IB students around the world celebrate success

Today, international schools and students examinations receive their Diploma (DP) and Career-related programme (CP) results. The first cohort to have started their studies in the pandemic, they prove they are ready for the next steps in their lifelong-learning journey.

Tanglin Trust School Singapore Graduation Parade July 2022

Tanglin Trust School Graduation Parade, July 2022

Ruth Holmes

7 July 2022

Around 173,878 students worldwide are finding out how they fared over the two-year courses in the internationally recognised qualification. They are part of the biggest IB cohort ever receiving their results, up from 170,000 in 2021.An interim statistical bulletin is due from the IB Organisation in the next few weeks.

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Paying tribute to the spirit of this year’s graduating students, who began studying in 2020 during the pandemic, Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director General of the International Baccalaureate, said, “Our students have shown outstanding resilience and dedication to learning. The pandemic has thrown up challenges at almost every step of their educational journey, and yet they have overcome them. I am proud of every single one of them.”The IB also acknowledged the dedication and resilience of IB World Schools and the teachers who deliver its programmes. “Today is an incredible day for the whole IB family, and I salute everyone involved in making it this far. The character on display illustrates everything the IB stands for."

IB 2022 – adapting to change

Students’ learning around the world has continued to be affected by the variable geographic impact of the pandemic. For some, this has meant remote learning due to border closure or a change of school and location.In a statement, the IB says the “impact of the pandemic on students was deeply considered throughout the grade awarding process for the May 2022 examination session, and appropriate grade boundaries were set to account for the disruption to education. A review of results was undertaken to ensure the IB mitigated the disruption students face.”The IB’s approach this year included adjustments to learning, teaching and assessment for the May 2022 examination session. The IB also developed a procedure to award grades without written examinations as a contingency measure for circumstances preventing exam administration.

Oakham School

Among the schools announcing its results this morning was Oakham School in the Midlands. An independent day and boarding school for students aged 10-18, the Rutland school offers the IB Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme, as well as IGSE and A Levels.Despite the pandemic, its IB students this year achieved at the same high level, recording a 100% pass rate and maintaining Oakham’s consistently high average point score of 35.5.Almost three-quarters (74.1%) achieved 34 or more points, equivalent to ABB at A-level, with 16.1% of pupils achieving 40 or more points, equivalent to 4 A*s at A-level. One student achieved the maximum 45 points, putting their result in the top 1% globally.Dr Leo Dudin, Deputy Head Academic, said: “Our pupils should feel very proud of these results, especially given the challenges they have faced over the last two years. They have maintained their momentum throughout, and achieved in line with pre-pandemic levels, which is a great tribute to their positivity and determination.” Headmaster of Oakham School, Henry Price, added: “I would like to congratulate all of our IB Diploma pupils on their hard work and their success particularly given the disrupted nature of the last couple of years.“Their tenacity and good humour are admirable and they can be very proud of these results. Our IB pupils have been a key part of a fabulous year group and it was a pleasure to be able to celebrate with them and send them off in style last week. They leave with our very best wishes for the future.”

The Tanglin School, Singapore

The Tanglin Trust School in Singapore also delivered another outstanding year of results. This year’s IB cohort achieved the school's highest ever average Diploma score of 41.3 points, more than 9.3 points above the world average and 3.8 points higher than the Singapore average this year. Every student also achieved 35 points or more. Three students achieved 45 points and 11 students achieved 44 points.Craig Considine, CEO of Tanglin Trust School, commented, "Congratulations to the students and staff who have worked tremendously hard to achieve these stellar results. Creating a community of learners that nurtures and challenges in equal measure is a hallmark of a Tanglin education. “This year’s results reflect the relentless perseverance of our IB students, supported by the determination and care from our teaching, academic support and pastoral staff. I would like to convey a message of pride and admiration as we congratulate the students, their families and Team Tanglin on a fantastic effort. We wish our IB graduates all the very best for the next stage of their learning journey."