IB Diploma News

Year 13 – The first exam is in exactly 1 week!
We have spoken to Year 13 students several times now about the equipment they need for examinations.

It is important they have a pencil and rubber for their science paper 1 examinations and if they want to bring in water to the exam they must do so in a clear plastic bottle. Students should also check their calculators are working properly and that they have ball point pens (not gel pens) to write with. During the examination period we want everything to go as smoothly as possible so students can be as relaxed as they can be and not panicking about any small things. If you have any questions about IBDP exams, no matter how specific it might be, please do ask so I can help as much as I can.

Year 12

This week I delivered a workshop for parents to give an in depth explanation of the Extended Essay and the resources available. During this workshop we went through the assessment criterion and where the details of how to achieve the top marks can be found on both the Extended Essay website and in the text book. Below is the link to an explanation of the criteria (called ‘unpacking the criteria’). From here you will be able to navigate the rest of the website and find subject specific information for your son/daughter.

We would like to give more information to parents so if there is any part of the Diploma Programme you would find useful to explore as a group then please email me to let me know.

https://ibpublishing.ibo.org/extendedessay/apps/dpapp/guide.html?doc=d_0_eeyyy_gui_1602_1_e&part=6&chapter=8

Thomas Housham, Head of IB Academy

Diploma Programme Deadlines

Each week we will publish the deadlines for students so you can help support them at home. Below are the deadlines for this week and the week after the Christmas holidays. It is extremely important students stick to these as they have been carefully arranged to make the Diploma Programme manageable. Year 12 deadlines are now below also. The whole deadline calendar for Year 12 students for this academic year has been shared with them via email. They have this as an excel file so they can filter down to their subjects.

Year 12

Creativity, Activity, Service News

The Final CAS interview is an opportunity for students to discuss and reflect on their overall CAS programme.  What they found most challenging, what they learnt and what was memorable.   One of the things one particular student found difficult was finding service experiences, as for many of our students this is something new to them.  It was great to see the progression and learning that a student undergoes as they go through CAS and the discovery that service comes in many forms and does not need to be direct service to make an impact or for it to be memorable.   

There are four types of service outlined in the CAS guide; direct, indirect, advocacy and research.

Direct service

Direct service is where students engage directly with people, the environment or animals that form the target group.  We have many examples of direct service experiences with students tutoring other students, volunteering at animal shelters and Year 12 will be doing a lot of direct service during their CAS trip to Cambodia.

Indirect service

In this type of service, students participate with the recipients of the service but not in direct contact.  They will not see the community that they are supporting but will need to communicate with them so that a need is identified and actions are designed around that need.  An example of this would be a CAS project which aimed to raise awareness and funds for the charity Stepping Stones.

Advocacy

In this type of service, students become an advocate for a particular organisation or cause in attempt to raise awareness of a global issue and change people’s perceptions.   The ECO Club and CAS leaders are working at the moment to raise the awareness of our impact on the environment and to work to inspire and empower people to make small changes in their lives to work towards minimising it. 

Research

This type of service involves students to research and analyse a specific topic, often linked to a global issue and to report and share it.   For a CAS project, a group of Year 13 students chose to research different charities and the work that they did, sharing their findings on a blog.  Similarly, a student interested in animal rights, researched and shared her finds on a blog.     

Ling Coong, CAS Coordinator

Further Education

Lunchtime University Application Information Sessions

Mr Weston will be running a number of Lunchtime University Information sessions for Year 12 students in the coming weeks:

The sessions will take place at 1:15 in Room 350

Wednesday 25^th April – Applying to Universities in the UK Information Session

Wednesday 2^nd May –   European (Non-UK) University Information Session

Wednesday 9^th May – Applying to Universities in Asia Information Session

Year 13 Students – Pending University Applications

Any Year 13 students planning on making applications to universities before the end of term (or during the holidays) should let Mr Weston know in advance which universities they are planning on sending applications to, and what information, if any, the school will be required to provide (e.g. letters of recommendation, proof of attendance), to enable the HE team or School Office to provide this information to the universities in good time. Mr Weston will be available to help with personal statements, resumes and so on, as required, until the end of term.

For applicants with conditional offers from around the world, it is important that they make sure in advance how and when their offer of a place will be confirmed as processes will differ from country to country.

Replying to University offers from the UK and the USA

Students with offers from UK universities must make sure that they are replying by the relevant deadlines. If students have received all offers by 31^st March, then they must reply by 3^rd May (if their postal address is in the EU). For all other students, if they have received all offers by 5^th May, then their reply deadline is 7^th June.  Students should log in to UCAS Track to check the date by which they must respond.

If students are not sure which choices to make, they should speak to Mr Weston. Any students still deciding between the UK and elsewhere in the world should still reply to their UK offers, and can inform universities at a later date if they decide not to enroll.

If you have received offers from the USA, May 1^st is usually the deadline for accepting or declining. As well as accepting a university or college’s offer of admission, you should also let the other US universities on your list know that you won’t be attending, by sending an email to the admissions team.

Mark Weston, Head of HE Guidance

Pastoral News

As we know, next Tuesday is the last day of lessons for year 13 students.  This is a super exciting time for them as well as an anxious time as they wait for their pending exams to start.

The picnic we have arranged for next Tuesday is a way of celebrating and reflecting with each other on all the work and effort that has gone in to get the students to this point. Whether students have been at the school for 2 years, 7 years or more, I hope the students can use this time to relax, enjoy everyone’s company and laugh about the good times they have had during their time in school.  Sharing this time with not only their peers but also their form tutors, who have helped them through one of the most challenging years of school, is also a time I hope they will cherish.  I am very much looking forward to sharing my memories (and food) with the year 13s on Tuesday.

Finally, I hope the year 13 students are confident in their exams and everything goes well for them.  They have studied well up to this point and I wish them all the best. 

Angela Sharrock, Key Stage 5 coordinator