It has been hailed as education's answer to the demands of a globalised, 21st-century world. With a rigorous curriculum covering subjects from humanities and science to a compulsory foreign language, the International Baccalaureate Diploma is attracting a rapidly growing following among schools around the world.
But as the number of international schools in Hong Kong offering British A-levels dwindles, concerns have emerged about whether the international alternative is suitable for all students.
The popularity of the IB in Hong Kong has soared in recent years, with 14 schools offering the diploma. From the beginning of this academic year, all English Schools Foundation schools have followed the IB diploma, along with others such as Yew Chung, Australian and Chinese international schools.
German Swiss is one of the few international schools still offering A-levels. This year the school, which will continue to offer A-levels until 2013, has admitted a number of students, including some from the ESF, who transferred because they did not want to sit the IB.
Fleshing out the debate over the merits of each qualification earlier this month was Michael Parris, senior market development manager of the Cambridge Education Group, who gave a presentation at the British Council in Hong Kong.
Mr Parris echoed local concerns that the IB may not cater for all students. 'If the student has selected IB for the right reasons - that it suits them and they're excited by that prospect - then that's a positive,' he said. 'There's a risk that students choose the IB because it's the latest trend or perhaps because there's no other choice available, which clearly can't be good.'