IB
Diploma Programme courses are rigorous, two-year university preparatory
courses. Students who study in the full IB Diploma Programme choose six
courses plus the core. Students must choose one course from each of the
six groups, but have the option to replace the Visual Arts course with a
second Group 3 course or a 2nd Group 4 course. BC Ministry students
may apply to study 1-3 courses for certificate. At certain
post-secondary institutions students who achieve a final score of 5, 6,
or 7 may receive university transfer credit (students must research the transfer credit policy of their
university-of-choice).
GROUP 1: STUDIES IN LANGUAGE & LITERATURE
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12. Standard Level and Higher Level options)
English A:
Language and Literature is a two-year course that introduces the critical study and interpretation of written and spoken
texts from a wide range of literary forms and non literary text-types.
The formal analysis of texts is supplemented by awareness that meaning
is not fixed but can change in respect to contexts of production and
consumption. The course is organized into three areas of exploration and seven
central concepts, and focuses on the study of both literary or
non-literary texts. Together, the three areas of exploration of the
course allow the student to explore the language A in question through
its cultural development and use, its media forms and functions, and its
literature. Students develop skills of literary and textual analysis,
and also the ability to present their ideas effectively. A key aim is
the development of critical literacy.
GROUP 2: LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
FRENCH B (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12. Standard Level and Higher Level options)
French B is a two-year course that
aims to develop the students’ linguistic competence and intercultural
understanding. The language skills developed will enable the student
to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences. Authentic materials
will be used in order to maximize the student’s exposure to the target language
and to model the appropriate use of the language in a range of situations,
contexts and, purposes while investigating a variety of themes or subjects.
French will be the main language of communication in the class between the
teacher and the student, as well as among the students themselves. This course
gives the student the opportunity to reach a high degree of competency in
French as well as a wide exposure to the international Francophone community. There
is a common syllabus at SL and HL (with literature as an additional component
of the HL course).
SPANISH B (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12. Standard Level)
Spanish B is a two-year course that
aims to develop the students’ linguistic competence and intercultural
understanding. The language skills developed will enable the student
to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences. Authentic materials
will be used in order to maximize the student’s exposure to the target language
and to model the appropriate use of the language in a range of situations,
contexts and, purposes while investigating a variety of themes or subjects.
Spanish will be the main language of communication in the class between the
teacher and the student, as well as among the students themselves. This course
gives the student the opportunity to reach a high degree of competency in
Spanish as well as a wide exposure to the international Spanish community. There
is a common syllabus at SL and HL (with literature as an additional component
of the HL course).
GROUP 3: INDIVIDUALS & SOCIETIES
GLOBAL POLITICS (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12. Standard Level and Higher Level options)
Global Politics explores political concepts such as power, equality, sustainability, and peace in a range of current and contemporary contexts. It allows students to develop an understanding of the local, national, international, and global dimensions of political activity and process, as well as to explore political issues affecting their own lives. This course helps students to understand abstract political concepts by
grounding them in real-world examples and case studies. It also invites comparison between such examples and case studies to ensure a wider and transnational perspective. The study of global politics enables students to critically engage with different and new perspectives and approaches to politics in order to comprehend the challenges of the changing world and become aware of their role in it as active global citizens. Examples of case studies that students may encounter include: power struggles in the South China Sea, Myanmar and the Rohingya crisis, nuclear North Korea, Russian annexation of Crimea, the Syrian civil war, ongoing effects of the Rwandan genocide.
DP Course Outline - Global Politics.pdf
GEOGRAPHY (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12. Standard Level and Higher Level options)
Geography answers
where and why human activities occur across the global. It is a critical study
of the human experience and the origins of cultural and economic patterns.
Throughout this two-year course, students analyze the relationship between
human activities and their impact on the environment. It also encourages the
development of international awareness by examining contemporary issues such as
poverty, sustainability and resource consumption. As the course progresses,
students deepen their understanding of the challenges the world faces by
exploring themes such as urbanization and the uneven access to health and food.
Students who choose the Higher Level option continue their studies by examining
global interactions: our place in a complex and shrinking world. While thinking
globally, students act locally to build an awareness of their own responsibility
to their community. Supporting this, the fieldwork component of the course will
be on a local scale where students collect and analyze data then present their
work in a written report.
BIOLOGY (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12. Standard Level and Higher Level options)
IB Biology is a two-year course of study designed to provide students with an
understanding of the important underlying biological themes through a focus on
acquiring a body of factual knowledge. Four basic biological concepts run
through this body of knowledge: the relationship between structure and
function; the theme of universality versus diversity; the occurrence of
equilibrium within living and non-living systems; and, evolution as an
underlying concept for understanding life on Earth. Students will become
knowledgeable about the ideas and concepts fundamental to biology and will be
challenged to think about how biology and emerging biological technologies
exist within a global context.
Laboratory work forms an integral part of the course.
DP Course Outline - Biology.pdf
CHEMISTRY (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12. Standard Level and Higher Level options)
IB Chemistry is an experimental science that
combines academic study with the acquisition and development of practical and
investigational skills. This two-year course aims to balance the needs of a
content-oriented syllabus with the development of the critical-thinking skills
required by the experimental scientist. The course reflects the need to ensure
that the qualifications will be met for students wishing to enter university
study in the sciences; it will also develop students’ investigational skills in
the use of the scientific method, involving the formation, testing and
modification of a hypothesis through observation and measurement, under the
controlled conditions of an experiment. The course will also allow students to
develop their problem-solving and analytical skills, as well as provide
opportunities for students to become more aware of the moral, ethical, social,
economic and environmental implications of using science and technology.
Laboratory work forms an integral part of the
course.
DP Course Outline - Chemistry.pdf
PHYSICS (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12. Standard Level and Higher Level options)
The purpose of
this two-year course is to provide students with an understanding of both the
theoretical and practical nature of physics and to increase facility in the use
of mathematics, which is the language of physics. This course will provide
students with the opportunity to explore physics as it was developed
historically from about Galileo’s time up to the present. A key objective is to
challenge students to think about how physical principles have been applied to
construct and alter the material world to suit our needs. This raises the issue
of the impact of physics on society, the moral and ethical dilemmas, and the
social, economic and environmental implications of the work of physicists.
These concerns have become more prominent as our power over the environment has
grown. Students will also explore the international context within which physics
exists and examine issues from more than one side.
Laboratory work forms an integral part of this course.
DP Course Outline - Physics.pdf
MATHEMATICS: ANALYSIS & APPROACHES (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12. Standard Level)
IB Mathematics Analysis & Approaches contains a broad range of mathematical concepts and caters to
students who anticipate a need for a sound mathematical background in
preparation for future studies in subjects that have significant mathematical
content, such as chemistry, economics, geography, psychology and business
administration. The nature of the subject is such that the curriculum focuses
on the introduction of important mathematical concepts through the development
of mathematical techniques. The majority of concepts are included because they
underpin important mathematical processes. In many cases, concepts are included
because they are essential to any further study in mathematics. Students taking
this course are expected to possess a ready knowledge of basic concepts and to
be equipped with the skills needed to apply mathematical techniques
correctly. Students who choose the HL
option in mathematics will delve deeper into complex mathematical problems and
topics such as matrices, vectors, statistics and calculus.
DP Course Outline - Math AA.pdf
MATHEMATICS: APPLICATIONS & INTERPRETATION (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12. Standard Level)
IB Mathematics Applications & Interpretation places an emphasis on
analytical approaches to mathematics. The largest section of the course is statistical
techniques. It is designed for students with varied mathematical backgrounds
and abilities. It offers students opportunities to learn important concepts and
techniques and to gain an understanding of a wide variety of mathematical
topics. It prepares students to be able to solve problems in a
variety of settings, to develop more sophisticated mathematical reasoning and
to enhance their critical thinking. Its intent is to allow students to
learn through inquiry and investigation. The
individual project is an extended piece of work based on personal research
involving the collection, analysis and evaluation of data. Students taking this
course are well prepared for a career in social sciences, humanities, languages
or arts.
DP Course Outline - Math AI.pdf
VISUAL ARTS (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12. Standard Level and Higher Level options)
The impulse to
make art is common to all people. From earliest times, human beings have
displayed a fundamental need to create and communicate personal and cultural
meaning through art. The process involved in the study and production of visual
arts is central to developing capable, inquiring and knowledgeable young
people, and encourages students to locate their ideas within international
contexts. Engagement in the arts promotes a sense of identity and makes a
unique contribution to the lifelong learning of each student. Study of visual
arts provides students with the opportunity to develop a critical and intensely
personal view of themselves in relation to the world (IBO).
IB Visual Arts 11
and 12 is a two-year course where the students work with a variety of materials
and concepts, exploring their own art making practice and developing an
understanding of other art forms and artists. Emphasis will be on expanding
student understanding of communication in the arts, developing a body of
work that is personally meaningful and understanding how art production reflects
both their own and others’ worlds, ideas and experiences. A sketchbook is
mandatory for recording ideas, process work, art criticism, visual
explorations, as well as the further development of technical skills. Field
trips to galleries and/or artists’ studios are a part of the curriculum.
DP Course Outline - Visual Arts.pdf
THE DIPLOMA PROGRAMME CORE
CREATIVITY,
ACTIVITY AND SERVICE (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12.)
Creativity Activity Service (CAS) is the heart of the IB Diploma Programme.
CAS enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development
through experimental learning from September of Year 1 to March of Year
2. In CAS, Creativity encompasses participation in the fine and
performing arts, as well as other experiences that involve creative thinking; Activity
involves physical exertion that contributes to a healthy lifestyle; and Service
and service learning encompasses the unpaid, voluntary efforts that have
benefits for both the student and others. This core component provides an
important counterbalance to the academic requirements of the Diploma Programme,
as a strong CAS programme should be both challenging and enjoyable; CAS is
a personal journey of self-discovery.
CAS is available
only to Diploma Programme candidates.
EXTENDED
ESSAY (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12.)
The Extended
Essay is a core component of the IB Diploma; it is an in-depth study of a
focused topic chosen from one of the student’s six chosen Diploma
Programme. It is intended to promote high-level research and writing
skills, intellectual discovery and creativity. It provides students with
an opportunity to engage in personal research in a topic of their own choice,
under the guidance of a supervisor (a teacher in the school). This leads
to a major piece of formally presented, structured writing of approximately
4,000 words, in which ideas and findings are communicated in a reasoned and
coherent manner, appropriate to the subject chosen. The extended essay is
externally assessed by examiners around the world using common and subject
specific criteria.
The
Extended Essay is available only to Diploma Programme candidates.
THEORY OF KNOWLEDGE (4 credits per year. Grades 11 & 12.)
Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is a two-year course that is central to the
philosophy of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme; it is a core
requirement for all Diploma candidates. In the TOK classroom, emphasis is
placed not on what one knows, but on how one knows, and on the role that
knowledge plays in an increasingly global and technological society. Both
students and their teacher must be willing to reflect critically on the diverse
ways of knowing (perception, language, emotion and reason) and on the varied
but interconnected areas of knowledge (Mathematics, Natural Science, Human
Sciences, the Arts, History, and Ethics). With thoughtful inquiry as its
foundation, TOK is composed almost entirely of questions, both ageless
questions on which thinkers have been reflecting for centuries, and new ones,
often challenging to accepted belief, which are posed by contemporary life. A
specific aim of TOK is to enable students to appreciate the multiplicity of
cultural and historical perspectives and to challenge and broaden their global
understanding.
DP Course Outline - Core.pdf
