International Baccalaureate

An academic program offered by multiple school boards and recognized in many countries.

What schools offer IB?

EPSB

Harry Ainley School

Lillian Osborne School

M.E. LaZerte School

McNally School

Old Scona Academic

Ross Sheppard School

Victoria School of the Arts

ECSD

Archbishop MacDonald Catholic High School

Holy Trinity Catholic High School

What should you know about IB?

Curriculum

Like the AP curriculum, the IBDP (International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme) runs as a dual curriculum alongside the Alberta curriculum. The IBDP curriculum is made of the DP core (CAS, TOK, EE) and six subject areas:

Group 1: Studies in language and literature
Group 4: Sciences
Group 2: Language acquisition
Group 5: Mathematics
Group 3: Individuals and societies
Group 6: Arts

Alberta students must complete both the IB exams and the Alberta Diploma Exams for their IB subjects.

Courses & Structure

The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) is an internationally recognized two-year programme for students 16-19, completed in grades 11-12.

IB courses are modelled after post-secondary or college classes. Students are eligible to receive University or College credit based on their IB scores.
IB is taken as either a full or partial program. Students who take the full IB program will receive an IB Diploma alongside their Alberta High School Diploma. Full IB students must select one IB subject from each group metioned in Curriculum (at least 6 subjects total) and complete the DP core to fulfill the IBDP requirements and receive their diploma. Full IB students may choose to switch their Group 6 subject for an extra Group 3 or 4 subject (IBDP students are not required to take an Arts course).

Alternatively, students in partial IB are not required to complete the DP core, and will receive individual certificates for each IB subject they’ve successfully completed, rather than an IB diploma. Partial IB allows students to pursue supplementary coursework and course credit in specific subjects.

HL and SL

In taking subjects at a Higher Level (HL), students learn a more comprehensive and rigorous curriculum compared to students taking the same subjects at Standard Level (SL). However, HL often provides more opportunities to earn course credit, and better prepares students for university courses. Full IB students must take at least 3 HL subjects. Students have the choice of which subjects they take HL and SL, however, certain schools may only offer certain subjects at one level (e.g. Old Scona Academic currently only offers Chemistry IB SL, not HL).

DP Core

Full IB students are required to complete all three components of the DP Core: CAS, TOK, and EE.

CAS: Roughly 150 hours of Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS), spread evenly across the three streams, as well as a CAS project.

EE: A university-level 4000 word extended essay (EE) in the subject of the student’s choosing, to be completed over the two years, under a teacher’s supervision and guidance.

TOK: All IBDP students must complete the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course, as well as the 1200 word TOK essay.

Internationally recognized

Universities in almost 90 countries across the world accept IB credits, and most universities based in the U.S. or Canada accept IB credits.

Prerequisites, Eligibility, & Cost

All students in grade 11-12 are eligible to take IB courses, though students are recommended to have an 80% minimum average in any prerequisite course. Students may choose to complete an IB prerequisite course (for example: Science 10, Math 10) in the summer after grade 9, allowing them to enroll in IB courses in their grade 10 year. Schools which offer the IBDP pay for student enrollment and exams, though, depending on the school, additional costs may be incurred for books, study materials and internal assessment (IA) or extended essay (EE) materials.

Exams and Scores

IB exams run in May. Students receive a grade between 1 and 7 for each IB course. A grade of at least 4 is required to pass, while most universities require a grade of at least 5 or 6 to receive course credit. IB grade boundaries are adjusted every year based on an analysis of student performance for that year, meaning that a grade may result in a score of 6 one year, but a score of 7 for a student taking that subject in the next year. Grades are largely determined by external assessments (such as IB exams), which are graded by IB graders around the world. Roughly ~20% of the grade (though it varies by subject) is also determined by internal assessments, which are graded by the students’ teachers. For Full IB students, the maximum number of points achievable is 45, while a minimum of 24 points are required to receive the diploma. Also, students can only receive their diploma if they receive a minimum score of 4 in 6 IB subjects, and complete the DP Core.

No IB grades will affect your Alberta curriculum grades, and vice versa.

More Information

The official IB website can be accessed through this link: IB Website.

For more information on the DP Curriculum, click here.

To see sample course loads of an IB student, click here.

More information regarding the DP Core can be found here: DP core

For the official EPSB IB information click on this link: IB in EPSB
For the official ECSD IB information click on this link: IB in ECSD

Benefits

Internationally recognized program
Improved time management, study habits, and ability to learn at an accelerated pace
Eases the difficulty gap between high school and post-secondary education
Opportunity to earn post-secondary or equivalent credits at worldwide institutions, which can save time and money
Beneficial in certain scholarship or university/college applications
The necessary CAS project component encourages the student to develop leadership skills through youth-led community initiatives

Drawbacks

Time consuming program; may take away time and ability to pursue extracurriculars or out-of-school passions
The accelerated and harder course material may affect grades
Credit earned may not be applicable to all programs or courses in your institution of choice
An IB course covers most of the content in its equivalent college course; but due to variations in courses between institutions, the IB course may not align exactly. This can result in missed topics needed for future courses if the IB credits are used instead of taking the class.