
IB Africa, Europe and Middle East newsletter
The purpose of this newsletter is to share with you and with your colleagues involved in admissions, information on various matters relating to university and college applications from students who are studying for the IB Diploma Programme.
We are keen to hear your ideas on how this newsletter can meet its objectives. Please send all comments and ideas to jhm@st-and.ac.uk
Newsletter for universities in the United Kingdom
March 2006
In this edition:
- International Baccalaureate (IB) and Higher Education (HE)
- The IB basics
- How many top grades ?
- 45 points = 42 plus 3, but very distinguished 3 points
- Mathematics SL
- About the IB Research Unit and research within the International Baccalaureate
- How the IB helped me to prepare me for university
- Useful links
International Baccalaureate (IB) and Higher Education (HE)
IBO
HE
Why?
The purpose of these newsletters is to share with you and with your colleagues involved in admissions information on various matters relating to university and college applications from students who are studying for the IB Diploma Programme.
What?
We hope that these newsletters will gradually establish a dialogue between higher education admissions personnel and those in the schools who are involved in the application process for their students. To achieve this we foresee subsequent issues (two per academic year) containing contributions, questions and answers from the readership in both spheres—schools and universities.
Why the need?
As you are aware, the number of students studying the IB Diploma Programme is increasing annually. In May 2005, about 28,000 students took the diploma worldwide. About 2,000 of these were in the UK and many others from elsewhere will have applied to UK universities and colleges. Growth is of the order of 10-20 % per year. So you will receive more and more applications from students with this qualification.
We know that you have a good understanding of the IB Diploma Programme but we hope that this newsletter will inform you better especially those of you new to admissions.
Who?
The main contributors to this first issue are myself at the University of St Andrews and Jill Rutherford, the founding IB coordinator at Oakham School. (Brief details of each of us are given on the right.) We have though been greatly assisted by our colleagues in some IB World Schools and in the IB offices in Bath and Cardiff.
Submission of articles for the next issue
The next issue will be in September 2006.
If you (whether in HE or a school or just interested) would like to submit an article or a query for this edition, please email it to jhm@st-and.ac.uk
Our request to you
Please forward this newsletter to any of your colleagues who will find it of use.
Thank you for reading
John McCabe
Introducing ...
The main contributors to this first issue are John McCabe and Jill Rutherford.
John McCabe
John McCabe is a senior lecturer in mathematics at the University of St Andrews and he has been closely associated with the International Baccalaureate since 1990. This association has included periods as chief examiner for mathematics HL, chief examiner for mathematics SL (mathematical methods at the time), hexagon group five representative and six years as chair of the examining board. Please feel free to email him at jhm@st-and.ac.uk
Jill Rutherford
Jill Rutherford has a DPhil from Oxford University and she also has a long association with the International Baccalaureate. In addition to teaching on the Diploma Programme in Hong Kong, she has been the chief examiner for environmental systems, the hexagon group 4 representative and the vice chair of the examining board. She is currently based at Oakham School, where she was appointed in 2000 specifically to introduce the IB Diploma Programme into the school, a task now accomplished very successfully. Please feel free to contact her at jr@oakham.rutland.sch.uk
An invitation
If you and your colleagues would like a presentation on the IB Diploma Programme, please contact ibaem@ibo.org
