IB Diploma Programme Options

In an increasingly globalised world, the importance of language acquisition cannot be overstated. Your Group 2 subject will provide you with the platform you need to communicate in your chosen acquired language and to be able to acquire further languages easily in the future. Language B allows students who already have experience in a language to take it to the next stage of fluency; Language Ab Initio (‘from the beginning’) is for students without or with very little experience in a language. The following links below will give you further information about each subject. It is extremely important that students be appropriately placed into Diploma Programme (DP) language courses. Appropriate placement into language courses allows for suitable degrees of challenge for development in those languages. Misplacement of a student into a language course which does not provide an appropriate degree of challenge for the student may provide the student with an unfair advantage over those who are appropriately placed into the course. Intentional misplacement may be considered school maladministration according to Academic integrity. Please, do consult the DP language courses: overview and placement guidance attached below. Language Placement

Your Group 3 subject connects you to the world of people and their interactions, and will develop your knowledge and understanding in a discipline related to what are known as the Humanities. It allows you to answer questions linked to how we fit in to the world as individuals and how we relate to others. The skills and knowledge you gain in your Group 3 subject will be vital for your understanding of the world and how it can be made a better place. The following links below will give you further information about each subject.

Group 4 subjects allow you access to the world of Science and Technology, ensuring that you have a good foundation in the ‘scientific method’ which is so vital for us to move forward positively into the future. Through a practical, experimental approach, these courses enable you to develop critical skills of analysis, evaluation, synthesis and communication within a body of knowledge, methods and techniques that characterise science and technology. You will also become critically aware, as global citizens, of the possibilities, ethical implications and limitations of science and technology and its use, and develop an understanding of the relationships between scientific disciplines and their influence on other areas of knowledge. The following links below will give you further information about each subject.

The Group 5 IB Mathematics programme takes account of the wide-ranging needs of students by offering two different courses, each at HL and SL. The Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches course has a greater emphasis on mathematical argument and on areas traditionally regarded as ‘pure’ mathematics such as calculus, while the Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation course focuses more on aspects of Mathematics which are transferrable to other fields, such as statistics and functions. Your ability to operate in the future world will be immeasurably enhanced by a strong skill set in Mathematics, for which any of the four courses provides a secure foundation. Choosing SL or HL Both HL courses have been designed for those students who will be expecting to include mathematics as a major component of their university studies, either as a subject in its own right or within courses such as physics, engineering and technology. Others may take these courses because they have a strong interest in mathematics and enjoy the challenge of working through difficult problems. The SL courses cater to those students who wish to gain a sound mathematical understanding and competence in how mathematics relates to the real world and to other subjects. Depending on university and course selection, the SL pathways will help prepare students for future studies such as chemistry, economics, psychology and business studies. The following factors must be considered carefully by students when choosing SL or HL:

• their own abilities in mathematics and the type of mathematics in which they can be successful
• their own interest in mathematics and those particular areas of the subject that may hold the most interest for them
• their academic plans, in particular the subjects they wish to study in the future
• their choice of career

Due to their challenges, it is highly recommended that students only consider choosing one of the HL courses as long as they achieve at least a grade 6 in MYP Extended Mathematics. The following links below will give you further information about each subject.

Especially designed for the creative student, the Arts Group allows you to study Visual Art, Music or Theatre. These subjects celebrate and analyse the huge value that the Arts add to our lives, and develop the skills and approaches which allow you to make your own contribution to this aspect of the world. The following links below will give you further information about each subject.