Celebrating IB Success!

Leighton Park IB students were celebrating today as their International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme scores were released.

The mark required to pass the IB is 24 points and the maximum achievement possible is 45 points. The 2023 cohort achieved 31.5 as an average number of points, more than 1.25 points above this year’s global average.

“I am especially proud of this year group who are the first IB students to sit public examinations without any special considerations for the impact of Covid on their education.”  commented Helen Taylor, Head of Sixth Form. “The disruption to their younger years, and particularly to their GCSE years, was significant and I am delighted that they have achieved such a strong set of results with each student able to recognise and to celebrate the significant academic progress they have made on their IB journey.”

“I’m so happy right now, genuinely!” laughed Giulia who came into School to enjoy her success with Helen, her IB teachers and the team in the Girls’ Boarding House.

The IB Diploma Programme is a phenomenal qualification, preparing students for life at university and beyond in a way that few other Sixth Form programmes can do. The Diploma offers a much wider variety of academic subjects than A Levels with six choices, ranging from visual arts to the Sciences, and the chance for students to select either a higher or standard level of study.

The additional compulsory units include Community, Activity, Service (CAS) which ensures physical and mental wellbeing and inspires an enduring commitment to volunteering and community engagement, very much in line with the School’s Quaker values. The development of skills for lifelong learning via the Theory of Knowledge (TOK) module and the Extended Essay element are exceptional. The ability to think critically, to research thoroughly and to produce a structured and sustained piece of writing are attributes that universities and employers alike value immensely. 97% of university admissions staff rate the IBDP as the best preparation for university.

Alex Wallace, Deputy Head (Academic), reflected, “It’s interesting that both nationally and globally the IB results are down this year and I think the fact that ours are only  1.5 points lower than last year rather than the 1.68 point reduction in the UK average or 1.74 global average drop is a testament to the commitment of our students and to the dedication of their teachers in working so well together.”

Just under 5,000 of the IBDP’s 2023 cohort of around 180,000 students are based in the UK, keen to secure a globally relevant qualification. While many schools only recommend the IB Diploma for their top academic students, Leighton Park’s student-centred approach sees the value of the programme for any student who enjoys course work and interdisciplinary projects, has an international outlook and doesn’t want to narrow their subjects down at this stage of their education.

The School is offering Year 10 and 11 students the opportunity to learn more about the IBDP at the Sixth Form Open Evening on Tuesday 10^th October from 6.30pm or you could watch the Leighton Park IB video.