In my first post of the new academic year, I want to take the opportunity to share and discuss our IBDP results from our first cohort of students to complete the course. I am sure you will have seen the headline figures as they were shared on the BCB instagram. However, I hope to share some context about what these results mean and what we have learned from the experience.
The first thing I would like to discuss is the outcomes of our students. The data shows that 87% of our students achieved 5+ in their assessed work. This includes all exams and internal assessments. This is impressive in itself and shows the overwhelming majority of assessments were above average. However, a whopping 60% of assessed work was either 6 or 7! This is an incredible achievement. On an individual level, this meant that two of our students have gone on to study in two of Britain's most prestigious universities; the University of Durham and the University of Edinburgh. Four of our students have gone on to study in the US and having achieved highly in the IBDP are able to use their grades for additional credit at college. We also have two more students now studying in Brazil. We couldn't be more proud of our first graduates and wish them all the success in their future endeavours.
These results are the outcome of hard work and collaboration between our students and teachers. The symbiosis of this relationship is crucial for driving students toward success. The dedication of the students must be met with equal dedication of their teachers. In no way diminishing the efforts of the students, the continuous striving for improvement and refinement of delivering the course by our teachers was staggering and was of paramount importance in this achievement.
The hard work of the teachers is clearly evidenced when considering the predicted vs. awarded totals. The IBDP is a challenging and unique course both for students and teachers. From a teacher's perspective one of the many challenges comes from marking and assessing students. Unlike other courses, the IBDP is mostly assessed with assessment criteria. They are often difficult to interpret and it takes a lot of practice to meet the expectations of the IB. However, as is clear from the data our staff have worked fantastically to upskill in this area. This has been achieved through a great deal of inter and intra departmental collaboration. It takes time, dedication and patience to achieve this degree of accuracy. A round of applause and great appreciation is due to our staff.
As hard work seems to be the unintended theme of this post, it is fitting that I end upon a story of two of our students. As I have mentioned, the IBDP is extremely challenging and not all students embrace its complexities. This was the case of two of our graduates. By Christmas of the second year we were concerned that they would not achieve the 24 points necessary to receive the full diploma. Tough conversations were had with them and their families. From the start of second term, these students returned with a renewed sense of purpose. They worked tirelessly throughout the final months of the course and both achieved well and one in particular achieved beyond anything we had seen them achieve before. Although they put a lot of stress upon themselves by not putting in the effort throughout the entire course, with hard work and dedication they were able to succeed. And we couldn't be more proud of them.
