International qualifications 2013 (pdf) - CUKAS

Appendix C – International Baccalaureate middle years programme, certificate and diploma
The IB Diploma Programme is recognised by Ofqual as an
accredited qualification. The IB is recognised by UK HEIs as
fulfilling the minimum matriculation requirements for entry. The
IB recommends that institutions make offers to applicants
based on a total points acquisition by the candidate. Offers to
IB students that are expressed in terms of gaining the Diploma
and with specific grades, usually in HL subjects, should not be
made by equating IB grades to GCE A level grades. No formal
equivalence exercise has been conducted on IB higher level
courses and A levels, therefore it is not possible to make
comparisons on the basis of any external evidence. This
approach also does not take account of, and give credit to, the
breadth of study required in the IB Diploma Programme.
The IB Diploma Programme has been awarded the following
UCAS Tariff points.
Grade
UCAS Tariff points
(2010 onwards)
45 720
44 698
43 676
42 654
41 632
40 611
39 589
38 567
37 545
36 523
35 501
34 479
33 457
32 435
31 413
30 392
29 370
28 348
27 326
26 304
25 282
24 260
International Baccalaureate (IB) Course*
Higher Level Standard Level Core requirements*
Grade Tariff Grade Tariff Grade Tariff
points points points
7 130 7 70 3 120
6 110 6 59 2 80
5 80 5 43 1 40
4 50 4 27 0 10
3 20 3 11
*Points for IB Courses came into effect for entry into higher
education from 2010 onwards.
**Students who register for an IB Diploma but do not successfully
complete all elements can achieve UCAS Tariff points from their
achievement in individual courses and the core requirements of
the Diploma curriculum (extended essay, theory of knowledge
(TOK) and creativity, action, service (CAS).
Students who register for individual IB Certificates rather than the
IB Diploma cannot collect Tariff points from the core.
IB CAREER-RELATED CERTIFICATE
Qualification Abbreviation:
IBCC
National qualifications framework level:
Level 3
Background:
The IBCC (International Baccalaureate Career-related
Certificate) is an IB programme, designed to be taken over two
years, and to complement career-related/vocational courses. It
is the school’s responsibility to determine the appropriate
career-related/vocational course that is linked to the IBCC, and
should be determined by the local context and aligned with
student needs, whether they are used to support further
studies or to assist direct employment opportunities. The IB is
not responsible for the choice and administration of the careerrelated/vocational
course offered to students; however, schools
need to ensure that the course is recognised by local, national
or international authorities, and that it is usually taken over a
two-year period.
The IBCC:
g
provides flexibility to allow for local differences
g
is relevant and creative
g
sets appropriate and achievable attainment requirements
g
encourages significant school and student input in the
curriculum and assessment
g
provides breadth and balance.
Date of first award:
May 2009
Number of units/structure:
The IBCC is a framework that consists of three key elements:
1. Candidates choose a minimum of two IB Diploma
Programme courses from any of the six Diploma groups,
at Higher Level (HL), Standard Level (SL) or a combination
of both.
2. In addition to the Diploma courses requirements, students
must also complete the IBCC core which consists of an
internally assessed Approaches to Learning course and
Community and Service programme, as well as an
internally assessed and externally moderated Reflective
Project. Students must also complete a language
development course relevant to their needs.
3. The above requirements must all be studied concurrent
with a career-related course of study.
Assessment method:
With regard to the Diploma courses, assessment in the IB
varies widely across the disciplines and includes externally
assessed multiple choice, essay, data analysis, short answer
and structured questions. In most subjects the teachers
contribute more than 20% of the marks through internal
assessment which is then moderated by external examiners.
Students are assessed on the whole course in final
examinations held at the end of the two years. The courses are
not modular. Assessment procedures are kept constantly under
review to ensure both integrity and quality. Their validation
includes, amongst other activities, question paper and marking
scheme review by external advisers, standardisation of
examiners, marking, moderation, grade awarding and
arbitration procedures, an enquiry upon results service, and
public reporting of statistics.
The Approaches to Learning and Community and Services
aspects of the IBCC are internally assessed and can take the
form of either formative or summative assessment. The
Reflective Project is internally assessed and externally
INTERNATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS 81