (ToK); and work on various projects related to the Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) component. Subjects are divided into groups namely Group 1 – Language A1; Group 2 – Second Language; Group 3 - Individuals and Societies; Group 4 – Experimental Sciences; Group 5 – Mathematics and Computer Science and Group 6 – The Arts.
Core Requirements of the IB Diploma Program
The three core requirements of the IB Diploma Program are CAS (Creativity, Action, Service), the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge. The CAS requirement allows a student to engage, for three hours a week, in different activities to counterbalance the academic aspect of the program. Under Creativity, students may choose to participate in or organize artistic ventures, play instruments or sing in concerts and act in plays. Action may include individual or team sports, while Service gets students into becoming active members of the community through hospital and prison visits, reading to orphaned children and other volunteer work.
The Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge
The Extended Essay (EE) calls for an in-depth study of a "topic of interest within a chosen subject." IB Diploma Program students work independently toward a 4,000-word research-based paper. Each student gets an advisor who will support, monitor and comment on drafts, before the final product is sent out for moderation to the International Baccalaureate office.
The Theory of Knowledge (ToK) course develops the thinking and inquiry skills of the student, and makes him/her "aware of the interpretative nature of knowledge, including personal ideological biases..."
For parents and students still searching for that most rewarding, challenging, life-altering, world-class secondary school qualification, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program may just be the answer.
To those International Baccalaureate Diploma Program candidates who are currently taking the May 2009 examination session, congratulations are in order. This is a fitting start to a most fulfilling journey to University and beyond.
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