Earning an IB Diploma

Section 3.01       Award of the Diploma

 

As is written in the 2017 IB Handbook of Procedures, the IB diploma is awarded based on the following criteria:

 

A total of six subjects must be studied, with a combination of standard and higher levels (SL and HL). Students must also complete the “core”, which is made up of creativity, activity, service (CAS), theory of knowledge (TOK) and extended essay (EE).

 

Each subject is graded 1–7, with 7 being the highest grade. These grades are also used as points (that is, 7 points for a grade 7, and so on) in determining if the diploma can be award.

 

TOK and the EE are graded A–E, with A being the highest grade. These two grades are then combined in the diploma points matrix (see below) to contribute between 0 and 3 points to the total. CAS is not assessed but must be completed in order to pass the diploma.

 

The overall maximum points from subject grades and TOK/EE is therefore 45 ((6 × 7) + 3). The minimum threshold for award of the diploma is 24 points, below which the diploma is not awarded.

The additional requirements are the following.

●        CAS requirements have been met.

●        There is no “N” awarded for TOK, the EE or for a contributing subject. (signifying an incomplete assessment)

●        There is no grade E awarded for TOK and/or the EE.

●        There is no grade 1 awarded in a subject/level.

●        There are no more than two grade 2s awarded (HL or SL).

●        There are no more than three grade 3s or below awarded (HL or SL).

●        The candidate has gained 12 points or more on HL subjects (for candidates who register for four HL subjects, the three highest grades count).

●        The candidate has gained 9 points or more on SL subjects (candidates who register for two SL subjects must gain at least 5 points at SL).

●        The candidate has not received a penalty for academic misconduct from the Final Award Committee.

 

TOK/ EE Diploma points matrix:

diploma points matrix

*additional Earning a Diploma resource: see Appendix J.

            *The IHSNO IB Course Assessment Map provides a full picture of all assessments for each IB course. See Appendix K.

 

 

 

Section 3.02       Course Option Candidates

 Course Option Candidates will complete assessments and external examinations for all IB courses in which they are enrolled. They will not be scored under the same set of criteria as Full Diploma candidates because they are undergoing separate IB coursework and not the Diploma core. Seats in the Theory of Knowledge course will be reserved only for those who are Full Diploma Candidates. Course Option Candidates will receive score reports for the courses in which they were examined when Full Diploma Candidates receive notification on their IB Diploma.

 

Section 3.03       University Recognition of the IB

 Colleges and universities are very interested in the level of rigor of students’ courses and programs of study. The IB curriculum represents the highest level of rigor at ANY high school program. Students who perform well in their IB courses can earn college credit or placement, depending on the college. Each school has their own acceptance policy IB scores, so students should contact admissions offices of colleges in which they are interested to obtain more information. Additionally, IB has published a college credit database with ~1100 schools that can be found on ibo.org.