Difference in diploma programmes a matter of breadth versus depth
Parents often ask me how different international schools compare. Yet no one has asked about how students' abilities and needs compare with the demands of the secondary school diploma they will be undertaking.
Although international schools in Hong Kong vary in curriculum and teaching styles, there seems to have been a paradigm shift, with most institutions switching to the International Baccalaureate Diploma programme. Presently, fewer than five international schools offer the American curriculum and teach the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced-Level qualification commonly known as A-levels. Does this mean that the IB qualification is the best credential that can be offered to colleges for admission?
The IB diploma is widely recognised by universities as challenging, preparing students to succeed at university as well as giving them a well-rounded education. However, the rigidity of the programme demands that students do well in all six groups of the IB structure. This requires students to undertake a first language and a second language, one subject each from experimental science group, individuals and societies, maths and computer science, and the arts.
In addition, students are required to follow a course in theory of knowledge (TOK) and each must carry out independent research into a topic of their choice and produce an extended essay of some 4,000 words, as well as undertake a fundamental part of the diploma: the creativity, action and service (CAS) programme.
In the American system, education is primarily the responsibility of state and local governments, and so there is little standardisation in the curriculum. Thus American schools in Hong Kong could teach different curricula but all have the Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation (WASC)
A high school grade point average (GPA) is calculated for performance in science (usually three years minimum, normally biology, chemistry and physics); mathematics (usually four years minimum, normally including algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, statistics, calculus); English (usually four years minimum, including literature, languages); social sciences (three years minimum, including various history, government/economics courses) and physical education (at least two years).
The American high school diploma is considered less demanding than the IB and A-level qualification because students don't undertake an external examination at the end of a high school career. Students (usually in 11th grade) may take one or more standardised tests depending on their post-secondary education preferences; that is, the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) or the American College Test (ACT), which evaluate the overall level of knowledge and learning aptitude. Competitive universities also require students to take two or three SAT subject tests that focus strictly on a particular subject matter.