Talk:International Baccalaureate/Archive 1

Spelling and usage
Okay, obviously we need some sort of consensus on spelling and usage. Spelling is less important, but we must agree on the corporate plural. I am American, so I have not been using "its"; it appears that many other contributors are European, and use "their." I can go either way, but we need to agree.

Also, is this page meant to cover the IBO, the International Baccalaureate Programme, or the Diplima Programme? Currently, it seems to be an amalgam of the three, perhaps some better definition and differentiation are needed. Cain 01:49, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC)


 * If by 'corporate plural' you're referring to collective nouns, I can't find this in the article. With regard to recent edits,you may be thinking of 'Since their founding in 1968, their rigour and high standards have ensured their wide recognition throughout the world.' &#8211; this isn't a case of a collective noun taking a plural (it would not make sense to do so), but refers to 'the programmes', which is the subject of the previous sentence to which the personal pronouns of this sentence refer. It may be better to say 'Since the IBO's founding in 1968, the rigour of its programmes and its high standards have ensured the programmes' wide recognition throughout the world.' since it was the IBO which was founded in 1968, not all its programmes. (And the spelling overall seems to be British English, which is probably quite right seeing that the IBO's exam centre is located in Cardiff and all its publications use British English.)
 * I think the article is supposed to cover the IBDP, IBMYP and IBPYP, but no one has begun to write about the other two yet. 82.192.47.203 12:10, 5 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I believe that the spelling "organisation" should also be used as it complies with International English. --Zippanova 06:25, 13 Apr 2005 (UTC)

It would be interesting to have a listing of the countries that recognise this program, or of the universities that do.

This article needs to talk about IBMYP and the primary years program as well as the diploma program. -Branddobbe 01:17, Mar 3, 2004 (UTC)

Are you sure that the 150 hours of CAS is standardized for all IB World Schools? My school required 150, but I've talked to some people who said their schools had more/less hours.


 * In reply: Yes, it is standard. The schools are probably just lying to their students. 13:25, 1 Jul 2004 (UTC)~


 * Our school told us we had to do 300 hours of CAS. I'm sure, however, that the IBO requires 150 documented hours. Gemtiger 03:12, 13 Jul 2004 (UTC)


 * 150 is the standard amount. At our school, we did 250. They said that we'd get kicked out for not doing 250, but that was probably bull. Mike H 23:00, Jul 24, 2004 (UTC)


 * It was 150 minimum at our school, College Lafleche in Quebec. You also had to have atleast 50 in each domain. Does anyone know whether this is standard across the world, or do some places let you get away with, for example, 75C, 20A, and 55S? If it's standard it should be mentioned in the article. bad_leprechaun 2:00 am, Jan 1, 2005


 * I checked the IBO site because I wanted to know if we were doing more than required some time ago and all sources indicate a 150 hour requirement for diploma candidates. M412k 20:32, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)


 * I confirm the above statement, the IBO required you to complete 150 hours of CAS. In response to bad_leprechaun's question, the requirement is to complete 50 in each but I heard that you could just do 150 in service >> though im not sure if this has changed --anitane

I put the wording in there first, but it should be more explicitly known that although IB does not have anything to do with admissions, it does factor into class placement and, to an extent, is weighed heavier than AP in certain schools. Mike H 22:58, Aug 28, 2004 (UTC)


 * IB can influence admissions to an extent, although this varies from school to school. K_R 01:38, 4 Sep 2004 (UTC)


 * Clarification: the IB diploma does not factor into admissions, since it is awarded after admission. However, participation in the Programme may improve a college applicant's chance of admission. K_R 01:47, 4 Sep 2004 (UTC)


 * Quite aware, yes. USF and UF practically cream their panties over IB students. Mike H 01:51, Sep 4, 2004 (UTC)


 * The way it worked in Quebec is that since University applications are decided on before the exams take place, final IB scores did not factor in. However, it is customary for IB coordinators at the colleges giving the program to forward "predicted scores" for each student to universities, based on consultation with teachers (their predictions are very often spot on, too). Those predictions could play a role in getting you accepted, I guess, though in very large part universities still rely on the R-score (cegep grading system in Quebec) and not IB predictions, though that may start to change in the near future (if our coordinator gets his way... ;-) bad_leprechaun 2:00 am, Jan 1, 2005

Failing one exam means not getting the diploma? I know that's false, because I got a 3 in my HL Bio exam and got the diploma. It should be noted that a 12 (is it 12?) is needed to balance out in all three of your HLs. Mike H 04:48, Oct 18, 2004 (UTC)


 * The way I understand it you must fail two criteria of the diploma to fail it. Those criteria include CAS, the Extended Essay, coursework, and passing each test. As long as you don't fail more than one test, or fail a test and fail to complete CAS or something, you're fine. Halidecyphon 19:59, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC)


 * I always thought it depended on your diploma score as well--someone with 24-27 would only be permitted one failing exam while 28 and above would allow for two failed exams. I also think that the number of HL courses you take comes into play, too... Gemtiger 06:05, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Regarding the IB diploma not factoring into admissions, I had several friends last year whose admissions into some Ive League schools were dependent upon their reception of the diploma. Generally it does not matter, but it can be a dealbreaker. --Spoeank 11:49, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC) ---

I know these aren't trivial facts, but if anyone knows of any famous persons that are diploma holders, feel free to add them. --217.210.185.147 20:37, 16 Apr 2005 (UTC)

This is fairly trivial, but someone removed the comment about "sixth area" being a common term for the Group 6 subject of the candidate- I'm not sure why, so I re-inserted it. We call it the "sixth area" at my school and I'm not the one who put that in in the first place (as far as I remember) so it is obviously a trend spanning more than one school. M412k 20:32, 19 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Should this article be divided into separate articles for the different programmes (DP, MYP & PYP)? I think it'd make a lot more sense, as the programmes don't really have much to do with each other. ulayiti 19:30, 19 May 2005 (UTC)

More than three HL's
I had a few friends who took four HL's and two SL's or maybe three SL's as well. I was curious how the scores add up in the end...obviously the standard is three HL's three SL's but then the highest you could get with the bonus points would be 45. Then again, what happens to the score if you take the above combinations? --anitane
 * Nothing. The highest possible score is still 45; no additional weight is given to HL courses. Only six courses can be counted towards the diploma: your friends who took seven IB courses took one as a certificate course. Gemtiger 21:34, 13 July 2005 (UTC)

Removal of a paragraph
I just reverted the addition of a paragraph of text by, as they were not about the IB as a whole, only about the DP. Also, the claims were incorrect, since it is quite possible to have seven subjects (and a lot of people do). - ulayiti (talk)  07:12, 15 September 2005 (UTC)
 * Perhaps you could say 6 is the minimum? HereToHelp (talk) 22:16, 4 November 2005 (UTC)
 * Yeah, but that doesn't belong into this article. See IB Diploma Programme. - ulayiti (talk)  18:30, 5 November 2005 (UTC)

OrganiZation
For international English, yes, I would say using organisation with an S is corrent. But the IBO, has been using the word "organization" with a Z for a really long time and I absolutely have no idea why. They spell "diploma program" followed by the "me".

So just use the way they spell it.

User category
I've created a user category for the Wikipedian IB population for prospective, current, former students, or anyone else involved with the IB: Category:International baccalaureate wikipedians

You can add yourself by adding to your user page.

O bli (Talk) 20:44, 14 February 2006 (UTC)

Advice for IB students
I added a page for advice for IB students so people can find tips to help them all out. Please add your own to it. R&#39;nway 23:20, 11 May 2006 (UTC)


 * I've replied to you on your user talk page about this. - ulayiti (talk)  08:48, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

The link to ibscrewed.net
I've restored the link to ibscrewed.net. This is a site by and for students of the IB to help let off some steam. It is certainly not spam. I've looked at Special:Contributions/207.6.46.209, and as the IB article is the only article they've contributed to, I believe that User:207.6.46.209 added this article in good faith. As they are a newcomer, they may not be familiar with the syntax for adding external links. Judging from the edit history, it seems like they made an attempt to fix their previous attempts at adding the link. Please also see Please do not bite the newcomers. Ae-a 08:27, 27 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Yeah, ibscrewed is quite a notable website, but the problem is that it's not relevant to the IB as a whole (which includes the Primary and Middle Years Programmes, and which this page is about). The link is already there at IB Diploma Programme where it should be.
 * It'd be nice if people (in general) who edit this article realised that it's not only about the DP - I think it's quite clearly explained there, no? - ulayiti (talk)  09:02, 27 May 2006 (UTC)
 * OK, I stand corrected. However, I still think that User:207.6.46.209 was treated too harshly. I also added an HTML comment in the External links section that warns editors that ibscrewed.net belongs to IB Diploma Programme instead of this article. Ae-a 10:23, 27 May 2006 (UTC)
 * I agree, it seems that they were just trying to add a link and didn't know how to do it properly. I've made the comment a bit more general and moved it to the top of the article. - ulayiti (talk)  10:48, 27 May 2006 (UTC)

"IB schools"
Attempted to clarify a few things – specifically, some so-called &ldquo;IB (high) schools&rdquo; offer both the MYP and the Diploma Programme, depending on the students' grade level – my own school district starts MYP in seventh grade, and DP in eleventh, for example. multima 21:23, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

IB versus AP
"Students who complete the IB diploma program typically receive less credit at major U.S. universities than those who take Advanced Placement (AP) classes. However, the course load for students in IB classes in high school is typically much greater than that for students in other advanced programs. This fact is often overlooked when students sign up for the DP since the DP is usually advertised as more rigorous and rewarding than AP, which results in many students being dissappointed when enrolling in college."

Any proof of this? And dissappointed is not spelled correctly. -_- Neil the Cellist 00:35, 9 December 2006 (UTC)


 * Some of the content moved to IBDP because it doesn't belong here. -- Peregrine AY 10:52, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Advanced Placement Program vs. the International Baccalaureate
I just found a very interesting comparison of the AP and the IB programs. I think we should include these points and maybe organize them into a table (which I sadly cannot do). Please give your opinions. Thanks, (Eddie 03:52, 25 February 2007 (UTC))

Advanced Placement Program vs. International Baccalaureate


 * Students can build up an AP profile over the course of several years. vs. Student are restricted to completing the IB diploma program during the final two years of school.
 * Students sit examinations as they complete the respective course. vs. Student write all examinations at the completion of the second year of the program.


 * Students can sample a wide variety of advanced courses. vs. Students must enroll in six two year courses, excluding other possible interests.


 * Each course combines breadth and depth in treating the subject. vs. Each course emphasizes depth of treatment, not breadth.

Is there any sort of quality assurance or value derived from this program? This article lacks any criticism of the program at all. How much does it cost? Is it functional in any way? Do any scholars criticize or applaud it?

You might want to check the talk pages of International Baccalaureate and IB Diploma Programme. - Kevin23 20:23, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Merger with "International Baccalaureate"
The IBO web site refers to itself as IB as an abbreviation. It is not clear that this article and the "International Baccalaureate" article really refer to anything different (the content is different but they are seemingly discussing the same thing). If the two articles really are referring to different things then Other thoughts? --Mcorazao 05:30, 23 April 2007 (UTC)
 * 1) That needs to be made clear because it is not now.
 * 2) One or the other article should be renamed since, as I mentioned, the organization uses both terms to refer to itself, and so they are defined to be the same thing.
 * The International Baccalaureate Programme is different than the Organization that created it. The "SAT"s and Collegeboard aren't merged, this shouldn't be either. I have removed the merge template because there is a clear misunderstanding in these two articles. Please feel free to put it back in the case where you have another counter claim. I do agree that the "International Baccalaureate" should be a disambiguation page with the IBO and IB Programme as two articles.  Dooga Talk 02:38, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

This is false. First, there is no "International Baccalaureate Programme". This does not exist. There are three separate programs that the IBO administers. "International Baccalaureate" is simply an adjective clause referring to the programs and the organization. And these three programs are the only programs the IBO administers; IB does not refer to any subcategory of the programs of the IBO. In the case of the SAT and the College Board, the College Board administers multiple programs. The SAT is a distinct subtopic because there is a lot more to the College Board than just the SAT. Similarly there are articles on the three programs that the IBO administers. The "International Baccalaureate" article is superfluous.

The point is that we should not be inventing excuses to create new articles. If two subjects can be treated as one subject without any confusion then they should be made one article. I'm reinstating the merger proposal until a better rationale can be suggested (or the merger happens).

--Mcorazao 18:20, 16 May 2007 (UTC)


 * I have merged the content from IB into IBO (it really needed to be there regardless). Have not tried to redirect IB, though, for the sake of allowing further commentary.
 * --Mcorazao 15:32, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

The International Baccalaureate Organization has much controversy surrounding the organization itself and its programs. Despite IBO's "change of logo" and alleged name change of the non-profit, it's official website as of 9/11/08 is still www.ibo.org. I have a wealth of information surrounding objections to IB in the United States, however I am unsure how much is appropriate to place on Wikipedia. ObserverNY (talk) 15:19, 11 September 2008 (UTC)ObserverNY

The BEst thing for students
THis is by far the best education for studens. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Blackcheck20 (talk • contribs) 12:06, 3 November 2008 (UTC)

Logo
Did anyone get permission from IBO to post its logo on this site? ObserverNY (talk) 14:20, 27 May 2009 (UTC)ObserverNY
 * File:IBOlogo.jpg - it's used on this article under "fair use". It shouldn't be used elsewhere on Wikipedia. ("This is a logo of an organization, item, or event, and is protected by copyright and/or trademark. It is believed that the use of low-resolution images on the English-language Wikipedia, hosted on servers in the United States by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, of logos for certain uses involving identification and critical commentary may qualify as fair use under United States copyright law.") Cheers, This flag once was redpropagandadeeds 14:25, 27 May 2009 (UTC)
 * This thread was started under the Merger... thread above, and then refactored into a new thread by This flag once was redpropagandadeeds 14:30, 27 May 2009 (UTC)