EDUCAT ION
results. The college makes no bones about the benefits, stressing that during their two years there, students will be thinking not just “about the person they’ll be when they are 18, but the person they’ll be at 80, and at every stage of a rich and rewarding life”, says Jon Ellams. Students opt for six subjects – generally three taken at higher, three at standard level. This adds a welcome breadth that can keep more doors open for longer – something that can be helpful for students who get to UCAS application time only to find that the area of study they’d dreamed of doing no longer inspires them, and need to think again. The IB’s structure also includes lots of attractive extras like the CAS (creativity, activity, service) component, which can be a convenient wrapper for activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh award or charity- related work. Subject range aside, what IB and A-levels do have in common (together with other sixth-form options, such as the Pre-U) is a largely linear structure with final grades determined by performance in exams taken in the second year.
journey through specialisation,” says Ruth Taylor. “They also enable students to take a breadth of subjects – up to four choices, plus the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), which gives more academic freedom and exploration.” But what happens if a student is more of a generalist who happens to love Music as well as Maths and English on top of Engineering, and doesn’t want to let any of them drop? In that case, the International Baccalaureate’s (IB) Diploma Programme could be the best option. Though it remains a minority option, the IB has gained in popularity as a highly rated alternative to A-levels and has had its place, even if a somewhat niche one, on the qualifications roster for decades. Its reputation – more challenging than A-levels, requiring not just sky-high levels of academic ability, but impeccable organisational skills – is one that Jon Ellams, director of International Sixth Form at Parkside International Sixth Form, a member of Cambridge Academic Partnership, is keen to put straight. Parkside has been offering the IB Diploma since 2011, with consistently good
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