The Wit to Woo

xpatriate students approaching their 16th birthdays and their parents, who believe their offspring are destined for universities worldwide, are sometimes enamoured by the ‘courtship rituals’ of international schools with the wit to woo the brightest and the best into two year engagements. They point to the altar of the world’s finest universities, the professions and a desire for comfortable incomes. 

From the many suitors around, let us see what the two have to offer:

 

IB Diploma

 

Born of the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) as a common and transferable qualification for students ages 16–19, who plan to attend universities outside their home countries, the IB programme is available in English, French and Spanish and usually allows students to fulfil the requirements of their national or state educational systems for university entrance domestically, (although this is not yet the case for Chinese students seeking entry to a Chinese university). The IB is growing globally by about 10 percent per year.

The programme usually features a traditional and broad curriculum, but with three important additional aspects:

•    Theory of Knowledge (TOK) —challenges students to question the bases of knowledge and develops the ability to analyse evidence.

•    Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) —encourages students to engage their talents through performing arts, sports and community service.

•    Extended Essay (EE) —a 4,000 word essay inviting students to deepen and broaden their academic experience.

 

Students study six subjects, each drawn from six different curriculum areas. At least three, but not more than four, are taken at the Higher Level (HL), with others at the Standard Level (SL); HL courses involve a recommended minimum of 240 teaching hours; SL courses require 150 hours.

•    Group 1—Language A1— The student’s mother tongue. Students develop strong written and oral skills, respect for the literary heritage of their first languages, and an international perspective.

•    Group 2—Second Language—All diploma candidates are examined in a second language with options to accommodate different levels of fluency, including beginners.

•    Group 3—Individuals and Societies—includes business and management, economics, geography, history, Islamic history, IT in a Global Society (at SL only), philosophy, psychology, and social and cultural anthropology.

•    Group 4—Experimental Sciences—includes biology, chemistry, physics, environmental systems (SL), design technology. Practical laboratory skills, an awareness of ethical issues and a sense of social responsibility are developed.

•    Group 5—Mathematics and Computer Science—candidates are required to complete a mathematics course with four options available that address different abilities and levels of interest. Computer science is an elective subject.

•    Group 6—Arts—includes visual, musical and theatre arts, with emphases placed on the practical performances of students and the exploration of a range of creative works in a global context.

 

Instead of a Group 6 subjects, students may select an additional subject from Groups 1–4, or mathematics SL, or computer science from Group 5.

Trans-disciplinary subjects have also been introduced since 2001 linking subject groups, such as Text and Performance (Groups 1 + 6), Ecosystems and Societies (3 + 4), World Cultures (3 + 6). Studying one of these satisfies two group requirements.

Each subject is graded 1 – 7, with 7 at the top. TOK and EE together account for 3 more points, making a total of 45 points. There is no credit awarded for CAS, but it must be completed satisfactorily. 24 points or more across the whole programme earns you the coveted diploma.

But wait! Before you accept the engagement ring, you must ask: Can you afford the dowry? The annual registration fee for schools offering an IB diploma is US$8,850 a year, then there are the costs of authorisation, recruiting staff with IB experience, mandatory training and facilities that some universities would envy.  Fees are likely to be high.

 

GCE Advanced Levels

 

A mature individual who for a long while swaggered an air of effortless superiority but who has been in need of a facelift for years––had one in 2000 but is likely to undergo the knife again… 

Unlike the IBDP there is no ecommended number of hours of study. This is partly because the A level is available for a wider range of candidates, including mature students taking a single subject out of general interest. A levels can offer wider choices, exotic mixtures and opportunity for specialism.

A levels are divided into two parts AS and A2, each with three modular units of roughly equal size. AS level units are examined usually at the end of the first year of the course. No more than 20 percent can be assessed internally. A2 units are taken during the second year of a two-year course. The six units in total form one A level. Significantly, students are allowed one re-sit in each unit, with the better result counting towards the final grade.  More mixed ability students are studying AS/A2 as a result. However, critics argue that the “new” modular A level has been devalued as an examination. The ‘gold standard’ is looking more like gold plate…

Minimum entry requirements of 5 (I) GCSEs of grade C or better or equivalent helps to prepare students but are not always enforced. There has been a sharp growth in exotic subjects such as Media Studies or (English) Law and Psychology. A-level mathematics remains very “bankable,” but some subject exam options have been criticised for being too “fussy” or others for being “dumbed down.” 

There are a number of independent boards offering A levels. The most well known outside the UK are the Cambridge International Examinations (CIE) and Edexcel (University of London). Comparability between these boards and subjects is supervised by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). Transferability of subjects between boards can lead to frustrations among students changing schools mid-course.  

A-level subjects have a five-point scale, A–E, with A at the top. The number of A grades awarded has increased steadily prompting accusations of grade inflation. However, the evidence is that the number of top grades has risen as a direct result of improvements in teaching and study methods.  Candidates taking the full A-level also receive an AS grade based on the aggregate outcomes of the three AS units, also A–E, and a separate standardised mark on each unit. This information allows candidates and their teachers to make informed decisions about whether to re-sit a particular unit.

The price tag per A level is still high but costs to schools are likely to be lower than the IBDP.     

But what if ‘Miss Sweet 16’ is not an academic high-flier?––And without multi-layered independent assessments at age 11, 14 and 16, it may be difficult for parents, schools and students to make a critical assessment––‘stepping out’ with the IB or AL might lead to disappointment. 

International Schools have yet to address the provision of internationally accredited vocational qualifications with the focus on ‘applied’ skills rather than theory.  CIE, Edexcel, RSA as well as professional institutions do offer vocational courses to students geared directly to the needs of employers and which can also be credited for entry into higher education. Schools are offering little in the way of real and sustainable partnerships with industry, although this is not just the fault of schools.

Miss Sweet Sixteen and her parents should check it out and not be flattered or bedazzled, remembering that ‘all that glisters is not gold’.