IB Diploma Programme

• It’s never too early to consider the IBDP. We begin to prepare our internal students for the expectations of the DP in elementary school with our IB Primary Years Programme.
• Internal Grade 10 students interested in joining the IBDP at AISA and their families are invited to an IBDP subject fair each February, where students and teachers and IB parents give advice and insight.
• Internal Grade 10 students interested in joining the IBDP at AISA also take the CAT-4 standardized test, as well as IB-style placement tests for English and Maths every year in March. The results are reviewed by a panel, along with a student’s transcripts and teacher recommendations, and a decision is made concerning whether or not the student is prepared for the critical thinking, analysis and level of mathematics required upon entering the DP.
• External Grade 10 students are required to sit IB-style English and Maths placement tests, and submit their most recent school transcripts for consideration. They may make an appointment by contacting admissions at admissions@aisa.sch.ae.

The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum sets out the requirements for study of the DP.

The curriculum is made up of the DP core and six subject groups.

Made up of the three required components, the DP core aims to broaden students’ educational experience and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills.

The three core elements are:

• Theory of knowledge, in which students reflect on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know.
• The extended essay, which is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper.
• Creativity, activity, service, in which students complete a project related to those three concepts.

The six subject groups are:

• Group 1: Studies in language and literature 
• Group 2: Language acquisition
• Group 3: Individuals and societies
• Group 4: Sciences
• Group 5: Mathematics
• Group 6: The arts

Students will take some subjects at higher level (HL) and some at standard level (SL).  HL and SL courses differ in scope but are measured according to the same grade descriptors, with students expected to demonstrate a greater body of knowledge, understanding and skills at higher level.

Each student takes three subjects at higher level, and three at standard level.

Standard level subjects take up 150 teaching hours. Higher level comprises 240 teaching hours.

The DP has published subject briefs for all subjects that show each course at a glance -  at both standard and higher level. 

The subject briefs cover core requirements, aims and assessment. 

Please click on the below SL/HL links to specific course information.

At AISA, we currently offer:

• Group 1: Language A: language and literature SL & HL 
• Group 2: Language B (French and Arabic) SL/HL, Language ab initio (French and Spanish) SL only
• Group 3: Business management SL/HL, Economics SL/HL, History SL/HL, Psychology SL&HL
• Group 4: Biology SL/HL, Chemistry SL/HL, Physics SL/HL
• Group 5: Mathematics: analysis and approaches SL & HL , Mathematics: applications and interpretation SL & HL 
• Group 6: Visual arts SL/HL

Through the DP, schools are able to develop students who:

• Have excellent breadth and depth of knowledge
• Flourish physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically
• Study at least two languages
• Excel in traditional academic subjects
• Explore the nature of knowledge through the programme’s unique theory of knowledge course.

They will:

• Be encouraged to think independently and drive their own learning
• Take part in a programme of education that can lead them to some of the highest ranking universities around the world
• Become more culturally aware, through the development of a second language
• Be able to engage with people in an increasingly globalized, rapidly changing world.

IB students often just perform better.

IB World School students develop strong academic, social and emotional characteristics. They are also likely to perform well academically – often better than students in other programmes.

Annually, DP students request transcripts sent to over 3,300 institutions of higher education in nearly 90 countries. The degree to which these and other institutions recognize the IB diploma and DP courses varies widely. Even institutions with no formally published recognition policy often still consider DP performance in admissions decisions.

Recognition comes in many forms, but the most common are:

• Recruitment—actively recruiting Diploma Programme students
• Admission—the IB diploma is fully recognized in the admissions process, addressing Diploma Programme students specifically in documentation and publications
• Placement—acknowledging the rigour of IB courses and establishing prerequisites for IB courses that are fair and equitable in comparison with those for state,
• provincial and/or other examination courses; understanding and acknowledging the English language proficiency of DP students who undertook the programme in English
• Credit—providing detailed information on the courses for which credit is possible based on DP scores; specifically understanding and recognizing theory of knowledge, the extended essay and the content of both standard and higher level courses
• Scholarships—providing scholarships or scholarship opportunities specifically for IB diploma students.