Key Stage 5 (Year 12 and 13)

The IB Diploma Programme (DP) is an academically challenging and balanced programme of education with final examinations that prepares students, aged 16 to 19, for success at university and in life beyond. It has been designed to address the intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being of students. The programme has gained recognition and respect from the world’s leading universities.

DP students must choose one course from each of five subject groups delivering a breadth of knowledge and understanding in their best language, additional language(s), individuals and societies, the sciences and mathematics. Furthermore, students must also choose either an arts course from the arts group or a second course from a choice from Group 3 and Group 4. DP courses can be taken at higher level or standard level. Three are taken at higher level (240 teaching hours), while the remaining courses are taken at standard level (150 teaching hours). Students study and take examinations in English. In addition to the academic subject studies, the DP features three core elements that broaden students’ educational experience and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills.
The extended essay asks students to engage in independent research through an in-depth study of a question relating to one of the DP subjects they are studying.
Theory of knowledge (TOK) develops a coherent approach to learning that unifies the academic disciplines. In this course on critical thinking, students inquire into the nature of knowing and deepen their understanding of knowledge as a human construction.
Creativity, activity, service (CAS) emphasizes helping students to develop their own identities, in accordance with the ethical principles embodied in the IB mission statement and the IB learner profile. CAS complements a challenging academic programme in a holistic way, providing opportunities for self-determination, collaboration, accomplishment and enjoyment. It involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout the DP. The three strands of CAS are creativity (exploring and extending ideas leading to an original or interpretive product or performance), activity (physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle) and service (collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need).
Our IB programmes are taught by teachers who explicitly help students learn how to develop the attitudes and skills they need for both academic and personal success.
There are six key pedagogical principles that underpin all IB programmes.
Teaching in IB programmes is:
- based on inquiry
- focused on conceptual understanding
- developed in local and global contexts
- focused on effective teamwork and collaboration
- differentiated to meet the needs of all learners
- informed by assessment (formative and summative)
Students develop essential skills that include skills of behaviour and emotional management, skills that allow the student to monitor their own effectiveness in their learning and skills that allow them to process information effectively (often called “study skills” in a school environment). Although these skills may be in use when developing a certain natural ability or talent, they are different from both ability and talent themselves because proficiency in any skill can be increased through the deliberate use of techniques and strategies, feedback and challenge. Skills are therefore highly teachable.
Teaching and learning in the Diploma Programme therefore incorporates the development of:
- thinking skills
- communication skills
- social skills
- self-management skills
- research skills
Although these are presented as distinct categories, there is some overlap and close connections between them. These categories should be seen as interrelated as well as linking closely with the attributes highlighted in the IB learner profile. IB students work to become inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced and reflective. These attributes represent a broad range of human capacities and responsibilities that go beyond intellectual development and academic success.
At ISB we offer the following subject options:
Group 1 (Studies in Language and Literature)
- English Literature (HL/SL)
- English Language and Literature (HL/SL)
- Turkish Literature (HL/SL)
- School Supported Self-Taught Literature (SL Only)
Group 2 (Language Acquisition)
- English B (HL/SL)
- French B (HL/SL)
- French Ab Initio (SL Only)
- Spanish B (HL/SL)
- Spanish Ab Initio (SL Only)
Group 3 (Individuals and Societies)
- Business & Management (HL/SL)
- Economics (HL/SL)
- Geography (HL/SL)
- Information Technology for the Global Society (ITGS) (HL/SL)
- Psychology (HL/SL)
Group 4 (Sciences)
- Biology HL/SL
- Chemistry (HL/SL
- Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) (SL Only)
- Physics HL/SL
Group 5 (Mathematics)
- Maths (HL)
- Maths (SL)
- Mathematical Studies (SL)
Group 6 (The Arts)
- Theatre (HL/SL)
- Visual Arts (HL/SL)
There are slight changes made to the position of each subject in the option blocks each year and the latest version can be found in the current version of the IGCSE Options Booklet.
Students take written examinations at the end of the programme which are marked by external IB examiners.
Students also complete assessment tasks in the school which are either initially marked by teachers and then moderated by external moderators or sent directly to external examiners.
The marks awarded for each course range from 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest). Students can also be awarded up to three additional points for their combined results on theory of knowledge and the extended essay.
The diploma is awarded to students who gain at least 24 points, subject to certain minimum levels of performance across the whole programme and to satisfactory participation in the creativity, activity, service requirement.
The highest total that a DP student can be awarded is 45 points.
Assessment is criterion-related, which means student performance is measured against specified assessment criteria based on the aims and objectives of each subject’s curriculum, rather than the performance of other students taking the same examinations. The range of scores that students have attained remains statistically stable, and universities value the rigour and consistency of Diploma Programme assessment practice.
For more information about our IB Diploma programme at ISB, please contact our Diploma Programme Coordinator, Mr Yusuf Orhan (Yusuf.orhan@isb.ro)
For more information about the IBO programmes generally, please visit their website (www.ibo.org)
(This information is adapted from the official IB Diploma brochure)