International Baccalureat anyone?

I did IB at a state school, about 13 years ago. I really liked that you could keep a range of subjects as I had no idea what I wanted to do after 6th form. It is hard work. It may have changed but when I did it, it was very coursework heavy which I loved. And no exams in Year 12, only at the end.
There was only 12 of us doing IB in my 6th form, out of about 500 students, and they actually stopped offering IB a couple of years later. I had quite a few classes with only 2-3 students because of that!

It’s difficult if friendships outweigh common sense re subjects. With IB workload, will
he achieve what he needs for his aspirations re university? Are no other dc/friends wanting the grammar? This seems unlikely. 16 year olds do have strong opinions though!

It sounds like your son has two good options. As long as he understands all the implications I would be find with that.

For me the order of priority would be:

1. Friendships. Being happy at school means a lot.
2. Subject choices. How does he feel about having to drop a science? I think you can only do a maximum of 2 sciences for IB, but I might be wrong.
3. Is he willing to do the work involved in maintaining more subjects for longer?

With two languages at A level, you have time to explore all sorts of additional topics. As long as the other subject is an essay subject, it’s not necessary to do stem. If you do
mfl at university stem isn’t valued. Doing 3 subjects, of which two are languages, also gives Dc a chance against native speakers which is a huge issue regarding grades and being at university. There’s just more time for the subject.

What is the point of average Dc doing IB? They will struggle with workload and content. It makes no sense. High calibre all rounders, yes. People who need to play to their strengths, no.

My younger brother did the IB. He is super clever (went on to get a First from Cambridge and got a full academic scholarship to Harvard) but he actually found the IB hard work. He said it was much harder than A-levels (that some of his friends did).

Just curious as to why it wouldn’t suit linguists? I was a linguist who would have preferred the option of continuing with sciences/maths for example. A couple of DD’s friends are specialising in languages for their IB, with 2 or more languages at HL, no issues there with managing the programme.

I don’t see the IB being specifically for “clever” people but it does tend to suit all rounders more and yes it can be harder in terms of workload management, so a lot more self discipline is required earlier on. I know DD struggled initially in the transition from GCSE to IB, but she got to grips with it in the end and is now more organised. This will hopefully stand her in good stead for her first years at university.

Sigh. Please ignore my post. I'm an idiot. They're already teaching it!

(Still interesting logistically, mind. Sounds like a teaching nightmare)

The IB is awesome.

.....but I would be VERY wary of a school implementing it with a whole load of teachers who haven't taught it before. That basically means every teacher is inexperienced. The syllabi are much vaguer than A-levels and, in my experience (I have an MEd in International Education), rely on 'vibes'. I do think the programme is brilliant- better than A-levels, actually. But the staff won't really know what they're doing until they've taken a cohort through.

It’s not an advantage if you are not bright enough. Doing less will always give better results. If everyone did IB lots of universities would be empty. It doesn’t really suit linguists. It suits very clever people and that’s why ordinary schools don’t do it. Too few would make a success of it. HE in other countries isn’t the same as HE here.

My DD is doing IB, she is strong in STEM but continuing with English and a humanity which with A levels she would have dropped, keeps her horizons broadened. It is a lot of work but a good school will stagger it and she’s had to learn to be super organised, which will also help with the transition to university.

The IB is also aligned with European qualifications, such as the French Bac, Italian Maturità and German Arbitur where a broad range of subjects is studied to the end of your school career, leading to more well rounded students IMO.

I did A levels but had the IB been available I’d probably have opted for that, I found it hard having to give up maths and other subjects I loved in order to whittle it down to just 3. I do find the U.K. curriculum makes students specialise ridiculously early, I know that I made a few dubious choices at 14/16 that a wider qualification would have perhaps tempered. It’s fine if you already have a clear career path in mind, but for those students with no idea of what they want to study at uni continuing with more subjects can only be an advantage.

When I said there's more leeway with missed offers, what I meant was:
Uni offers AAA or 38 points including 6 in all HL and SL subjects
They're going to take the IBer who gets 3 x 6 in HL but gets 655 in SL over the A leveller who gets AAB.
That's in no way discriminatory against A level or Btec. It's just a reflection of the fact that the offers for IB can be very multifaceted and some ways of missing an offer are more serious than others. Doesn't help if the uni can fill their places with people who met every aspect of the offer though, obviously.

This is what Oxford think.

@BaconAndAvocado
The school has made a decision to offer this qualification. It’s costing them more than offering A levels, so it’s a risk. They need it to be a success. However it’s not better for stem. My DDs had time to do extra activities as well as their A levels. Not directed by IB but enjoyable things like dance and music. The EPQ helps transition from school
to uni. I’ll also attach something from Oxford uni.

As well as being a DPC I have a daughter who will start doing DP next year.
I made sure I was in a school where she would get that opportunity.

There is also Creativity, Activity and Service which gets students to try new things and make sure they are balanced.

A lot of my students have picked up a new sport because of CAS and have loved it so much they have kept doing it at university.

It really is a special part of the programme

I would also ask about specific subjects once your DS knows what he would chose eg I believe Higher Level Further Maths is considered very difficult to get a top mark.

Further Maths no longer exists.
There was a major change in Maths for the May 2021 exams onwards.

There are now two routes
Analysis and Approaches
Applications and interpretations

Both are available at Higher level and Standard level

I am a diploma programme coordinator. I believe IB DP is the best pre university course. It does make the first year of university easier. There is research to show this but also I know from former students.,

Having the breadth is good and as others have said you do 3 subjects at Higher level and 3 at standard level so there is some flexibility.

Languages are available as Language and Literature or language acquisition.
Language and literature would probably be English in the UK.
Language Acquisition is available as B (either HL or SL) for students who have some prior knowledge or ab initio for complete beginners.

Maths Higher Level is acceptable for doing Maths at university. One of my students from last year has been allowed to skip some maths courses at her university in the US.

Theory or Knowledge and Extended Essay get them thinking outside the box and this is what really helps them at university.

Yes there is work throughout the course but in most subjects there is only one major submission.

All our universities say they accept IB snd A levels. No advantage is conferred by IB. For some, A levels mean you study fewer subjects and that’s a big advantage if you are unsure about the other requirements of the IB and not being enthusiastic brings marks down. So it is not great for those who are not genuine all rounders. There’s no evidence IB confers greater flexibility regarding offers. That would clearly be unfair against stated A level offers. Or indeed BTec offers.

IB was great for my DD2 - a strong all rounder who's quite organised and efficient, hardworking but not obsessive when it came to studying. Might have been OK for my eldest, if she had done it. Forcing her to continue with maths and science would have been good for her, but not what she wanted. For DS, it would have been a disaster, because he's way too disorganised.
I think the workload, esp the coursework, might break not only the disorganised but also the kind of people that can't switch off and won't hand in something that's 'good enough' without being perfect.
Also if a maths/CS degree is your ultimate goal, it might be a risky choice, as you're up against mathematicians from countries which teach a lot more maths at an earlier age. There's a LOT of syllabus to cover. But it works well for aspiring medics, as you'll be doing a lot of the extra curricular stuff anyway, and it's good to be able to show a more rounded education.
I think the way they do English lit on the IB is way preferable to the A level course, and for foreign languages, the ab initio is a good option for less enthusiastic linguists.
I agree with PP, it can be harder to meet your uni offers (although if you do miss an offer, there is often more leeway). For someone who's definitely more interested in the maths/science side of things, the IB isn't without advantages, but A levels + EPQ will be a safer and easier bet.

Depends on the child and their strengths, weaknesses and interests.

I was pretty good at most things but IB would have still been my idea of hell on earth. I knew exactly what I wanted to do for A levels and would have hated the broader curriculum.

One of my sisters however was in floods of tears over giving certain subjects up and she'd have been ideal for the IB.

IB is well regarded by Universities- there are Higher level subject and standard level. You have to choose three (I think) at HL.
there is also an extended essay, a service aspect and a course called Theory of knowledge.
If you DS knows what he wants to do at uni then be aware if that as some courses require you study then at Higher Level. Of course that may also affect him if he doesn’t know now and decides later - and doesn’t have those subjects at HL