How your children will get
the IB Diploma…
…without going insane (and
taking you with them).
So this is what I tell them…
(and you).
That’s me as Socrates…
Academic Requirements:

IB Courses in all academic areas
Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature
 Group 2: Language Acquisition
 Group 3: Individuals and Societies
 Group 4: Sciences
 Group 5: Mathematics
 Group 6: The Arts (or an Elective
from Groups 2, 3, or 4)

“erm…”
Academic Requirements:

During Junior and Senior year,
students must take:

3 Higher Level IB Courses (HL)
 240

instructional hours over 2 years
3 Standard Level IB Courses (SL)
 150
hours instructional hours in 1 year
or over 2 years
 At least 1 SL must go over 2 years
IB Subject Grades:
 Grades
are awarded on a 1-7 point
scale at the end of the course
 The grade is determined by
achievement on:

Internal Assessments
 Graded
External
by the course teacher
Assessments
 Graded
by external examiners
Awarding of the IB Diploma

Students must:
 Accrue
a minimum 24 of 45
possible points in their 6 IB courses
over the 2 year program
IB Diploma Requirements:
The Core
 Theory
of Knowledge (TOK)
 The Extended Essay (EE)
 Creativity-Action-Service (CAS)
Theory of Knowledge
A
2-year course during Junior and
Senior year
 Assessments
 The
TOK Presentation
 Internally
 The
Assessed (IA)
TOK Paper
 Externally
Assessed (EA)
 Supervised
independent
coursework in other areas of study
The Extended Essay
A
4000-word independent research
investigation
 In a major academic subject area
 Under the supervision of a schoolbased mentor
 External Assessment
Creativity-Action-Service (CAS)

150 hours over 2 years
June 1, Junior year
through
April 15, Senior year
CAS Learning Outcomes:








Self-awareness
Undertaking new challenges
Planning and initiative
Collaboration
Perseverance and commitment
Engagement with global issues
Considering ethical implications
Developing new skills
CAS Is and Isn’t:
Is:



An opportunity to grow
A balance of C, A, and S
A chance
to take risks
(in a good way)
CAS Is and Isn’t:
Isn’t:



For school credit or cash money
Just showing up and not
engaging fully
Random or
haphazard
“What was I thinking?”
they say.
“It’s really quite possible,” I say.
“And I KNOW. Trust me,” I say.
(And, for the most part, they do.)
I Ask the DC’s to Consider:
Why am I in the IB Diploma Program?
 What do I want to get out of it?
 What are my strengths coming in?
 What are my weaknesses?
 And, very importantly…

…Who
is in control of
my academic future?
(They need to think carefully about this last one…)
A Key Fact:
The Hexagon is our friend.
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Group 5
Group 6
Two More Facts and
One Important Guiding Principle
IB is not “a cross to bear”…
It is an opportunity
to explore,
to engage,
and to extend.
(And it’s not supposed to be easy, or
everyone would do it.)
“OK,” they say. “Give me
something I can use.”
And I give them…
Strategery!
6 Academic Areas (see your Hexagon)
 A Possible 7 points in each area…



The Math: a Possible 42
And then there’s BONUS POINTS!!

TOK and EE: Up to 3 EXTRA points!
Yes!
Strategery (cont’d)
Uh…Yeah:
ToK and EE are required and you only get bonus
points.
We’ll come back
to that…
Hunh?
Strategery (cont’d):
So… You can get 45 points total.
 But… You only NEED 24 points.


I’m not good at the math, but how hard could
that be?
Hmmm??
Well…
Students must also have:
A
minimum total of 12 points overall
for the 3 HL’s
 No scores of 2 or lower in any HL
“Doh!”
“Wait! What if I do have fewer than 24 total
points, or fewer than12 points in my 3 HL’s,
or score a 2 on an HL Exam?”
Easy: You must have a
minimum total of 28 points
(rather than 24…)
No, not if you cover your bases…
Covering your Bases, Pt. 1:
Remember your 3 SL’s?
Crush them!
As SL’s, they should be
somewhat easier to crush.
Covering your Bases, Pt. 2:
Now, we look at a Matrix.
(No, not that one… This one’s even cooler.)
The Matrix!
TOK →
A
B
C
No Grade
N
D
E
Failing
Condition
EE ↓
A
3
3
2
2
Failing
Condition
B
3
2
2
1
Failing
Condition
Failing
Condition
Failing
Condition
C
2
2
1
0
Failing
Condition
D
2
1
0
0
Failing
Condition
Failing
Condition
E
Failing
Condition
Failing
Condition
Failing
Condition
Failing
Condition
Failing
Condition
Failing
Condition
No Grade
N
Failing
Condition
Failing
Condition
Failing
Condition
Failing
Condition
Failing
Condition
Failing
Condition
A Logical Question:
“So how much do the EE and TOK
matter?”
 Maybe quite a bit. Let’s do the math!

Some Math:

Student A: Does she get the Diploma?








Course:
English A1 HL
Biology HL
Mathematics HL
Spanish B SL
World Religions SL
Physics SL
TOK [B], EE [C]
Total
Grade (out of a possible 7):
5
5
4
4
6
6
2
= 32
Some More Math (Whee.):

Student B: Does he get the Diploma?
Course:
Grade (out of a possible 7):
 English A1 HL
4
 Biology HL
3
 History-20th Century HL
5
 Mathematics SL
3
 Spanish B SL
4
 Chemistry SL
4
 TOK [B], EE [B]
2
 Total
= 25
Victory!
Some More Math (Yow.):

Student D: Does he get the Diploma?
Course:
Grade (out of a possible 7):
 English A1 HL
5
 Biology HL
4
 Mathematics HL
2
 World Religions SL
7
 Spanish AB SL
4
 Economics SL
5
 TOK [B], EE [C]
2
 Total
= 29
Last of the Math (Thank you.):

Student E: Does he get the Diploma?
Course:
Grade (out of a possible 7):
 English A1 HL
4
 Biology HL
3
 History-20th Century HL
4
 Economics SL
5
 Spanish B SL
5
 Math Studies SL
5
 TOK [B], EE [D]
1
 Total
= 27
“OK… Now What?”
I thought you’d never ask.

IB Students must:

Organize
 Day-to-Day,

Strategize
 Strengths

and Weaknesses
Advocate
 Know

Week-to-Week
when, how, and to whom they should speak
Understand
 The
Diploma Program and their goal…
The IB Diploma!!
(Sure, the bling at Graduation,
too.)
And you get to say:
Good-bye! Good luck!
Don’t come back.
Questions?