Scots College – Learning. For Life.

The IB Diploma was introduced to Scots College in 2010 with the first cohort of students undertaking their examinations in 2011.

The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma is an internationally recognised two-year qualification based on subjects studied in years 12 and 13. It aims to give students a broad holistic qualification. It is assessed in six main subject areas as well as creativity, action and service (CAS – this looks at community service, sporting and cultural activities), theory of knowledge (TOK – this looks at the philosophy of how knowledge is used) and an extended essay (3000 words) in a subject of the student’s choice. Subjects are internally and externally assessed and subject grades are awarded from a 1 (lowest) to a 7 (highest). Students can gain up to 3 bonus points from Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay.

2011 Result summary

Scots College pass rate 95% (2010 worldwide pass rate 78%)

Scots College mean score 33 (2010 worldwide mean 30)

During this time there have been a number of myths circulating about the Diploma.

1. The Diploma is only for the bright students – this is not the case. While the majority of students undertaking the Diploma have been the more able students seeking an academic challenge all you need for success is a good work ethic. Any student capable of passing NCEA level 2 is capable of success with the Diploma. This applies to more than 90% of our students.
2. The Diploma is a lot more work – while the Diploma is time consuming, this should be no different to the time students spend studying for NCEA. There is little extra time involved in comparison to students who wish to achieve merit or excellence in NCEA. While with NCEA you may be able to do the minimum and get an achieved this is not advisable.
3. NCEA is better to get into NZ Universities – this is untrue. All NZ Universities accept the IB Diploma and have equivalent entry criteria and in many instances it is easier to get in via IB than NCEA.
4. I can do just as well at University by studying NCEA – while this may be the case for some students a recently released international  study by the International Baccalaureate Organisation showed that of students commencing university, 88% of all IB Diploma graduates achieve a Bachelor's degree as opposed to 58% of all students.
5. If you take IB you are too busy and can’t be involved in other activities – our experience has shown the IB Diploma students are at least as involved as NCEA students and in fact they have to do CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) as a core component of their course.
6. There is no internal assessment in the Diploma and everything rides on the final examination at the end of 2 years. It is true that the final examinations are held at the end of the second year but just as in NCEA, students undertake coursework throughout the program that counts towards their final grades. This is no different to NCEA in that internal and external marks are aggregated to determine an overall mark for each subject.
7. If you fail IB you have wasted 2 years and you have no options – This is not the case and if a student does not achieve the required number of points they may re-sit the exam or exams again in May. In fact there is a nice option whereby if a student feels they could have done better or wishes to seek a higher number of points in their Diploma they can also elect to
   re-sit to get a better qualification. These re-sits can be undertaken anywhere in the world and the student does not have to be enrolled in school ie. they could be on their GAP year.
8. If I do NCEA and my mates do NCEA we will not be able to be together – all students use the same common room, are in the same Houses and participate in the same sporting and cultural groups. The only difference is that they attend different subject classes.
9. The teachers are different – no all Staff have the option of teaching across both NCEA and IB programs. In fact accreditation by the IBO requires the College to invest heavily in staff professional development which benefits both staff and students and sees them exposed to global best practice models.
10. Opting for IB means a change in my learning style – while this may have been the case with the first two cohorts, all students are now being taught in the style of the IB through the IB MYP (Middle Years Program) from years 7 – 10.

Top reasons to select IB Diploma

1. It is fun
2. It is the best preparation for tertiary success
3. It provides the skills necessary for 21^st Century learning
4. It has a focus on environmentalism and internationalism
5. It has a broad and holistic approach to education
6. It encourages academic excellence and creates an independent learner
7. It teaches you how to learn
8. Learning in one area is not discrete but is delivered in a manner which reinforces learning in other areas
9. It is advantageous when looking to study abroad
10. It is a challenge
11. It allows you to be compared to other students globally