The DP Programme

Introduction

International curriculum planners seek to ensure that the organisation´s educational aims are embodied in the structure and content of the programme itself. The diploma is displayed in the shape of a hexagon with six academic areas surrounding the core. Subjects are studied concurrently and students are exposed to the two great traditions of learning - the humanities and the sciences. 

The course

Diploma candidates are required to select one subject from each of the first five subject groups and a sixth choice from any of the first 5 groups (Group 6 - Arts is currently not available at the IS Almere).  Three are taken at Higher Level (HL), the others at Standard Level (SL). HL courses represent 240 teaching hours; SL courses cover at least 150 hours. By arranging work in this fashion, students are able to explore some subjects in depth and some more broadly over the two-year period; this is a deliberate compromise between the early specialisation preferred in some national systems and the breadth found in others.

Curriculum requirements ensure that the science-oriented student is challenged to learn a foreign language and that the natural linguist becomes familiar with laboratory procedures. While overall balance is maintained, flexibility in choosing Higher Level concentrations allows the student to pursue areas of personal interest and to meet special requirements for university entrance.

Assessment

Responsibility for all academic judgments about the quality of candidates´ work rests with more than 2600 examiners worldwide, led by chief examiners with international authority.



A variety of assessment methods are used to value both the content and the process of academic achievement and to take into account different learning styles and cultural patterns.

Conventional external examination techniques (essay, short answer, multiple choice, etc.) are complemented by internal assessment of coursework by the teachers responsible for evaluating students over the two-year period. This represents at least 20% of assessment in each subject. With classroom teachers and international examiners working in partnership, the emphasis is on ensuring that students have ample opportunity to demonstrate what they know and are able to do.