FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can you take three sciences ? Because of its emphasis upon breadth , the International Baccalaureate Diploma does not allow a student to take three sciences . UK medical schools do not require three sciences : Chemistry and one other Science ( generally Biology ) or Maths are standard subject requirements .
Does the IB allow you to opt for Medicine at university ? Absolutely – the IB Diploma supports applications for Medicine very well , and every year we have significant number of applicants who apply successfully to top universities for Medicine , Dentistry and Veterinary Science . Today , medical schools are not only seeking academic rigour in Sciences and Maths but are increasingly looking for a mix of skillsets – both academic and personal . By continuing to study languages and humanities , the IB enables students to further develop their written and verbal communication skills , enhances their ability to critically assess information and nurtures a more multifarious view of situations , enhanced by their study of TOK . The CAS programme is simply superb in enabling students to contribute to the school and wider community whilst helping the students to reflect on their actions and impact .
Does the IB ’ s breadth mean there is less depth ? OFQUAL , the UK ’ s school-leaving qualifications regulator , ranks individual IB subjects , their content and their assessment , as being as demanding as the supposedly more in-depth A-levels . There is a small difference in UCAS tariff points based only on the number of hours of instruction per subject .
Indeed , with the Extended Essay and the focus on independence in the IB internal assessment , students have more incentive to specialise and develop a much deeper understanding of material than a rote-learning , tick-box specification will allow . The nature of the open-ended , conceptbased IB examinations rewards those who ’ ve moved deeper into the material in a way that A-levels ’ focus on assessing content doesn ’ t .
The IB is perceived to be harder than other qualifications . Is this true ? Doing well in any qualification is difficult , and the point of good assessment is to reward the students who through talent , commitment and hard work achieve high grades . The IB is no different . There are more subjects , so in this sense it is a greater challenge .
The value of an IB Diploma , however , has been retained over the last 40 years : there has been no grade inflation , no continual tampering and subsequent reversals with assessment , and no introduction of new higher grades . When teaching 16-year-olds about life and how to be successful , are we going to tell them that avoiding difficulty , when you know the ‘ easier ’ route is measurably less valuable , is the right thing to do ?
THE IB AT SEVENOAKS | THE SIXTH FORM 63