IB/AP news

By Jayne Lund
Contact Email: jaynel@isb.ac.th

  News items today:

• IB approach: Subject specific preparation for exams
• IB AP examination schedule
• Course registration
• IB Internal and External Assessments
• IB Coordinator blog
• IB Diploma Juniors Extended Essay Summer Workshop
• Calendar

IB approach reference texts

The set of these texts are available for reference in the Main Library (on the right as you enter the library).These books are written by IB examiners and provide useful advice on preparation for exams and written answers. Students wishing to purchase texts for their own use will find the URL information for the IB store on the cover of the books.

IB AP examination schedule   

The IB AP examination schedule is included in this week’s Friday communication and will also be available on the IB blog.  Students will receive individual copies next week along with a number of items necessary for the examination season.

This year ISB has 202 students taking 600 IB subject examinations (which can be two or three papers each). Additionally 25 students are registered for 30 AP examinations in 9 different subjects.  As usual there are examinations on the Thai public holiday on May 7. This year, it’s the Geography and Math HL students that will be working that day.

Please remember there are no make up days for IB or AP exams.

Course registration for 2012-13

As course registration begins students will be reminded to consider their choices carefully. Counselors have been very busy meeting with sophomores to help them with their plans. Students thinking of starting the IB diploma in August must make sure that they request Theory of Knowledge for semester 2 and check that they have the 3HL:3SL balance.

 IB Internal and External Assessments

Most external assessments are now with the examiners and the next focus is the completion and grading of internal assessments for each subject area. The scores from this grading are reported to IBO and a representative sample of the work is requested for the moderator. Moderators receive sample work from several schools and grade the work again to standardize the marking within the IB subject area. For this reason teachers may not share the final IA mark as it is not strictly the final mark until the moderators’ work is done and any necessary adjustments are made to the reported grades.

Internal and external assessments generally constitute between 20-30% of the final IB subject point score with the remainder resting with the written examinations.  Visual Arts, Dance and Theatre do not have written examinations but several pieces of assessment evidence which are used for IB grading.

IB Coordinator blog

The blog provides a single information site for IB students and parents. ISB parents can access the site through Parent Portal or https://inside.isb.ac.th/high/

IB Diploma Juniors Extended Essay Summer Workshop

June 11 –  14 2012

It may seem early to be listing an event that takes place after graduation next year but to help families with an IB Diploma Junior this reminder will be a regular feature of our Friday communications.  Attendance is mandatory for all IB Diploma juniors so they can make progress with their Extended Essay and leave with a plan for completing their first draft during the break. Students attend the workshop from 7.20 – 1.00 p.m. each day and they are supported by a group of teacher/advisors.

Work on Extended Essays begins in January/February 2012 with a late Fall deadline (TBA) for this mandatory component of the IB Diploma – a research project of 4,000 words.

Please plan accordingly to facilitate your students’ attendance.

Calendar: 2012