Hong Kong's high-fliers see great perks in IB Diploma curriculum
The IB Diploma programme is giving students a huge boost in their university chances both here and abroad
Some 127,000 students from 135 countries and regions received the results of their International Baccalaureate Diploma exams earlier this month. Six English Schools Foundation students in Hong Kong were among 108 students worldwide who scored the maximum 45 points.
The number of local schools following the IB course has risen significantly over the past five years, with 26 schools now offering the diploma programme. The ESF dropped A-levels for the IB four years ago.
IB Diploma graduates can be confident that they possess the skills needed to excel
As a whole, the Asia-Pacific region has seen a 55 per cent growth in the number of schools offering the IB programme since 2008, compared to 34 per cent in Africa, Europe and the Middle East (IBAEM), and 28 per cent in Latin America, North America and the Caribbean.
Interestingly, the percentage of students securing top marks has remained stable at about 0.25 per cent, as has the mean score (about 29 points). There has been little variation year on year in the number of students attaining the diploma (78 per cent) and the mean grade (about 4.67, with the highest score being seven for each course).
However, the distribution of additional points, which students earn for the theory of knowledge and extended essay components, has shown a year-on-year increase from 0.98 in 2008 to 1.15 last year.
One of the criticisms levelled at A-levels had been the steady rise in grades for 27 consecutive years, implying that the qualification was not challenging enough for students. So do the IB statistics mean that the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) has successfully maintained its academic rigour despite its phenomenal growth in recent years?