Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate (IB) is an educational foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It offers four programs: Primary Years Program (PYP), Middle Years Program (MYP), Diploma Program (DP), and Career-related Program (CP).
I joined the IB program in Grade 1, completing my PYP, MYP and DP in Karachi. I was also fortunate enough to study for a year and a half in Denmark, experiencing the difference in teaching methods at the PYP level. I have also interacted with students who have had the opportunity to study in the IB system in Saudi Arabia, Canada, Dubai, and Germany.
According to the International Baccalaureate Organization, IB programs "aim to do more than other curricula by developing inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who are motivated to succeed." It is different from other curricula because the IB encourages students of all ages to "think critically" and "challenge assumptions, develop independently, consider local and global contexts", and become "multilingual".
What bullshit.
The above paragraph is complete bullshit disguised by fancy terminology – and in essence that is what the IB is: bullshit. Bullshit also happens to be the key to acing the IB. I’m not saying the IB doesn’t have its own benefits, but it depends on whether or not the system is right for you.
Bullshit also happens to be the key to acing the IB.
An excessively long article (sorry), I have divided it into four sections and you may scroll to the one that suits you:
PYP
MYP
DP
Debunking IB myths
PYP
The Primary Years Program experience could go either of two ways, and it depends primarily on the school and the teachers in it. When I was in PYP, the system was an over-glorified rip off of O levels education. We studied from O level books, followed their curriculum, and had monthly exams as well as mid-terms and finals. The only difference I found was the project we were required to do in PYP 5 (Grade 5). Groups of students were given specific themes, and we had been given several months to work on creating an exhibition instead of final exams. During my time in PYP, emphasis wasn’t placed on research or presentations, rather on rote learning – which is the norm.
I strongly believe the PYP experience is highly dependent on the teaching method implied by educators. My brother’s experience five years later was vastly different from mine. By the time my brother was in PYP, most of the teachers had been replaced by those who *actually* had some knowledge about the IB and how it’s different from other systems. In contrast, I had teachers who were used to teaching O levels or Matric students and believed their sole job was to educate their students.
My brother’s primary education included a lot of research, group assignments, and presentations. Emphasis was also placed on monthly themes and concepts, reflections, and ‘learner profiles’ (another IB bullshit term no one cares about). Where his teachers made up for in fostering creativity, they lost credit for failing to educate him in basic subjects like English, Mathematics, and Science. What made the situation worse was the lack of regulation by the school administration. This resulted in batches of students being sent to high school with no foundation! My brother’s school was changed half-way through PYP due to the school’s negligence, but I did see his peers fail to cope with their studies in high school.
Where his teachers made up for in fostering creativity, they lost credit for failing to educate him in basic subjects like English, Mathematics, and Science.
When considering whether or not to enroll your child in PYP, it is imperative to check the methods of teaching being applied in the school. I’ve seen a lot of parents worry about the assignments given in PYP - already scared out of their minds that their child won't be able to cope with all of the work. It's not normal for a third grader to give professional presentations in another language! Trust the process. You're supposed to enjoy your child growing up and watching them learn new things at their own pace until Grade 9. None of this matters!
As a PYP graduate, I can assure you that the ‘rigor’ IB is known for isn’t applicable to the PYP system. As long as your child’s foundations in basic subjects is strong, that’s what matters. PYP is overrated in my opinion, and any child – regardless of their educational system – can fare well in MYP and DP IF they are enrolled in the system at the correct time.
As long as your child’s foundations in basic subjects is strong, that’s what matters.
MYP & National Required Examinations
The transition from PYP to MYP can be challenging because everything about the two systems is immensely different. By far, I found MYP to be the most different from other educational systems. It takes time for every student to get used to MYP and figure out the cheat sheet to performing well. This is why it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to not enroll your child in MYP after Grade 7.
I have seen many decent students join the MYP and due to a lack of familiarity with the system, perform horribly at first – demotivating them to even try afterwards! Most of them dropped out of the IB and sat for private O level and A level exams, which didn’t bode well for most of them. Once you go to the IB, it is very difficult to readjust in other systems – there’s no going back. Obviously not all students will face these problems, but why risk it?
This is why it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to not enroll your child in MYP after Grade 7.
The transition into MYP is very difficult due to a variety of reasons. More subjects are introduced – some of which are nonsensical flagship IB programs that you NEED to bullshit your way through, testing a student’s ability to manage their time well. With approximately 12 subjects, each of which having around two to three assignments and one bi-monthly exam, managing everything can be quite stressful. It is also difficult to grasp the concept of having written assignments for physical education (PE) while doing art and design technology projects every bi-monthly that include a lengthy process of research, design, creation, and reflection.
Due to the open-ended curriculum in MYP, where essentially the IBO can test you on anything they desire, teachers have the freedom to decide how to mark their students. This means students need the time to understand what each teacher WANTS to get the best grade. This in itself can take up to a year, and it doesn’t help if a subject teacher changes!
Another problematic aspect of MYP is that examinations are held online. And yes, these examinations include math, physics, and chemistry. Not only do you need to give examinations for your subjects, you need to appear in an exam for the ‘Interdisciplinary Unit’, create a personal project (a mini thesis), and create an online portfolio for either art, design technology, or PE. All of this must be done while making sure you are doing some type of community service every MONTH, to meet your certificate requirements. Moreover, the IB updates all of its systems every four years – which means you could be unlucky enough to have to relearn everything about your system halfway through it. It’s… a lot to take in. Trust me.
This means students need the time to understand what each teacher WANTS to get the best grade.
What makes MYP so problematic can be broken down into three categories: grading and assessments, lack of resources, and all the extra bullshit the IBO piles in.
Grading in the IB is very different from other systems. We don’t have percentages, or letter grades, no, we have multiples of 7s. There are four criteria out of 8 in each subject – A, B, C, and D (at least during my time in MYP ). These criteria represent different points in each subject and guides for the criteria are provided. I used to HATE reading the criteria because it was so boring, but through experience I can with confidence make the statement that reading the criteria will help you score higher. Each assignment given in your subjects will assess one or more of the four criteria, and at the end of the bi-monthly, the grades for each criterion will be averaged. Adding the averaged grades together for each criterion will result in your final mark. According to grade boundaries provided by the school (usually higher than IB grade boundaries), this mark will determine your point for that subject between 1 to 7. The highest number of points you can get in MYP is 56. This includes the grades you receive in English, a second language, math, one science (in which you scored the highest), art/design technology/PE, personal project, a humanities subject, and interdisciplinary unit. If you take extra subjects (which could include another science) they are mentioned on your certificate but are not used to calculate the final IB grade. Each school offers different subjects from a wide array provided by the IB.
I can with confidence make the statement that reading the subject guides & criteria will help you score higher.
The grading system is very confusing, and it takes time to understand it. My parents have seen me grow up in the IB system, and they still don’t understand it. Now picture yourself trying to explain the grade you got in your final exam to a relative. You will NEVER experience the praise from your family members for getting a 50+ score in MYP, but you will hear endlessly about your cousins getting straight As or 2 A*s. Life is unfair as an IB student.
When it comes to examinations, everything is online. You need to get used to typing essays on your laptop, the struggles of wifi not connecting in class, and typing out mathematical equations painfully online. A lot of science students are disadvantaged here, as in a lot of scenarios they know the answer to particular questions but are unable to answer them due to the lack of time as they slowly type the entire process of solving a question. In my final Extended Mathematics examination, I was unable to fully answer my last question – worth 100 marks. I knew if I had enough time, I could have answered this math investigation (yes that’s another thing I hate about MYP exams – they make you go through an entire real life scenario investigation process in your exam, which includes writing a reflection at the end of it) but I had spent so much time making sure my previous questions were perfect, I missed out. That’s the reason why I got a 5 instead of a 7.
Other than this, consider whether or not there are national education requirements in your country. For me, I had to give IGCSE examinations for Urdu, Islamiyat, and Pakistan Studies. We had extra classes for two years, and gave them in Grade 9. With the stress of MYP, trying to do additional subjects is even more of a burden. Burning out and panic attacks can happen. Time management and getting acclimatized to the system well in time is very important in order to score well.
Burning out and panic attacks can happen.
Speaking of online examinations, another problem the MYP student faces is the lack of resources available. Unlike O levels, you cannot buy cheap solved past papers for IB. The IBO is the only place to buy very expensive subject specific past examinations and their mark schemes. Teachers do have free access to past papers, but depending on the teacher, he or she may not give you access to these papers. One of the main reasons is because most teachers like to give you past paper examinations as midterm and final exams in MYP 4 and 5 (Grade 9 and 10). Sometimes, they’re just lazy and won’t go through the hassle of downloading exams for you. The exam application expires every year hence students cannot freely give them to others. Alongside past papers, there were virtually no notes or resources for MYP students when I was giving my exams. This is the reason why I created www.onymousib.com in the first place. Now, there are a couple of websites for MYP students, but again, these are nothing compared to the plethora of resources available to O level or Matric students. When students aren’t provided with enough resources to succeed, it becomes a very difficult task to prepare for final examinations – which other systems fail to recognize when justifying that the IB isn’t harder than other educational systems.
Unlike O levels, you cannot buy cheap solved past papers for IB MYP.
And lastly, the MYP is filled with bullshit. From global contexts, to learner profiles and learner outcomes in reflections, to the interdisciplinary unit, bi-monthly themes, video reflections for each subject, compulsory service, and the personal project, navigating through all of these things together can make an IB student’s journey that more daunting. Like I said before, the key to getting through the IB is by bullshitting, and when I say that I am specifically talking about this segment of the MYP. None of this is important, but it is required to graduate. Once you figure out how to bullshit your way through these things, your academic performance will improve. I won’t go into detail about the art of bullshitting in this post, but I might do one later.
So, if you are overwhelmed reading this, you’re feeling the right emotions. MYP isn’t an easy task, and PYP is nothing compared to it. If you do intend to do the MYP or make your child do the MYP, understand what you’re getting yourself into.
The IBO seems all pretty and sophisticated on the outside, but it is a complete mess on the inside. A lot of factors come into play when deciding whether or not the MYP is worth it at a particular school, but things you should definitely consider are the school administration, teachers and their grasp over the MYP (as well as previous track records), subjects offered, and whether or not the MYP is the right fit for you or your child. If an individual is doing extremely well in O levels and has enough time to fit in a couple of long term extracurricular activities, I strongly urge that person to stay in their system. The MYP offers its own benefits, including learning time management, dealing with stress, long term projects similar to theses in college, numerous research assignments and presentations, group work, creative assignments, a sense of community service, familiarity with digital devices and software, and development of all types of skills. You will never be bored and emphasis isn’t placed on rote learning, but rather grasping concepts and being able to apply them in different scenarios. As someone who has terrible memory, MYP was better suited for me than any O level system. I managed to get a score of 50/56, and I know two people in my batch who scored a 51. Just make sure you choose the right system – don’t jump into something for the name.
You will never be bored and emphasis isn’t placed on rote learning, but rather grasping concepts and being able to apply them in different scenarios.
Ah… this is already so long, and I still have to explain DP. I’m sorry, but I do hope this is somewhat informative!
DP
The grading system for DP is similar to the MYP where you can score a maximum of 7 in each subject. That’s where the similarities in grading stops. There is no defined criteria ‘A, B, C, D’ that teachers stick to, but more so your grade is based on the weightage of different assignments, exams, projects, and presentations.
The final percentage you get in each subject is then weighed against a set grading scale which is used to give you a grade between 1-7. In the DP, you take six subjects, with three at higher level (slightly harder and requiring more time) and three at the standard level. Alongside this, you need to do CAS, Theory of Knowledge (TOK), and Extended Essay (EE). The maximum mark you can get in the DP is a 45, where 42 of the marks come from the six subjects you take, and 3 of these are bonus marks depending on the combination of the letter grade you receive in TOK and EE (e.g. AA and AB = 3 marks).
CAS is a pass/fail requirement. CAS is similar to the monthly community service in MYP, where you need to meet particular learning outcomes related to Creativity, Activity, and Service every two months and write reflections about them. Some of these activities you do could be short term, for example participating in a bake sale, whereas others could be long term, e.g. joining the school rowing team. CAS can become a burden, but you need to remember to do everything in moderation and use it as an excuse to improve your college resume and work on hobbies you’re interested in. TOK is essentially a dumbed down problematic version of psychology that no one understands, and in two years time you need to do a final presentation worth 33% of your grade, and an essay worth 66% of your grade. Everything else taught doesn't matter!
CAS is a pass/fail requirement.
EE is similar to a college thesis, where you research and write an essay on a ‘new’ idea or topic under a particular subject. Being a 2020 graduate, I was affected by COVID-19 and did not have the opportunity to give exams, hence all of my grades were based on my IAs and predicted grades. I ended up receiving a 41/45 with a B in EE and a C in TOK.
As mentioned my grades were based mainly on my performance in the IAs. IAs are internal assessments and account for about 25% of your final grade. This is one aspect which makes the IB different from other systems – they let you be completely in control over a quarter of your grade. IAs are different depending on the subject, e.g. lab reports in sciences, case studies in business management, or written tasks and orals in the languages. If you haven’t learned from the class of 2020, the IAs are very important and not something you should rush through. They could make or break your final grade, quite literally.
I found DP to be more concrete in terms of the syllabus, and much more similar to A levels as compared to PYP and MYP. The course material did not particularly delve too deep into topics, but rather, covered a wide array of topics instead. I have noticed this trend throughout the IB - where it emphasizes breadth of knowledge over depth of knowledge. The exams were also on paper (which was quite a challenge getting used to after typing for so long!) and followed strict marking schemes, comparatively different from MYP. Although, it is already a known fact that with time, probably in the next 4-8 years, the DP will gradually shift towards online mediums as well. Nevertheless, the DP is very different from the MYP in several ways, and it takes a while to fully grasp how it works. The one thing that makes it literal hell for students is how time consuming it is (and you thought MYP was bad).
I found DP to be more concrete in terms of the syllabus, and much more similar to A levels as compared to PYP and MYP
One thing I clearly remember from DP is the number of panic attacks I had. It's stressful to be a teenager trying to figure out what they want to do in life and balance a perfect set of extracurriculars, study for their SATs and IELTs, fill out a dozen college applications, get well-written teacher's recommendations, and at the same time keep up grades in the DP program. AND NOT TO MENTION THE HIGHSCHOOL DRAMA. It's draining. Six subjects are a lot - and you run out of time very quickly when you're balancing it with your weekly CAS meetings, extracurriculars, extended essay work, etc.
I have to add though, that DP 1 was a lot better than DP 2. We focused more on getting the hang of what DP itself is and learning new material, without having the additional stress of college applications and working on our IAs. There was no fear of time running out or the concreteness of our actions. That in itself gave a lot of time to really just make the most of our high-school experience. Trust me when I say you won't have time in DP 2 to do these things! DP 1 is a great time to experiment (in all aspects of your life), to make new friends, to do interesting CAS experiences based on your interests, to go to cafes after school, or go on school trips. DP 1 is a transformative year - yes you have to get used to staying in school till 4 pm instead of 2:30, but you get free periods! You're allowed to eat in class, and have more say in extracurricular activities in your school. Of course the course load increases, and you will be doing other things like prepping for SATs or re-giving IGCSE exams, but DP 1 is slept-on. When you graduate, this is the year you'll look back on and remember fondly. It's the perfect time to get out of your comfort zone, to spend more time with the people you love, and to slowly take your first steps into adulthood. There won't be time in DP 2.
When you graduate, this is the year (DP 1) you'll look back on and remember fondly.
DP 2 is spent working on IAs, writing your extended essay, and essentially ensuring all of your marked components for each subject are completed all-the-while completing coursework - so it's not just learning but rather you're actively playing a part in what will be your final grade. You can't mess this up. That's pretty scary. And also, I forgot to mention, you can't waste your summer doing nothing in DP. You have to do something. In my case, I worked on my EE experiment (in physics), and I did a summer program in the US (the best choice I've ever made in my life). You have to consistently be working on CAS and EE to make sure you don't lag behind.
As a person who took three sciences, all of my free periods in the first semester were spent in the lab - conducting trials and trials and trials of experiments, and then writing them up. It's weird to be working in free periods - at least it was for me. CAS doesn't seem fun - it's a burden. You don't have time to come up with ideas and meet your advisor and coordinator but you need to make time. Of course, college applications need to be done by first week of January for most universities, so alongside finalizing IAs, you're also working on your college essays - trying to sum up who you are in 250 words and losing your shit *multiple* times. If you weren't smart about it, you would probably have to give your SAT in this semester too. That's no bueno. The second semester is usually spent going over past papers in most subjects, doing your English and French Orals (which happen Feb-March I believe), finishing up your English graded components, finalizing your TOK essay, and presenting your TOK presentation. Ideally, you should be finished with all of your graded components by mid-to-end March, and spend the next one and a half months prepping hard-core for your exams. And this doesn't mean you open up past papers for the first time and start revision in the first week of April, no. You should be looking at past papers from the start of DP 2. Practicing a little every day after coming home. It's only after you're done with everything else that you get to do hardcore practice - several past papers daily, pinpointing your weaknesses, working on them, and devising a game plan so that by the time final examinations come, you're more than ready.
You should be looking at past papers from the start of DP 2
But it is difficult to get in that mindset after you hit your all time low when the college rejections start coming in - and unless you're beyond brilliant they WILL come in. You always think you'll be the exception, but getting into your dream university isn't very likely. I'm not saying don't try, or give up before you've even begun, but don't get sucked into the typical-moving-into-my-dorm-aesthetic-ivy-league-fullride-scholarship-vibes. This is not the norm, this is the exception. But people don't talk about that. Hence you will most likely be facing the all time low around that time too. I suppose what does make it better is after you're practically done with your syllabus, you go to school to spend time with your friends and make the most of those last months you have in high-school knowing you'll be out of this hell soon enough, and go home to grind and binge-watch TV. And for some schools there are proms, and amazing graduations, and graduation rituals - of course, umm, I never really knew what that was like. Which sucks tbh. But, I highly doubt our school would have given us that. Still, it would be nice to spend more time in school with the people I grew up with, because college is very different from high school. The way you know people changes. And that's taken for granted.
But it is difficult to get in that mindset after you hit your all time low when the college rejections start coming in
All of this brings me to my next point - the school administration and faculty makes or breaks your IB DP (and MYP and PYP) experience and grade. The reason I stuck with my current school was because I knew the teachers who were going to teach me my HL subjects - mainly sciences and math - were good at it and had experience, wanted their students to succeed, and knew me personally. On the other hand my CAS coordinator did not like me from the start for no apparent reason. She wasn't good at her job, and she is one of the reasons why I have negative feelings about my DP experience. I was terrified she was going to fail me for CAS on some technicality, and so I kind of overdid CAS - so that I could appeal her decision if it came to that. I had 172 reflections, and so many experiences written down and documented alongside actually meeting my CAS advisor (who was a sweetheart) on a regular basis. This is in comparison to people she passed who had written 6 CAS reflections in two years. I'm not going to go in detail, but clearly there is something very wrong in these numbers. CAS isn't meant to be something that people don't want to do, and it isn't meant to be something that forces someone to overdo either. Rather, it's one of the best opportunities out there to build a really great extracurricular portfolio for college, and also discovering and developing your own personal skills and interests outside of academics. But when it's in the wrong hands CAS does become literal hell. And that is what happened in my case.
There are too few qualified IB teachers in the world and in most cases you will have to teach yourself a subject
Next, in DP 2, we had three English teachers. None of them lasted for more than two months. They had never taught IB English before, and in the two months they were there, they couldn't even finish reading the subject guide. I don't know why, but they fired the one capable IB English and TOK teacher in probably all of Pakistan in our final year - handing over the batons to unskilled professors they hadn't even conducted a proper background check on. This led us to teaching ourselves the subjects. We had to go to DP coordinator, reminding her about deadlines and our incomplete assignments, asking her to finalize our reading list so we could actually start working on and finishing our internal assessment components. Let that sink in. That's messed up. Again, why subject guides are important - there are too few qualified IB teachers in the world and in most cases you will have to teach yourself a subject.
Another thing I was pissed about was the lack of college guidance. Our principal was our college guidance counsellor - and while he was very accommodating in everything that he did, that wasn't his job! He wasn't up to date on the current college-application scenario and he couldn't give us what we needed, simply because there's a difference between doing two things at once, and having a professional individual who has been working on college admissions for several years. If I could go back and do things over, I would have gone to a consultancy and applied through them - regardless of the fee. I think, even if they couldn't get me into my dream school, they could have guided me to universities that matched the requirements set by me and my parents instead of just shooting in the dark. Further, they would help present my personality and extracurriculars in a way that might have helped my case. I have nothing against my principal, and I think he was very supportive and still is, but I do believe hiring the right person would have gotten ivy acceptances that year. There was potential.
And finally to sum it up in my particular case, the wrong people were given positions with the most power. That fucked it all up. If things were handled differently, our entire experience would have been different. I owe my grades to the teachers who cared and who put in their all when it came to teaching us. I'm not kidding when I say the IB DP experience depends upon the faculty. So before going for DP make sure to look into their school administration, their past record of IB grades and college acceptances (and scholarships), as well as talking to a couple of students in DP to get a better idea of the workings there. At the end of the day, it's about qualified teachers who genuinely care and want to see students do their best. There is a reason why there are so many success cases in prestigious schools - regardless of how long they've been around. They're doing something right and it all depends upon the administration.
I'm not kidding when I say the IB DP experience depends upon the faculty
So, I guess you have been warned before you sign yourself off to DP. Don't do it for the hype, do your research too. If there are no good IB DP programs in your area, you're better off doing a high-school degree (A level, FSC, etc.) from a college that does it well.
Debunking common IB myths
There are several "myths" in my opinion that people have about DP, and the IB in general. Let me put things into perspective in a rapid fire because this article is already too long.
"IB fosters critical thinking and delves into an in-depth study of each subject" - Nope! I personally believe that critical thinking is fostered in all higher level degrees. Further, the IB will help you gain superficial knowledge about a lot of things, but not detailed knowledge about particular things. That's the difference between A levels and DP; DP focuses on breadth of knowledge.
"IB allows experiential learning and offers CAS" - While this system does equip students with presentation skills, focuses on research, and allows for some fun projects in between, most of the time students would rather not have to spend so much extra energy and time doing these projects so frequently, preferring typical learning. Experiential learning isn't the BEST thing for you , trust me. It leaves you without a foundation if its excessive. And I'm also sure you can't go through all of O/A levels or other systems without doing some project or presentation. And even if you don't learn particular skills in high school, you definitely will in university. As for CAS, it depends on you - if you have the passion to keep up extracurriculars, you can do it in any system. CAS is literally just forced extracurriculars. You can do that anywhere.
"IB gives students freedom of expression that other system don't" - Hah. That's it. That's my answer. You'll be too burnt out to give a flying fuck about freedom of expression.
"IB develops research skills and a passion for learning" - Why don't we take a look at my fellow IB kids that haven't read a single book or assigned reading since Grade 6, relying solely on SparkNotes for their grade. There's a difference between what parents want and students want - parents want their kids to learn these skills, kids want to get over with their homework. Not everyone wants to learn, most people just want to pass with a decent grade.
"IB fosters independent thinking" - No <3. The IB teaches students who to bullshit well enough to convince the IBO that they're 'global citizens' and 'think independently' and are actively working on finding solutions to save the planet. The IB runs on bullshit.
"IB makes you a global citizen" - Every school, regardless of their system makes students aware of what is happening around the world. That's not an IB thing.
"IB challenges students" - Yeah, more like mentally drains children, saps the creativity out of them, leaves them nocturnal and borderline - if not fully - depressed. It challenges you, but not in the way a Rubik's cube does.
"IB improves your time management" - Depends on person to person. If you can manage your time, that's great, but if you can't the IB will leave you dead inside. Time management isn't something a program can teach you, but it's more about personal discipline.
"IB improves your chances of getting into better universities and receiving scholarship" - *screams in agony* LIES! LIES! While it helps in CERTAIN CASES if you are a GOOD STUDENT, it is not the norm. For example, if you maintain a 38+, you will find it easier getting into med school that recognizes the IB. There are fewer students applying in a country where the system isn't as popular, and the set quota will help your chances. As for scholarships, you need a minimum of 41 at a good scholarship. IB scholarships are not common, and entrance scholarships can be obtained for all systems.
"IB leads to personal growth" - *insert picture of teenager with dark circles smiling to hide the nothingness*
"IB is world-renowned" - while 40% of people may be aware the IB exists, no one knows what their grading is like. You'll never be appreciated on a good score.
So there you have it. Do it at your own peril. I'm not saying run to A levels, but know what you're in for and make the most of it. Don't let IB beat you. Good luck.
Can't end a post without the procedural GIF :)
MOOD.