Why am I doing the IB? Continuing our series profiling Year 12 2024
This week, Year 12 have been focused on their half yearly assessment period. The week is spent off the regular timetable, managing a series of scheduled assessments, including written examinations, presentations, oral assessments, submissions, listening and speaking tests. It is a challenging time – but then, completing a secondary credential is largely about stepping in and learning to manage challenge.
It is for this reason that the IB Diploma is a good choice for many students. I am often asked about the differences between the Diploma and the HSC, and one of the differences in which I am most interested is the fact that the IB Diploma builds in challenge: you have to do six subjects (one from each of the six subject groups), three of them at Higher Level, along with the compulsory core components (Theory of Knowledge and an independently pursued Extended Essay and a portfolio of engagement with Creative and Service related activities). That’s it. No wriggle room. Six subjects, three at Higher Level and three Core components. And this is good, because strong personal outcomes at the end of Year 12 are the result of setting up, stepping into and managing a programme of study that provides appropriate challenge.
Another question I am also asked is whether the HSC is easier … well, the HSC is more flexible and allows students more choice in how they put together their programme of study – but if they want those really strong results, they will need to build in the challenge themselves, usually including multiple extension courses, higher levels of English, courses with complexity in content. Many, many students at Trinity do just that – shape a challenging HSC programme and work very hard to meet the challenges – just as the IB builds it in.
The third question I am sometimes asked, perhaps by Year 12 students at this time of year, is why am I doing the IB? The answer is because you were willing to embrace the particular challenge this credential sets up, and you are resilient enough to see it through! This week’s profiled student from the class of ’24, Jonathan Bassily, did just that. A highly talented musician with some very significant ambition in this area, Jonathan knew he would need to make a significant step up from Year 10 to meet the challenges of the IB Diploma … and he did! My message this week is to embrace challenge. Set yourself ambitious goals and back yourself to achieve them. Choosing the IB Diploma is just one way to do this, and you can read about the way Jonathan did it here.
