IB Core: CAS First Interviews

At the end of Term 1, Year 12 students completed the first of three CAS interviews. Students from Sa share  their thoughts on the interview experience. 

Throughout Term 1, Year 12 students have been engaged in various projects of their choice and have reflected on their achievements and challenges. In their first CAS interview, which took the form of group discussions, they demonstrated that they are approaching their CAS programme with meaning and purpose.

A group of students decided to wrap up their discussion around the following question: “What does CAS mean to you?”

“It helps you a lot for the future as it gives you a base for your resume and a feeling of what good things you can do for other people or for the environment. It helps you for the future. If you want to do something like this, you know where to find it or where to go as now the school helps you and guides you.” (Maud)

“It is a core part of the IB Diploma Programme because it reflects so many points of the IB Learner Profile, like being Balanced; there are three different strands so trying to help yourself physically (Activity) but also mentally by creating new things (Creativity) and helping other people (Service). Because you are facing all these challenges, it allows you to become Risk-Taker. That is why CAS is such an important part of the core IB Diploma programme.” (Marika)

“CAS is a good chance to know and understand ourselves for the future.” (Anzu)

“CAS encourages you to take part in different activities and to face new challenges, which is useful in the future.” (Hyemi)

“CAS is a preparation for working in the society when we become adults since we don’t just focus on academics but we can practice the skills we will need in the future.” (Felix)

“CAS enhances our creative skills. In school, teachers educate students to increase their knowledge and foster logical thinking. Instead, IB provides CAS to help us think outside the box, and identify what we can achieve as a group to improve the environment or what we are hoping for.” (Ichiro)

“CAS is activities that you do outside your academic programme and that enhance you in other outcomes in terms of IB Learning Profile. For example, to be Risk-Taker, you have to plan for a CAS experience, to initiate that experience by collaborating with other people. It strengthens your skills in many ways. For example, your social skills.” (Bei Bei)

“Even though our school focuses on academic group work, CAS is dedicated to getting you into diverse environments in which you can work collaboratively. I can use the Halloween Fundraising Event as an example: we worked as a team, we showed commitment, we solved collaboratively the problems which we faced, we were creative, we were knowledgeable, we took risks by solving issues which we were facing for the first time. I think that collaboration is the biggest strand of CAS, which you really develop outside the academic portfolio.” (Sergey)

Congratulations to all our Year 12 students who have been engaged in lively, meaningful and rewarding CAS interviews across the Senior Studies groups.