IB Diploma Curriculum

English Language and Literature HL

The English Language and Literature course aims at studying the complex and dynamic nature of language and exploring both its practical and aesthetic dimensions. The course will explore the crucial role language plays in communication, reflecting experience and shaping the world, and the roles of individuals themselves as producers of language. Throughout the course, students will explore the various ways in which language choices, text types, literary forms, and contextual elements all affect meaning. Through close analysis of various text types and literary forms, students will consider their own interpretations, as well as the critical perspectives of others, to explore how such positions are shaped by cultural belief systems and to negotiate meanings for texts. In this course, students will study a wide range of literary and non-literary texts in a variety of media. By examining communicative acts across literary form and textual type alongside appropriate secondary readings, students will investigate the nature of language itself and the ways in which it shapes and is influenced by identity and culture. Approaches to study in the course are meant to be wide-ranging and can include literary theory, sociolinguistics, media studies and critical discourse analysis among others.

Spanish Ab Initio SL

Spanish Ab Initio is a language acquisition course designed for students with no prior experience of the target language, or for those students with very limited previous exposure. At the language Ab Initio level, a student develops receptive, productive and interactive communicative skills. Students learn to communicate in the target language in familiar and unfamiliar contexts. Students understand, both aurally and in writing, simple sentences and some more complex sentences relating to the five prescribed themes and related topics. They understand simple authentic and adapted written and audio texts and related questions in the target language and express information fairly accurately, in both writing and in speech, using a range of basic vocabulary and grammatical structures. They communicate orally and respond appropriately to most questions on the five prescribed themes and related topics. Students understand and respond clearly to some information and ideas within the range of the five prescribed themes and related topics. They engage in simple conversations and use strategies to negotiate meaning and foster communication.

Mathematics: Applications and Implementation SL

The IB DP Mathematics: applications and interpretation course recognizes the increasing role that mathematics and technology play in a diverse range of fields in a data-rich world. As such, it emphasizes the meaning of mathematics in context by focusing on topics that are often used as applications or in mathematical modelling. To give this understanding a firm base, this course includes topics that are traditionally part of a pre-university mathematics course such as calculus and statistics. Students are encouraged to solve real-world problems, construct and communicate this mathematically and interpret the conclusions or generalizations. Students should expect to develop strong technology skills, and will be intellectually equipped to appreciate the links between the theoretical and the practical concepts in mathematics. All external assessments involve the use of technology. Students are also encouraged to develop the skills needed to continue their mathematical growth in other learning environments.

IB Psychology HL

Psychology is the rigorous and systematic study of mental processes and behavior. The study of behavior and mental processes requires a multidisciplinary approach and the use of a variety of research techniques. At the core of the DP psychology course is an introduction to three different approaches to understanding behavior: biological approach to understanding behavior, cognitive approach to understanding behavior, and sociocultural approach to understanding behavior. The knowledge, concepts, theories and research that have developed the understanding in these fields will be studied and critically evaluated to answer some of the questions being asked by psychologists today. Furthermore, the interaction of these approaches to studying psychology will form the basis of a holistic and integrated approach to understanding mental processes and behavior as a complex, dynamic phenomenon, allowing students to appreciate the diversity as well as the commonality between their own behavior and that of others.

Business Management HL

The business management course is designed to meet the current and future needs of students who want to develop their knowledge of business content, concepts and tools to assist with business decision making. Future employees, business leaders, entrepreneurs or social entrepreneurs need to be confident, creative and compassionate as change agents for business in an increasingly interconnected global marketplace. The business management course is designed to encourage the development of these attributes. Through the exploration of four interdisciplinary concepts – creativity, change, ethics and sustainability – this course empowers students to explore these concepts from a business perspective. Business management focuses on business functions, management processes and decision-making in contemporary contexts of strategic uncertainty. Students examine how business decisions are influenced by factors that are internal and external to an organization and how these decisions impact upon a range of internal and external stakeholders. Emphasis is placed on strategic decision-making and the operational business functions of human resource management, finance and accounts, marketing, and operations management.

Biology SL

As one of the three natural sciences in the IB Diploma Program, biology is primarily concerned with the study of life and living systems. Biologists attempt to make sense of the world through a variety of approaches and techniques, controlled experimentation and collaboration between scientists. At a time of global introspection on human activities and their impact on the world around us, developing and communicating a clear understanding of the living world has never been of greater importance than it is today. Through the study of DP biology, students are empowered to make sense of living systems through unifying themes. By providing opportunities for students to explore conceptual frameworks, they are better able to develop understanding and awareness of the living world around them. This is carried further through a study of interactions at different levels of biological organization, from molecules and cells to ecosystems and the biosphere. Integral to the student experience of the DP biology course is the learning that takes place through scientific inquiry. With an emphasis on experimental work, teachers provide students with opportunities to ask questions, design experiments, collect and analyze data, collaborate with peers, and reflect, evaluate and communicate their findings.