The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) is an international education board that offers four education programmes for students aged 3 to 19 years. Their objective is to give students a platform that will help them develop international-mindedness, empathy and relevant transferable skills. Their first programme was the IB DIploma Programme, whose aim was to give students a world-class education that will prepare them for global competition and international education standards practised in the finest international universities. International Baccalaureate schools in Bangalore are directly affiliated with IBO that sets the guidelines which enable these schools to maintain high standards.
The 1st year of IBDP is the foundation year. Here learner’s are given an introduction to the subjects they will be learning over the course of two years. At this stage, it is generally advised by iBDP alumni and academic counsellors that the student starts working on the DP core and completing the requisite number of hours for CAS. The EE is a 4000-word essay and ToK is also a long essay, the learner can begin shortlisting topics that they find interesting and would like to research. Some schools also have mock assessments in the first year to give learners an experience. In the 2nd year, students will delve deeper into their chosen subjects and begin preparing for the final assessments. This is also the phase where the learners will be submitting all their reports and preparing for their college applications.
IBDP has 6 subject groups out of which the learners choose 1 subject from each group. IBDP is an interdisciplinary course that prepares learners for university education. So, the only criteria for selecting the subjects are the student’s interest and the requirements of the college programme that they wish to apply to. Although there are some core subjects that all students must take, they have the alternative to take these at Standard Levels as opposed to the more intensive Higher Levels. Thus, students can play to their strengths and explore their interests in these two years. IBDP has an exhaustive selection of subjects and learners can explore combinations to study.
An average IBDP batch (first year or second year) will have up to 22-30 students. Though IBO has guidelines, students have discretion over the class intake. The top IB schools in Bangalore such as the Knowledgeum Academy maintain a 1:10 teacher-student ratio. This helps learners get greater access to opportunities and personalised attention from their teachers. Furthermore, with lower stress on the teachers, it is easier for them to track the student’s progress and provide them with timely support.
In general, IB students have over 18% higher success rates in entering the top international colleges and universities in the total population. Since they provide international-standard education, most IBDP students globally are vying for a spot in Ivy League colleges or other top international universities and colleges. Bangalore's best IB schools like the Knowledgeum Academy have a university preparation programme under which learners are provided special classes for competitive entrance exams, seminars from international university admission teams, and guidance with drafting and sending college applications. The institution puts concentrated effort into the student to help them shortlist college programmes, understand their requirements and apply for the programme.
IBDP course structure gives the learner immense flexibility over their choice of subjects, how they want to learn and what they want to study. Right from choosing the subjects and deciding the intensity at which they want to study, learners are given agency to make them self-reliant and aware of their choices. It helps learners understand their strengths and weaknesses and work on them. IB schools in Bangalore like the Knowledgeum Academy have admission counsellors and academic counsellors to guide learners if they are confused about what courses they want to study. Furthermore, IBDP has a structured syllabus, but the students are not given a structured course textbook to study from. Instead, they are taught the basic concepts and theories and encouraged to do self-study and research on the topic to understand their relevance and real-life application
There are many assumptions about IB programmes such as they are very difficult and out of reach for average students. However, IB programmes are intensive, and their curriculum is different from the traditional education boards. IB curriculum schools in Bangalore such as the Knowledgeum Academy have orientation classes to help learners understand the curriculum and course expectations. They even share tips on how to do well in the programme. The programme makes learners independent critical thinkers who will thrive in a competitive environment.
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