Right: Students from Schule Schloss Salem
intellectual, emotional and social growth of students, including learner traits such open-minded, thinker, reflective, caring and risk taker. We use these to frame our school-wide assemblies and provide a shared language for our community. By nurturing these traits we aim to develop well-rounded individuals equipped to thrive in all aspects of life.” Each of the four programmes includes an element
of self-study. “The IB has lots of valuable elements, but the independent projects really stand out,” says the International Schools of Dusseldorf ’s Sibylle Harth. “They allow students to explore their interests and take meaningful action. The PYP Exhibition allows young students to research and present on global issues, while the MYP Personal Project offers students the opportunity to create a significant self-directed project. In the IBDP, the extended essay challenges students to conduct original research. All these initiatives enhance critical thinking and cultivate an action-oriented mindset.” It is the application of ideas that many parents and
educators rate. “The IB emphasises conceptual thinking, meaning students cannot just rote learn,” says Joshua Parker of Schule Schloss Salem in Germany. “They need to develop a deeper appreciation of complex concepts and their application in new environments. This hands- on approach helps students explore not only what they know, but also what they can do with that knowledge.”
Here’s a look at the programmes in more detail:
THE PRIMARY YEARS PROGRAMME (PYP) The PYP was introduced in 1997 to create a curriculum framework for students aged between 3 and 12 and followed the introduction of the MYP in 1994. By September 2023, there were 2,275 schools – a mix of state, international and private – studying the PYP in over 127 countries. The inquiry-based programme covers six subject
areas, including maths, languages and the arts. It is organised by six trans-disciplinary themes: who we are, where we are in place and time, how we express ourselves, how the world works, how we organise ourselves and sharing the planet. The idea is to create young students who are open-minded, consider other perspectives and who question and experiment rather than learning a set of facts. Like all areas of the IB, it is a trans-disciplinary approach
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where students are taught to take responsibility for their own learning. The PYP concludes with the Exhibition where students carry out an in-depth collaborative project to show what they have learned during their primary years. This is usually shared with parents and other students as an exhibition or presentation. “The PYP is the beginning of a lifelong love of
learning,” says the IB’s Fidczuk. ”It’s a clear way to adopt the IB learner profile early on and, by starting early, students develop critical thinking skills and a curiosity about the world.”
THE MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAMME (MYP) While the PYP prepares students for the MYP, either can be studied independently. The MYP is a five-year programme for students aged 11 to 16 designed to create a link between the PYP and the IB Diploma. It is the least taught of the three IB programmes. Introduced in 1994, around 1,300 schools teach the
MYP in over 100 countries. Students study eight subject groups: their first language, an additional language, maths, humanities, sciences, technology, the arts and physical education. Like the other IB programmes, the MYP is
characterised by a holistic approach that encourages interdisciplinary learning and making connections between academic studies and real-world situations. The main criticism of the MYP is that there are no
externally-moderated exams to compare with GCSEs, which critics say does not prepare students for the rigorous IB Diploma. Instead, in the final year, students get IB-validated grades based on coursework and internal exams. In an attempt to address this, mandatory external moderation of student projects was introduced. MYP schools can also now offer non-compulsory, externally marked on-screen eAssessments.
THE IB DIPLOMA PROGRAMME (IBDP) Studied in the final two years of school, the IBDP is the original and best-known of the four IB programmes and is globally recognised by universities. It is the main alternative to the English National Curriculum’s A level qualification. Last year, just under 180,000 students received IBDP results in 159 countries compared with over 860,000 taking A levels. Although the IB is studied by fewer students, it is
increasing in popularity, particularly in international schools. The main difference is around depth versus
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