As a parent considering the IB pathway for your child, or a student choosing between IB and the A Levels, there’s naturally a lot to research on regarding the two academic programmes and exams. Aside from looking at how well-regarded the qualifications are and what options of schools there are, what many students will be interested in is this: the subjects they will be studying.
After all, these subjects are what they will be facing daily for at least 2 years, in the lead up to their final examinations. In particular, if there is any specific subject you wish to study, it is crucial to check if the programme (and school) you choose offers it.
Our partnered professional educational consultants can provide you with personalised advice and registration help for IB or university matters. Or for those who are just doing your own research, below’s our quick guide to IB subjects, the subject combination framework, as well as how these subjects are assessed and graded.
IB subject combination
In a nutshell, the IB subject combination consists of 6 subjects and 3 core elements.
6 subjects
Like the A Levels, the IB subject combination framework aims to balance between depth of specialisation and breadth of knowledge. Thus, IB students are able to choose between subjects groups, such as language, sciences, mathematics, humanities, and arts.
Students have to choose a minimum of 6 subjects, which correspond to the subject groups:
- Language and literature
- Language acquisition (either a 2nd language “Language B” that the student has experience with; or totally new language, ie. ‘ab initio’)
- Science
- Mathematics
- Humanities (Individuals and Societies)
- Science, Humanities, or Art
Each of these subjects can be taken at the Higher Level (HL) or Standard Level (SL), where HL indicates more depth and hours of study, and SL is less demanding. Students are required to take 3 HL and 3 SL subjects.
Core elements
Apart from the 6 subjects which students can choose based on their preference, all IB candidates have to take 3 core elements: CAS, EE, and TOK.
- Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS): The student must complete a project which encompass elements of creativity (arts or other activity requiring creative thinking), activity (physical activity such as sports), and service (unpaid voluntary work that benefits the community). It is not formally assessed, but students are expected to reflect and show evidence of them achieving the learning outcomes.
- Extended essay (EE): The student has to embark on an independent research project of their own choice, which culminates in the completion of a 4000-word paper.
- Theory of Knowledge (TOK): TOK challenges students in their thinking of ‘what is knowledge?’ and ‘how do we know what we know?’, assessed based on an oral presentation and 1600-word essay.
Method of assessment
As opposed to the A Levels where most subjects are entirely graded based on the final written examination, the IBDP is examined with a combination of written exams and continuous assessment by the school. In fact, internally assessed work makes up at least 20% of the final grade for most subjects.
Some examples of the type of formats for continuous assessments include essays, practical work, portfolios, and oral presentations. The written examinations can be taken at either of two timeframes each year, in May or November – this usually depends on each school’s curriculum calendar. For example, ACS (Independent) students take the IB exams in November.
Scoring system
The IB diploma is graded out of a total score of 45. The total mark for each of the 6 subjects is 7, with 4 indicating a pass. TOK, EE, and CAS are graded for an additional of 3 additional points in total. Together, the 45 marks is computed accordingly:
7 x 6 subjects + 3 = 45
By taking the passing mark for the 6 subjects, the overall passing mark is 24 points.
Some students who choose to take 7 subjects instead of 6 will have their top 6 subjects computed into the overall grade.
Subjects offered in local IB schools
We’ve briefly touched upon the subject groups included in the IB, but did you know that there are some 57 different subjects across these subject groups and HL and SL levels? Of course, these include the vast number of languages offered around IB schools in the world, and some rather niche subjects as well.
If you are planning to take the IB in Singapore, it’s worth finding out what subjects are being offered in the schools here. To provide some examples, we have featured two of our local schools offering the IBDP, and two from international schools in Singapore.
ACS(I)
SJI
Tanglin Trust School
Hwa Chong International School
(source)
Conclusion
For anyone new to the IB, this can be information overload – but doing sufficient research to choose the best programme for your child is worth it!
If you prefer to leave the hassle to someone else, our education consultant partners can also assist you by providing you the information you need to make an informed choice. Furthermore, they can walk you through the administrative steps like school applications and more, ensuring you won’t miss any important deadlines.
Another thing you may want to consider is the availability of tuition options for your child in the IBDP or IP in SJI or ACSI. While the options for tuition classes such as IP Chemistry Tuition may be narrower, the good news is, we provide IP and IB tuition! Signing up for any of our classes like IP Math tuition is easy and quick – try it for yourself!
Want to know more? Enquire with us or check out some of other IB-related articles here: