2022’s IB graduates realise their ambitions

This year’s crop of IB Diploma and Career Programme students received their results earlier this month. Many have their first-choice university place confirmed. Where does their IB qualification taken them?

Shot of a group of smiling university students cheering and throwing their caps outside on graduation day

Ruth Holmes

15 July 2022

Equivalent to A levels, the IB Diploma (DP) is a multi-disciplinary post-16 course of study that is both widely accepted at universities and highly regarded by university admissions officers. It designed to develop inquiring mindsets, the desire to learn and engage the whole student. The DP is the third element of four IB programmes that seek, through ages 3-19, to develop global citizenship and “inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world.”The fourth and newest programme, the IB Career-related programme (CP), combines academic subjects with students’ professional interests. It equips them with future-ready skills and prepares them to follow their career pathways.

Related reading from Relocate Global

A bumper year?

Students following the IB DP and CP pathways received their results in early July. They are the first of this year’s cohort of 18-year-olds to receive their final examination results. The publication of iGCSE, GCSE, A Level, Btec and NVQ results follows in August. Together, they are the first group to start and end their post-16 education during the pandemic.How – if at all – the pandemic impacted attainment across the board is not yet clear, which is testament to the hard work and dedication of students, teachers and schools.The IB is due to publish its first interim dataset in the next few weeks. It has also just announced it will extend its contingency for students and schools unable to sit final exams to the November 2022 session.Nevertheless, the IBO, schools and educators around the world are rightly proud of their students’ achievements. Commenting on the IB Diploma journey for this year’s cohort, Head of TASIS The American School in England, Bryan Nixon said, “We are delighted that the hard work and dedication of our students has resulted in a very good set of school and individual results.“In addition to these high scores, the real achievement for the Class of 2022 was their commitment to their learning, their service to our school community, and the attributes of being principled, open-minded, and compassionate that they displayed throughout all the opportunities they grasped and the challenges they faced.”

Transferable learning

At Impington International College in Cambridgeshire, over a third (35%) of students attained 40 points or more; the equivalent to four A*s at A Level. Highlighting the international transferability of the IB DP, Impington student Caroline achieved 44 points and is headed this autumn to Wageningen, The Netherlands, to study Natural Sciences.“I didn’t know what to expect, so I am excited that my work has paid off!” says Caroline. “This was the first year that we sat exams, as we didn’t sit our GCSEs. The small class sizes and teacher contact time at the College has helped me to really understand my subjects and made a real difference.”Also highlighting the flexibility and rigour of the IB approach and curriculum, Impington triplets Greg, Louie and Milo celebrated a triple whammy of success.Louie (41 points) is heading to the University of Birmingham to read Law while Milo, who achieved a grade 5 and grade 6 in their IB Career-related Programme (CP) studies, will be attending the same university to read English.The third of the triplets, Greg, who achieved 40 points and will be attending the University of Oxford to read History in September.“An IB education enables you to study multiple subjects and specialise later, so you become more holistic in your intellectual capacities; I would highly recommend an IB education for any student,” said Greg.Greg joins three other Impington International College students securing places at the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford. Almost every (98%) other student there has also secured their first-choice university – 36% to a Russell Group university – and will study a range of subjects, including Bioengineering, History and Mathematics.

Career focus

The IB CP also opens doors to students’ aspirations and answers employers’ calls for more career-focused learning. Leanne Gibbons, Impington International College’s Head of Sixth Form (CP), said: “The CP is a truly unique programme that blends academic learning with career-related experience, and allows our students to develop their expertise across that range in Performing Arts, Sport and Health and Social Care.“The last few years have been hard for our students and I am ecstatic that their passions have been recognised by leading providers across the UK. We can’t wait to see what they go on to achieve: whether that be performing on the West End or playing professional sport!”Commenting on her achievement of Higher Level 6 and 6 in DP subjects and predicted Distinction, Lottie, who has been offered a place at the Performers College, said: “Being a part of the Impington Performance School has further inspired me as a performer and shaped me as a person. My peers and tutors have given me the support and encouragement I’ve needed in preparation for the new journey I’m about to embark on at Performers College!”After scoring 41 points, football scholar, Luke, will be travelling to the United States later this month to commence his studies at the University of Virginia. He said: “I have been lucky to spend two years at the College and have been really happy to be part of the football team here. For me, one of the most beneficial aspects is that the College is truly international, just like in the name of the IB. I am excited to see what everybody goes on to accomplish.”