The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP)
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The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) is for students aged 16-19.
The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum sets out the requirements for study of the DP.
The curriculum is made up of the DP core and six subject groups.
Made up of the three required components, the DP core aims to broaden students’ educational experience and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills.
The three core elements are:
- Theory of knowledge, in which students reflect on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know.
- The extended essay, which is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper.
- Creativity, activity, service, in which students complete a project related to those three concepts.
The six subject groups are:
- Studies in language and literature
- Language acquisition
- Individuals and societies
- Sciences
- Mathematics
- The arts
There are different courses within each subject group.
IB Diploma Programme
Students choose courses from the following subject groups: studies in language and literature; language acquisition; individuals and societies; sciences; mathematics; and the arts.
Students may opt to study an additional sciences, individuals and societies, or languages course, instead of a course in the arts.
Students will take some subjects at higher level (HL) and some at standard level (SL). HL and SL courses differ in scope but are measured according to the same grade descriptors, with students expected to demonstrate a greater body of knowledge, understanding and skills at higher level.
Each student takes at least three (but not more than four) subjects at higher level, and the remaining at standard level.
Standard level subjects take up 150 teaching hours. Higher level comprises 240 teaching hours.
The aim of all IB programmes is to develop internationally minded people who recognize their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet. Central to this aim is international-mindedness. International-mindedness is a multi-faceted and complex concept that captures a way of thinking, being and acting that is characterized by an openness to the world and a recognition of our deep interconnectedness to others. To be open to the world, we need to understand it. IB programmes therefore provide students with opportunities for sustained inquiry into a range of local and global issues and ideas. This willingness to see beyond immediate situations and boundaries is essential as globalization and emerging technologies continue to blur traditional distinctions between the local, national and international. An IB education fosters international-mindedness by helping students reflect on their own perspective, culture and identities, and then on those of others. By learning to appreciate different beliefs, values and experiences, and to think and collaborate across cultures and disciplines, IB learners gain the understanding necessary to make progress toward a more peaceful and sustainable world. An IB education further enhances the development of international-mindedness through multilingualism. All IB programmes require the students to study, or study in, more than one language because we believe that communicating in more than one language provides excellent opportunities to develop intercultural understanding and respect. It helps the students to appreciate that his or her own language, culture and worldview is just one of many. International-mindedness is also encouraged through a focus on global engagement and meaningful service with the community. These elements challenge the student to critically consider power and privilege, and to recognize that he or she holds this planet and its resources in trust for future generations. They also highlight the focus on action in all IB programmes: a focus on moving beyond awareness and understanding to engagement, action and bringing about meaningful change. The components of an IB education described in this document work together to support the IB’s overarching aim of developing international-mindedness.
IB programmes offer students access to a broad and balanced range of academic studies and learning experiences. They promote conceptual learning, focusing on powerful organizing ideas that are relevant across subject areas, and that help to integrate learning and add coherence to the curriculum. The programmes emphasize the importance of making connections, exploring the relationships between academic disciplines, and learning about the world in ways that reach beyond the scope of individual subjects. They also focus on offering students authentic opportunities to connect their learning to the world around them. The four programmes are all underpinned by a shared focus on international-mindedness and developing the attributes of the IB learner profile. Yet each programme also has its own identity and developmentally appropriate elements.
For example: In the Primary Years Programme, learning aims to transcend traditional boundaries between subject areas. Students explore six transdisciplinary themes of global significance: who we are, where we are in place and time, how we express ourselves, how the world works, how we organize ourselves, and sharing the planet.
In the Middle Years Programme, students explore six global contexts that are developed from and extend the Primary Years Programme transdisciplinary themes: identities and relationships, personal and cultural expression, orientation in space and time, scientific and technical innovation, fairness and development, and globalization and sustainability.
In the Diploma Programme, the curriculum consists of six subject groups and the three elements of the Diploma Programme core. As one of these core elements, the theory of knowledge course encourages students to become more aware of their own perspective and assumptions through an exploration of the fundamental question of how we know what we know.
In the Career-related Programme, students combine the study of Diploma Programme courses with career-related studies and the four elements of the Career-related Programme core. As one of these core elements, the personal and professional skills course focuses on preparing students to effectively navigate a range of personal and professional situations that they may encounter in the workplace. All four IB programmes also require the completion of a culminating project (the Primary Years Programme exhibition, Middle Years Programme personal project or community project, Diploma Programme extended essay and Career-related Programme reflective project).
These projects provide an opportunity for students to showcase their knowledge, understanding and skills. Meaningful assessment supports curricular goals. In IB programmes assessment is therefore ongoing, varied and integral to the curriculum. IB schools use a range of strategies and tools to assess student learning. Emphasis is placed on the importance of analysing assessment data to inform teaching and learning, and on recognizing that students benefit by learning how to assess their own work and the work of others. The Middle Years Programme, Diploma Programme and Career-related Programme also offer a range of IB-validated assessments. These assessments balance validity and reliability, offering assessment tasks that, for example, require students to demonstrate higher order thinking rather than simple factual recall.