IB Congratulations

[ailurophile]

I just wanted to offer congratulations to the CH students (and staff!) who were brave enough to be guinea pigs for the IB, and have managed to achieve some very impressive results!

[jhopgood]

I just wanted to offer congratulations to the CH students (and staff!) who were brave enough to be guinea pigs for the IB, and have managed to achieve some very impressive results!

My two children were guinea pigs for the IB in the mid 90's at the Lincoln school in Buenos Aires.
I thought it both harder than A levels or AP's which were the alternative, and although less challenging on specific subjects, produced a better student, more capable of taking advantage of a university education.
They both scored well enough to get into UK universities, although at the time, Aberdeen was more in tune than Surrey.
I am not surprised that CH students did so well, as, at least in my time, CH students could adapt to and take advantage of most things, and I am sure that is still true.
So I add my congratulations and simultaneous regrets that the UK education system is taking its time in fully accepting these qualifications.

[ailurophile]

jhopgood wrote:

I add my congratulations and simultaneous regrets that the UK education system is taking its time in fully accepting these qualifications.

As it happens, my own son was also a guinea pig for the IB just last year at a state sixth form college, and I agree wholeheartedly with your comments both about the comparative rigour of the qualification and the UK Universities' approach to it. In fact, my son's college offered the IB for just two years before deciding to drop the course because they felt that their most able students could access top Universities more reliably by studying A levels. My son really enjoyed the IB and thankfully did well enough to secure an offer to his first choice University, but with hindsight he does feel that A levels might have been 'a wiser choice'.

It's because of our own slightly wobbly experience of the IB that I'm so delighted to see that the first CH cohort has enjoyed such success = although as you say, this reflects the high standards that one might naturally expect both of the school and its pupils!

[J.R.]

What on earth is IB ??

I must be older than I thought !!

[Fjgrogan]

International Baccalaureat, John.

[J.R.]

Still none the wiser,

I must have a word with one of my G.D's who's off to Norwich Uni soon. She must know !

[Fjgrogan]

Perhaps you could Google it, John. I am told that is how to find out anything these days!! I might ge around to trying it myself some time soon - personally I still prefer books! I wonder if there is a term for the internet equivalent of a Luddite?!