FAQ
Question 1: What are prerequisites for being an IB student in grade 11 at Carson Graham?
Carson Graham Secondary School has an application process for Diploma Programme Candidates. The application requires that students are in good academic standing in Grade 10, with a recommended overall average of 80%. In addition, students must support their applications with two sealed Teacher Recommendation Forms (one from English/Social Studies, and one from Math/Science), a Parent Questionnaire, a 250-word typed essay response to a select question, and a resume outlining extra-curricular involvement.
Students apply as per the application schedule (see Apply for DP at Carson).
Question 2: Will this program be available only to top students?
All students who meet the above-noted criteria are welcome to apply to the Diploma Programme. We believe that most of our students are able to obtain an IB Diploma if they can devote the necessary time in addition to their involvement in a wide variety of school and community activities.
Question 3: What costs are involved in the Diploma Programme?
North Vancouver School District charges parents only the DP Registration and Examination Fees set by the International Baccalaureate Organization. The fees are subject to adjustments each year, but for the May 2012 session, Diploma Candidates are charged as follows:
IB Registration Fee: $173.00 plus HST ($193.76)
IB Exam Fee (per exam): $120.00 x 6 plus HST = $806.40
As such, for a full Diploma Candidate writing the May 2012 Examinations the total cost is $1000.16.
We have broken the cost into three separate payments, and included the 2012 price adjustment passed on by IB. Students pay the Registration Fee upon acceptance into the programme. Then, the students are assessed in April of their first year, with a final assessment in October of their second year.
Throughout the two-years, students will engage in a variety of learning activities; if an activity has an additional cost, students will be asked to pay on a per-activity basis. Please note that North Vancouver School District has a policy that recognizes that the payment of fees is a hardship for some families. The NVSD encourages these families to make decisions about application to programmes based on educational reasons, not financial ones. No student will be denied participation in any program due to the inability to pay the associated fees.
Question 4: What are the requirements to obtain an IB diploma?
Students can take a variety of paths to obtain the IB Diploma. Tami Lyon, the IB Diploma Coordinator, will work with the IB Counsellor, Karen Marshall, to help each interested student plan his or her programme. Diploma students will complete internal and external assessments and exams in the six subject areas. Internal assessments are scored by Carson Graham Secondary teachers, while external exams are scored by IB examiners from around the world.
In addition to meeting the requirements of the six core subject areas, students must also meet the requirements at the core of the IB Hexagon: TOK, CAS and the EE. Please note that the May Examinations are set by IB, and the students must be available to write on the set dates.
Question 5: Do all students in the IB Diploma Programme generally earn the IB Diploma?
Around the world, approximately eighty percent of the students who participate in the IB Diploma Programme earn the IB Diploma. In Canada, approx. 87% of Diploma Candidates receive the IB Diploma, and the numbers in British Columbia are even higher; approximately 89% of B.C. Diploma Candidates earn the IB Diploma. Those candidates who do not achieve the IB Diploma will receive IB Certificates for the individual IB courses successfully completed.
Question 6: How do students benefit from obtaining an IB Diploma?
The intellectual rigour and high academic standards will prepare students for higher education and assist them in the university admissions process. Most importantly, students will gain a much deeper understanding of international affairs and diverse cultures. Additionally, colleges and universities see the program as a rigorous, university-preparatory programme, so IB students are desirable candidates for university admissions and have a higher acceptance rate to top universities.
Question 7: What is the difference between IB and AP courses?
The requirements listed above—that students take courses across a broad curriculum and that they complete the three core components—distinguish the IB Diploma Programme from the collection of individual AP courses. Generally, students in AP take courses in subject areas in which they are successful.
In IB, students will experience courses conforming to international standards across a broad, holistic curriculum. The courses and the core components will ensure that these students are well prepared regardless of where they decide to attend university, what they decide to study, and what they choose to do with their lives. Students electing to take individual IB Certificate courses instead of pursuing Diploma requirements will receive certificates for successful completion of each course studied. Many universities grant university credit (similar to AP credit). Diploma candidates often have advantages in competing for university admission and scholarships; many universities, in fact, go so far as to grant second-year status for incoming IB Diploma recipients For more specific information, please go to University Entrance.
For additional questions, please contact Tami Lyon at 604.903.3555 or |