The choice at 16 – A Level or the IB?

Recognising that not everyone has the same needs led Oakham to introduce the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma programme into the Upper School in 2001. One of the first independent schools in the UK to embrace the International Baccalaureate Oakham runs the IB in parallel with A Levels (AS/A2), offering pupils a genuine, but manageable, choice.

Both IB and AS/A2 are appropriate and effective pathways to university entrance: the range of offers to Oakham students demonstrates that access to top universities depends more on ability than route. We have had applicants gaining places to study medicine, for example, via both the IB and AS/A2. Similarly, both routes have led to offers from Oxbridge, LSE, Warwick and other top universities.

Oakham’s total curriculum

At Oakham, our total curriculum philosophy means there are striking similarities between IB and AS/A2. We give all pupils a tremendous breath and balance of opportunities, both in the classroom and beyond. For example, whether IB or AS/A2, a pupil might be engaged in community service. The difference is simply that an IB pupil will need to provide evidence of their activities against set criteria for their Creativity Action and Service module. In contrast, the AS/A2 pupil may log hours for their Duke of Edinburgh award. The same parallel experience happens right across the curriculum, through music, drama, sport and other activities. Because Oakham promotes a school-wide total curriculum, non-academic issues should not be a factor in the choice between IB or AS/A2.

We help both pupils and parents understand the choices

We begin helping pupils to make their choice well before they approach the Sixth Form. Tutors will have conversations about the two different pathways with groups and with individuals throughout the Middle School. However, it is in the fifth form that the major emphasis is placed. Each pupil takes the Morrisby Profile test* in the winter term. The resulting profile provides a useful basis to discuss and distil the way ahead. A presentation is also made, both to pupils and to parents, by the Heads of Middle School and Upper School, setting out the pros and cons of each pathway. A major emphasis of the presentation is the need to think about individual strengths and aspirations; to think “what is right for me?” rather than simply to follow the herd. Each pupil also receives the Upper School Academic Studies Guide, which sets out both the two pathways in detail and explains how a subject may differ in each. Pupils and tutors then have ample opportunity to discuss the choices available. Pupils are asked late in the spring term to give an indication of their chosen upper school curriculum, and if still undecided have the opportunity to seek further guidance.

What does the IB consist of?
IB / A-Level differences

IB students have a timetable of 33 taught periods per week, whilst a typical AS/A2 student taking 4 subjects to AS, will have 34 taught periods in the Sixth Form. House, tutorial and Chapel periods are common to all. In the seventh form, the total number of lessons attended is roughly the same (IB have 32 lessons per week, whilst a typical 3 A level pupil has 24) as the IB course is completed roughly 6 weeks earlier. The prep workload is broadly equivalent, and varies more by subject combination than it does by route.

There are four major differences between the two routes:

IB Core Modules

Firstly, at the heart of the IB are three core modules. These are Theory of Knowledge (ToK), an Extended Essay (EE), and Creativity, Action and Service (CAS). There is no academic equivalent to these at AS/A2.

Subjects

Secondly, there is the number of subjects taken and the degree of prescription. At AS/A2 the number of subjects, or what they are, is not prescribed. Hence, whilst a typical AS/A2 pupil will take 4 subjects in the sixth form from across the entire range on offer, IB students choose six subjects from at least five of the following groups: English, another language, a humanities subject, a science, a maths course and a creative arts subject (only group 6, creative arts, is optional). Three are studied in depth as higher level subjects, and three at standard level (options are available for students who want to put an emphasis on a particular group of subjects). Consequently, the IB route creates a broader curriculum, encompassing a wide range of skills which the AS/A2 curriculum may not have. This is particularly attractive to someone who is not yet ready to narrow choices through subject specialisation. Similarly, if post 18 plans are not yet decided, the broader approach of the IB maintains access to a wider range of university options. However, the ability to take two subjects within one group, for example two sciences, makes the IB an attractive route for those who do know what they want to do, for example, medicine.

Assessment

The third difference is in assessment. All IB examinations are at the end of the course. In contrast, AS/A2 has two distinct phases; AS and A2 which may appeal more to those who prefer an incremental assessment.

Grading

Fourth, is grading. Each IB subject is graded 1(low) – 7 (high), with up to a further 3 points for the core modules. Hence, the maximum points available are 45, with 24 being required for the award of a diploma. From 2010 a pass at AS/A2 will be grades A* - E, with A* being for those who score 90% in the A2 year. It is likely that competitive universities will begin to make AS/A2 offers which include A* grades.

What’s right for me?

In summary, the two routes present a wonderful opportunity to tailor a post 16 curriculum to each individual’s strengths. The decision taken should be selfish; “what is right for me?”. There are a myriad of opportunities to be with friends who have opted for the other route outside of the classroom within the TC. Consequently, the decision focus should be wholly on each individual’s academic abilities and aspirations.

*The Morrisby Profile has established itself among careers guidance specialists and employers as one of the best and more useful psychometric tests for those wishing to decide on a career or educational path. It is a series of individual 'tests', sometimes called a test battery, which help to assess aptitude and work-related personality. Although the tests are administered in a formal manner, they are not examinations. The results from these tests provide a valuable insight into ability patterns and the sort of work environment likely to be most suited.

Pupils entering new into the Sixth Form are also offered the opportunity of taking this test.