DPCN Sep 2011 English - IB Documents › IB DOCUMENTS... · Coordinator’s notes Diploma Programme Diploma Programme coordinator’s notes Published four times a year for Diploma

Coordinator’snotesDiplomaProgramme

Diploma Programme coordinator’s notesPublishedfourtimesayearforDiplomaProgrammeschoolsbytheInternationalBaccalaureateCurriculumandAssessmentCentre,PetersonHouse,MalthouseAvenue,CardiffGate,Cardiff,WalesGBCF238GL.

Phone:+442920547777Fax:+442920547778

IB answers team: UK:+442920547740Singapore:+6565795055US:+13012023025Email:[email protected]

Sales and marketing department: Phone:+442920547746Fax:+442920547779Email:[email protected]

AvailableonIBIS(http://ibis.ibo.org)andontheonlinecurriculumcentre(http://occ.ibo.org)

In this issue:

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InformationforDiplomaProgrammecoordinatorsandteachers

September2011

©InternationalBaccalaureateOrganization2011 1

DiplomaProgramme

In this issue:General• ChangestoDiplomaProgramme(DP)

terminologyfromSeptember2011• Germanasaresponselanguage• ApproachestolearningintheDP• DPcoursesonline• Newpublication:languageandlearning

inIBprogrammes• Form G2:teachercomments

on examinations• Examinerrecruitment• OpportunitiesforcontributingtotheIB’s

globalengagement• Professionaldevelopment• Researchupdate• NewpublicationsfromIBPublishing• TheIBgrant

Groups 1 and 2: Languages• Groups1and2:completionof

curriculumreview• NewlyavailablelanguagesforlanguageA:

literature• Specialrequestlanguages• Earlysessioncandidates• E-coursework• School-supportedself-taughtlanguagesA:

literature• Classicallanguages

Group 3: Individuals and societies• History:remindertohistoryteachers

regardingthenewcurriculum• Philosophy• Socialandculturalanthropology

Group 5: Mathematics and computer science• Mathematics• Computerscience

Group 6: The arts• Film

Hexagon core• Extendedessaypublications• Worldstudiesextendedessay• Extendedessaycurriculumreview• Extendedessaysubjectreports• Practicalworkforextendedessays• CASstatusofstudents• CAScurriculumreview• TOKessays• School-basedsyllabuses(SBS):available

subjects

The Diploma Programme curriculum review schedule

Continuedonpage2

General

Changes to Diploma Programme (DP) terminology from September 2011TheIBwouldliketocommunicateanumberofchangesandclarificationsto important Diploma Programme (DP) terminology beginning inSeptember2011.

InmanyIBWorldSchoolstherearestudentswhosit foroneormoreDPsubjectsbutchoosenottotakethe“full”DP(withsixsubjectsandthreecoreelements).Thecommonlyusednameforsuchastudenthasbeena“certificatestudent”inschoolsor“certificatecandidate”atpointofregistrationwiththeIB.FromcoursesstartinginSeptember2011(assessedin2013)wewouldlikeIBWorldSchoolstoreferalwaystosuchsubjectsasDiplomaProgramme(DP)coursesandthestudentsasDiplomaProgramme(DP)coursesstudents.Thisbecomesevenmoreimportantin2012–14whentheDPcoreelements(theoryofknowledge(TOK);creativity,action,service(CAS);andextendedessay)becomeavailabletoallstudentsasindividualcoursestoo.Further,itisthetermusedforstudentswhotakeDPcoursesonline.

Thereasonforremovingtheterm“certificatestudent”fromcommonusageisthatthisisnottheactualawardgranted.AstudentsuccessfullygainingthefullIBdiplomaisawarded“TheDiplomaoftheInternationalBaccalaureate”(anitemwhichstudentsframeforposterity)andtheir“DiplomaProgramme(DP) results” (adocumentthat lists theirsubjectsandoverallscores). InthecaseofastudentwhositsexaminationsforoneormoreDPcoursesbutchoosesnottotakethefullDP,orastudentwhohasattemptedafulldiplomawithpartialsuccess,receivesthe“DiplomaProgramme(DP)CoursesResults”.Noneoftheseawardsareformallycalleda“certificate”.

2 ©InternationalBaccalaureateOrganization2011

DiplomaProgrammeCoordinator’snotes,September2011

Fromnowontheonlycertificateavailableto16-to19-year-oldstudentsisthenew“InternationalBaccalaureateCareer-relatedCertificate”(IBCC).

Some further changes in DP terminology should also benoted.

1. Thedefinitionofabilingualdiplomaischangingin2011–13andwillnolongerincludeanextendedessayinasecondlanguage.Ingroup1,3and4subjectstakeninasecondlanguage,therewillbeaneedtoreachasatisfactorygradetoattainthebilingualdiploma(Forfurtherinformation,seetheonlinecurriculumcentre(OCC).

2. Group1coursespresentlycalled“languageA1”willnowbeknownas“studiesinlanguageandliterature”todescribethenewrangeofthreegroup1coursesmoreaccurately.

3. Group 2 courses presently called “second language”will now be more accurately described as “languageacquisition”.

4. Finally, subjects covering requirements for more thanonegroup,presentlycalled“transdisciplinarysubjects”(environmentalsystemsandsocietiesingroups3and4andfrom2011–13, literatureandperformancecoveringgroups 1 and 6) will be more appropriately termed“interdisciplinarysubjects”.

Wehopethatover time,wewillallgetusedtousingthecorrectterms intheDPandweappreciateyourefforts inadoptingthenewclearerandmoreaccurateterminology.Thenewhexagonmodelcanbedownloadedfromthe IBwebsite (https://www.ibo.org/communications/schools/downloads/curriculummodels.cfm).

German as a response languageSince2004theIBhasofferedGermanasaresponselanguagein biology HL and SL , history SL and HL (Aspects of theHistoryofEuropeandtheMiddleEast),extendedessaysinbiologyandhistoryandTOKtoalimitednumberofschoolsasaclosedpilot.

Asofthe2013examinations,itwillbepossibleforallschoolstoregistercandidatesinGermanforthesesubjectswithoutpriorpermissionfromtheIB.

Approaches to learning in the DPTheDPdevelopmentteam,basedinournewglobalcentrein The Hague, are formally starting a new curriculumproject “Approaches to learning in the DP” which wasbacked last year by the programme committees afterinitialproposals.ToimprovealignmentsacrossthethreeIB programmes and begin to view how teachers andstudentsshouldmosteffectivelyapproachthechallengesof theDP in itsentiretyover twoyears,wewishtogiveschools greater support, advice and dynamic materialsto meet the need for such an integrated, holistic view

of learning. Since announcing this initiative DP schoolshavealreadybeensharingtheirownprojectsinthisareawith us and the curriculum development team will belookingtocapturemoreschools’expertise.To thisend,weinviteapplicantsfromexperiencedIBschoolswithaninterestindevelopingthisprojectwithustoapply.Thoseinterested in participating virtually and in face-to-facemeetings should send a CV and write a letter outliningtheirexperience,sayinghowtheywouldcontributetotheinitiative.SendyourapplicationtotheHeadofDiplomaProgrammeDevelopment,Mr.AndrewAtkinson,attheIBinTheHagueorbyemail([email protected]).Thedeadlineforapplicationsis10October2011.

DP courses onlineSchools are reminded that students and schools havenew online learning opportunities through the additionof filmSL,philosophySL,andMandarinab initio. Coursesrevised to meet new subject guides for September 2011includeeconomicsSL,economicsHL,andSpanishabinitio.StudentsmayalsoregisterformathsHL,ITGSSLandHL,andpsychologySL.AllcoursesareapprovedbytheIBandhavebeendevelopedincollaborationwithPamojaEducation.

DPcoordinators,pleasenotethatstudentstakingDPcoursesonlinemaynowberegistereddirectlyonIBIS.Detailsonhowtodothiswillbesenttoyouonceyouhavestudentsenrolledinonlinecourses.

New publication: language and learning in IB programmesCombining earlier publications (Learning in a language other than a mother tongue; Guidelines to developing a school language policy)with recentdevelopments in the fieldoflanguageand learning,thisnewdocumentproposesthatmultilingualismisafact,aright,andaresourceinIBschools.Theevolutionoftheconceptofmultilingualismisexplainedaswellastheimplicationsforpedagogyandwholeschoolprofessionaldevelopmentthroughtheimplementationofaschoollanguagepolicy.WehopethisconcisepaperwillbeofusetoDPstaffinallsubjects.

Form G2: teacher comments on examinationsManythankstothoseIBcoordinatorsandteacherswhoraisedtheprofileof thenewstyleForm G2: teacher’scommentsonexaminationsformforthisMay’ssession.Wehaveseena substantial increase in the number of forms returnedwhichensuredthatgradeawardingwascarriedoutinfullconfidencethattheviewsofteachershadbeentakenintoaccount.PleasecancoordinatorsatschoolstakingpartinthisNovember’ssessionmaintainthisimpetusandencourageallteacherstocompleteformsfortheirsubjects.Thenewformsarequickerforteacherstocompleteasthereisonlyoneformpersubjectratherthanoneformperexaminationpaper.

Continuedfrompage1



Examiner recruitmentWewouldliketothankallcoordinatorsfortheirsupportinencouragingcolleaguestoapplytobecomeanexaminerfortheIBpriortotheMay2011examinationperiod.

WearecurrentlyrecruitingexaminersinpreparationfortheMay2012examinationsession.Allapplicationscurrentlyonfilewillcontinuetobeprocessed.However,asthecandidaturelevelsfortheDPcontinuetogrowweareactivelylookingtorecruitexaminersforallDPsubjects.Weareparticularlyinterestedinreceivingapplicationsforthesubjectslistedbelow.

• Economics

• EnglishA1

• History

• Philosophy

• Psychology

• Theoryofknowledge

• Visualarts

WeareespeciallykeentoreceiveapplicationsfromapplicantswhoareabletoexamineinSpanishorFrench.

Successfulapplicantswillreceiveinvaluable training in a mentored online environment topreparethemfortheirnewrole.Allapplicantsmusthaveaccesstoemailandtheinternet in an environment that is suitable for markingexaminationmaterial.

More information on the requirements to become anexaminercanbefoundintheexaminerrecruitmentpolicyontheIBpublicwebsite(http://www.ibo.org/examiners).Theapplicationformcanalsobefoundonthesite.

Completedapplication formsshouldbesubmittedtotheOnline Examiner Training and Recruitment department,quotingthereference“CnotesSept11”[email protected].

Opportunities for contributing to the IB’s global engagementIn April 2007, the IB community theme—“Sharing ourhumanity”—broughttogetherIBWorldSchoolstoexploresixkeyglobalissues.Lastyear,asthecommunitythemeended,theproject’sscopeexpandedandnowcontinueswithamoreopen-endedcommitmenttoglobalengagement.

The IB’s “Global Engage” website (http://globalengage.ibo.org) supports members of the IB community, andparticularly teachers, in engaging with global challengesinan increasingly interconnectedworld.On thesite,youwill find information, resources, ideasandopinions, links,andsuggestionsforprincipledaction—aswellasreportsofactionsandexchangesofservice.

HerearesomewaysIBWorldSchools, includingindividualteachersandservicecoordinators,canexerciseleadershipandbuildcapacitiesforcollaboratinglocallyandglobally.

Thesecontributionsshowour fidelity in “developingandpromotinginternational-mindednessandallattributesoftheIBlearnerprofileacrosstheschoolcommunity”(Programme standards and practices 2010,StandardA.4).

• Registertoparticipatein“GlobalEngage”andshareyourschool’sstoriesaboutengagingwithglobalchallenges:PYPexhibitions,MYPcommunityandserviceprojects,CASactivities,otherstudent-initiatedaction,school-widedaysandprogrammes.Photos,videos,andpresentationswelcome!

• Reviewthewiderangeofresourcesavailable, includinglinkstomanyqualityorganizationsthatprovideclassroom-ready learning engagements and student-friendlymaterials.Ifthere’saresourcethatyouuseregularly,senditintoshare!

• ReviewtheIBGlobalLessonsavailableforWorldHealthDay and Earth Day (April), International Day of Peace(September),andtheInternationalDayfortheEradicationof Poverty (October). When planning your curriculum,considerhowthesechallengesmightprovidepowerfulcontextsforlearning.

• ApplyforopportunitiestocontributetofutureIBgloballessons. Creative, passionate teachers can help todeveloplessonsandunitplanstosharewiththeentireIBcommunity.NewcurriculumplanningdocumentswillbekeyedtointernationaldaysfeaturedontheIB“GlobalEngage”calendar(availableinlate2011).

• Contributeashortfeaturetohighlightyourschool’sglobalengagementthatcanappearinafutureissueofIB World.

• Nominateyourschooltobepartofourworkinbuildingcasestudiesingoodpracticeforglobalengagement.Whatareyoudoingwell?What lessonshaveyoulearnedthehardway?HowcanotherIBWorldSchoolsbenefitfromyourexperience?Howhastheirengagementwithglobalchallengeschangedstudentsandteachersatyourschool?

Tojoininthisimportantwork,contactthe“GlobalEngage”team([email protected]).

IBPublishingarecurrentlydevelopingaGlobalEngageActionCalendarwithRobertHarrison,theCurriculumManagerwholeads the “Global Engage” website. The calendar aims tomakeglobalchallengesavisiblepartoftheclassroom.MoreinformationisavailableontheIBstore:

http://store.ibo.org/pages.php?page=ai_globalexchangecalendar

Professional developmentNew subject seminars (NSS) to support new DP coursesNSSareuniquecategory1workshopsdesignedtolauncha new mainstream subject that has only previouslybeen on offer as a pilot course. It is equally relevant toeducatorswhoareasnewtoteachinganIBcourseinanexistingIBWorldSchool,asthosefromaschoolpreparing



for authorization to become an IB World School. Morespecificallythegoalsare:

• toprovideanunderstandingofthephilosophyoftheIB

• toexploretheIBstandardsandpracticesappropriatetotheroleofasubjectteacher

• toprovideanunderstandingofthesignificanceoftheDPhexagon

• todiscusssubject-specificcourserequirements,includinginternalandexternalassessment

• todevelopacourseoutlinethatsupportsIBpedagogy.

In2012therewillbenewsubjectseminarsforthefollowingsubject:

• Sports,exerciseandhealthscience

The new subject guides are for first teaching September2012,firstexaminationsMay2014. TheywillbepublishedinDecember2011ontheOCCathttp://occ.ibo.org/ibis/occ/guest/home.cfm.NSSwillbeavailablefromFebruary2012onwardsatIBregionalworkshops.

PleasegotoIBworkshopsandconferencesathttp://www.ibo.org/events/workshops.cfm to find suitable dates andlocations.

Research updateTheIBresearchteamispleasedtoannouncenewstudiesonthepost-secondaryachievementofIBstudentsreleasedthusfarin2011.Whilethestudieslookedatuniversityandcollegeperformance in the US and UK, the students themselvescomefromIBschoolsaroundtheworld.Findings indicateveryencouragingpatternsofhighereducationenrolment,performance, and graduation, as well as post-universityachievement.ThesestudiesjoinagrowingbodyofevidencesupportingtheDP.

SRIInternational,anindependentresearchinstitute,lookedat the college enrolment, performance and graduationratesofDPstudents,andfoundthatthemajorityofthemenroldirectlyina“somewhatselective”or“moreselective”4-year institution,andgenerallygraduateathigher ratesthan institutionaland theUSnationalaverages.TheUK’sHigherEducationStatisticsAgency(HESA)producedareporton IB students studying at Higher Education Institutions(HEIs)intheUK.ThereportcomparesIBstudentswiththoseholdingA-levelsandsimilarqualifications.FindingsindicatethatIBstudentsweremorelikelytobeenrolledatatop20HEI,achievefirst-classhonorsandtoleavewithanawardinmostsubjectareas,goontofurtherstudyafteruniversity,andbeemployedingraduateleveljobsandinhigher-paidoccupations.TheConsortiumofChicagoSchoolResearchattheUniversityofChicagohasrecentlyprovidedtheIBwithastudywhichexamines theDP’s role inprovidingbetteracademicpathwaysforminorityandlow-incomestudentsintheChicagopublicschool(CPS)system.Findingssuggestthat

oftheCPSgraduateswiththeacademicbackgroundneededforaccesstotheDP,IBstudentsarestillmorelikelytopersisttwoyearsinafour-yearcollege,evenwhencontrollingfordemographicandsocio-economiccharacteristicsandprioracademicachievement.

Theresearchteamwouldalsoliketoalertyoutoanumberofnewpositionpapersandresearcharticleson,TOK,andglobalcitizenshipnowavailableontheOCC.ThedeadlineforthenextroundofJeffThompsonResearchAwardapplicationsis31October.

Toreadmoreonthesestudiesandothers,pleasevisitthebrandnewIBResearchProgrammeValidationStudiespages:http://www.ibo.org/research/policy/programmevalidation/.Formore informationon,orquestionsabout, IBresearch,pleasecontact:[email protected].

New publications from IB PublishingExamination paper and markscheme pack: May 2011 examination session

CD-ROM UK£109/US$185.30• This network-licensed CD-ROM features the May 2011

sessionexaminationpapersandmarkschemesforallsixDPsubjectgroups.

• TheCD-ROMfortheNovember2011examinationsessionwillbeavailableinFebruary2012.YoumightwanttosignupforanewproductalertontheIBstoresowecanemailyouwhenitisavailable.

• Examinationpaperandmarkschemepacksfrompreviousexaminationsessions(since1999)arealsoavailablefromthe IBstore.Allpre-2007examinationCD-ROMsareonsale,withupto50%off.

Journeys in Implementation: Proven Strategies from IB World Schools

UK£24.99/US$39.54EditedbyIsabelMachinandiarena

Thisisanexcellentresourceforschoolsthatareconsideringany of the IB programmes or are going through theimplementationprocess.

Overview:

An assortment of IB World Schools share their journeysin implementing the IB programmes, documenting theirstrategiesfordealingwithvariouschallenges,including:

• gettinginternalandexternalstakeholdersonboard

• integratingtheIBandnationalstandards

• fundingtheprogrammes.

Eachstoryincludesinspiringphotosandtestimonialsfromtheschoolcommunitythat illustratearangeof ideasandinsightsfor“makingtheIBhappen”.



Coming soon:IB Prepared series History—March2012

Extended Essay Writing (Spanish)—March2012

Geography SLand HL—March2012

Psychology SLand HL—April2012

ForafulllistoftheIB Preparedseries,pleasevisittheIBstore(http://store.ibo.org).

IB Questionbank series:Design Technology (1st edition)—January2012

Biology (3rd edition)—January2012

Chemistry (3rd edition)—January2012

Physics (3rd edition)—January2012

Mathematics (3rd edition)—February2012

Philosophy (1st edition)—March2012

Course Companions series from OUPMathematicalStudiesSL—January2012

MathematicsSL—January2012

MathematicsHL—February2012

Fora full listof theCourse Companionsavailable,visit theOUPwebsite.Youcanalsodownloadsamplepages.Recentreleases include: Economics (2nd edition); History of the Americas; Geography; English A Literature and Language;English A Literature;French B;Spanish B.

Did you know…?• YoucanfollowournewsandreviewsonTwitter@ibstore

• Youcanpostfeedback,completesurveysorsimplyreadnewsandreviewsontheIBstorenewsblog(http://blogs.ibo.org/ibstore/).

• YoucansignuptoreceiveanemailwhenanewpublicationisreleasedonthenewpublicationalertsontheIBstore(http://store.ibo.org).YoucanalsosignuptoreceivethequarterlyIBstoree-newsletteronthesamepage.

• Youcansendideasfornewpublicationsto:[email protected].

Contactus:Phone:+44(0)2020547746

Email:[email protected]

Pleasenote:AllpricesandpublicationdatesareaccurateasofJune2011butaresubjecttochange.PleasevisittheIBstoreforthelatestinformation.

The IB grantThe IB grant provides short-term grants for schoolsexperiencing financial challenges or wanting to increaseaccesstoIBprogrammes.

Who can apply?This fund offers grants to schools in the following twocategories:

• Category 1: IBWorldSchoolsexperiencingtemporaryfinancialdifficultiesowingtounpredictablecircumstancesbeyondtheircontrol.

• Category 2: IBWorldSchoolsor implementingschoolsthatcanclearlydemonstrate that theyaresignificantlywideningaccesstoIBprogramme(s)and/orthattheywillbesignificantlybroadeningthediversityoftheIBcommunity.

ApplicationsApplicationscloseonthefollowingdates.

• 30September2011

• 30March2012

Formoreinformationandapplicationforms,pleasegototheIBpublicwebsite,About the IB>Access and Advancement>IB Grantorhttp://www.ibo.org/accessandadvancement/ibgrants/.

Please address any queries to the Advancement office [email protected].

Groups1and2:Languages

Groups 1 and 2: completion of curriculum reviewSchoolsareremindedthatthereviewofthegroups1and2languagescoursesiscomplete.Thefirstyearofteachingforthenewcourses isSeptember2011 (Maysessionschools)or February 2012 (November session schools), with firstexaminations in 2013. Coordinators must ensure that alllanguageteachersareprovidedwiththeappropriateguideaswellasothersupportingdocuments.AlldocumentsarepublishedontheOCC.

Thetextandperformancecoursefinishesitspilotstageandbecomesavailabletoallschoolsasliteratureandperformancefrom September 2011. This course will be automaticallyavailable at standard level in English, and in French andSpanishuponrequest,andremainsinterdisciplinarybetweengroup 1 and group 6. All curriculum documents for thiscoursearepublishedontheOCC.

The classical languages course operates on a differentcurriculumreviewcycleandthereforeteachersmustcontinuetorefertothecurrentguide(firstexaminations2010),whichisalsoavailableontheOCC.

Newly available languages for language A: literatureWearepleased toannounce the introductionofninenewautomaticallyavailablelanguagesingroup1forthelanguage A:literaturecourse.ThefirstyearofteachingforthesecoursesisSeptember2011(Maysessionschools)orFebruary2012



(Novembersessionschools),withfirstexaminationsin2013.Therefore,fromtheMay2013examinationsessiononwardsthese languageswillno longerneedtobeapplied forasspecialrequestlanguages.Coordinatorsmustensurethatallteachersforthesecoursesareprovidedwiththeappropriateguide as well as other supporting documents which arepublishedontheOCC.Thiswillnowalsoincludetherelevantprescribedlistofauthors(PLA)fortheselanguages,publishedontheOCCinFebruary2011.

Languages becoming automatically available for the May 2013 examination session:

Albanian Belarusian Bengali

Estonian Icelandic Romanian

Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese

Special request languages InordertohelpschoolsplanfortheSeptember2011toMay2013DPcourses,weareabletosupplyalistofspecialrequestlanguagesA1(soontobelanguageA:literature)forwhichexaminersresponsiblehavealreadybeenappointed.Whileitshouldberememberedthatthisdoesnotguaranteetheavailabilityof the language,asexaminersmayforvariousunforeseenreasonsbeunavailableforfurtherexaminationsessions,schoolscanassumewithsomedegreeofsecuritythattheselanguagesarelikelytobeauthorized.

Where schools know they will have students for a specialrequestlanguagestartingwiththeminAugust/September2011,theyareencouragedtocontactthosestudentsregardingavailability of books, which are often very hard to obtainoutsidethecountryofthelanguage.AdviceonappropriatebooklistscanbeobtainedbycontactingIBCardiff.

For all special request languages it is important that theapplicationsreachIBCardiffbythedeadline(15 November).However, applications for special request languages thatdo not currently have examiners responsible should besubmitted as soon as possible (ideally well before thedeadline)toallowsufficienttimeforanexaminerresponsibletoberecruited.

Languages for which examiners responsible have already been appointed:

Azerbaijani Burmese Chichewa

Dhivehi Dzongkha Greenlandic

Georgian Kannada Khmer

Kinyarwanda Kurdish Lao

Marathi Mongolian Ndebele

Oriya Oromo Punjabi

Shona Tajik Tamil

Telugu Tibetan Zulu

Early session candidatesSchools are reminded that where a candidate’s choice ofgroup1or2languagesubjectisnotautomaticallyavailableorisaspecialrequestsubjectfortheirschool’sdesignatedexaminationsession,thecandidatemustberegisteredfortheexaminationsixmonthspriortotheschool’sdesignatedmain session. In such cases, all assessment componentsmustbecompleted in thatsession, includingthewrittenexaminations.

Thismeansthatanycandidatetakingagroup1or2languagesubject in November 2012 because the language is notavailableoraspecialrequestinMay2013,mustbetaughtandassessedfortheappropriatecurrentcourseofstudy(lastexaminationsNovember2012).Forspecificqueriesregardingearlysessioncandidates,[email protected].

E-courseworkIt is intended that from the November 2011 examinationsessiononwardsschoolswillhavetheoptiontouploadaudiofilesforthegroups1and2internallyassessedoralwork.Itwillalsocontinuetobeanoptiontosendgroups1and2internallyassessedoralworkonCD.In2012theIBintendstoextendtheoptiontouploadaudioandrich-mediafilestoincludegroup 6subjects,andfrom2013onwardsitisintendedthatmostexternallyandinternallyassessedoral,rich-media-basedandwrittencourseworkwillbesubmittedase-coursework.Theseinnovationsine-courseworkdemonstratetheIB’saimtoharnessthenewtechnologiesandtobea leader intheuseof technology inassessments.Further informationone-courseworkwillbesenttoschoolsinthecomingmonths.

School-supported self-taught languages A: literatureAlternative assessment procedures: updated guideThe document, School-supported self-taught alternative assessment procedures(forfirstexaminations2013),whichsupplements the relevant sections of the language A:literatureguideisnowavailableontheOCC.Coordinatorsshouldensurethatallself-taughtlanguageAcandidatesfortheMay2013examinationsessiononwardsaremadefamiliarwiththeprocedures.

Questions for the formal oral commentary: 2013 examination sessionPleasenotethatthissetofquestionsisavailableontheOCCandisspecificallyforthe2013examinationsessions(MayandNovember).Studentsforthe2012examinationsessionmustusethequestionspublishedontheOCCforthatparticularyear.



Theformaloralcommentaryisacloseliteraryanalysisofthepassageorpoem.Inpreparingforeachofthe10questionsforthetwoworksstudied,itisexpectedthatstudentswillpayattentiontothewayinwhichliteraryfeaturessuchaslanguage,style,toneandvoicecreateparticulareffects.

Classical languagesCurriculum reviewCurriculumreviewmeetingsforclassicallanguageswillbegininthelatterpartof2011.Schoolswishingtoparticipateinthecurriculumreviewprocessareadvisedtonotifyteachersofthisapproachingopportunityforinvolvement.

Prescribed authors and genres for first examinations 2010Itappearsthattheinformationontheprescribedauthorsandgenresreadinglistneedssomeclarification.ThisinformationisavailableontheOCCunder:Classical languages>General documents>Prescribed authors and genres for first examinations 2010.

Part2ofthedocumentongenrestudystatesthatthefirstlistwillbeusedforthefirstthreeyearsofthecourse,2008,2009,and2010.Thesecondlistwillbeusedforthenextthreeyearsofthecourse,2011,2012and2013.

Schools,therefore,needtokeepthefollowinginmind:

May session schoolsList 1 is used by students commencing a two-year LatinorclassicalGreekcoursein2008(examination2010),2009(examination2011)and2010(examination2012),keepinginmindthatthecoursestartstwoyearsbeforetheexam.

List2istobeusedbystudentscommencingatwo-yearLatinorclassicalGreekcourse in2011(examination2013),2012(examination2014)and2013(examination2015),keepinginmindthatthecoursestartstwoyearsbeforetheexam.

List 1

Course starts Examination

2008 2010

2009 2011

2010 2012

List 2


2011 2013

2012 2014

2013 2015

November session schoolsList 1 is used by students commencing a two-year LatinorclassicalGreekcourse in2009(examination2010),2010(examination2011)and2011(examination2012),keepinginmindthatthecoursestartstwoyearsbeforetheexam.

List 2 is to be used by students commencing a two-yearLatinorclassicalGreekcourse in2012,2013and2014(forexaminationsin2013,2014and2015,keepinginmindthatthecoursestartstwoyearsbeforetheexam).

List 1


2009 2010

2010 2011

2011 2012

List 2


2012 2013

2013 2014

2014 2015

Group3:Individualsandsocieties

History: reminder to history teachers regarding the new curriculumPaper 2 topicsWhere specific material, events or names are mentionedin theHistory guide, theycanbespecified inexaminationquestionsandarethereforerequiredincandidateresponses.However, more general open-ended questions may alsobesetandthesecanbeansweredusinganyappropriateexamplessuchasMussolini,FrancoorLeninforaquestionaboutanauthoritarianleader.

Paper 3TeachersareremindedthatforeachsectionintheHistory guidetherewillbetwoquestionsoneachexaminationpaper.Inordertoprovidecandidateswithachoiceofquestionstoanswer,allthebulletedcontentineachofthreesectionsmustbestudied.Forexample, if sectionone,TheFrenchRevolution,ischosenthenallsixbulletpointsmustbestudiedinordertoensurethatstudentswillbeabletoanswereitherquestionontheexaminationpaper.



PhilosophySL and HL papers 1 from May 2011Theinternalrubricforpaper1sectionAcurrentlyreads:

• identifyacentralphilosophicalconceptorphilosophicalissueinthispassagethataddressesthequestion,“whatisahumanbeing?”

• exploretwodifferentphilosophicalapproaches to thephilosophicalconceptorphilosophicalissueyouidentified

• explain and evaluate the philosophical concept orphilosophicalissueyouidentified.

StartingwiththeMay2011assessmentsession,thesecondbulletpointwillbeamendedtoread:

“Investigatetwo differentphilosophicalapproachestothephilosophicalconceptorphilosophicalissueyouidentified.”

Theseamendmentshavealtered thewording inorder toclarifytheirapplicationforexaminersandtheseamendmentswillnotaffectstudentsinanyway.

SL/HL paper 2 from May 2011StartingwiththeMay2011assessmentsession,paper2forSLandHLwillbeclassedasonecommonpaper.Thiswillmeanthatexaminationandmarkschemecoversheetswillbelabelledas“StandardLevelandHigherLevelPaper2”.

Thisamendmentwillnotaffectstudentsinanyway.

Social and cultural anthropologyChanges to the Social and cultural anthropology guideFollowing the first assessment session in May 2010 forsocial and cultural anthropology there have been someamendments to the assessment criteria in the Social and cultural anthropology guide publishedFebruary2008forfirstexaminationsin2010.

For SL and HL paper 1, criterion A—description andgeneralization (question 1) and criterion B—analysis andinterpretation(question2)—havebeenreworded.

Theseamendmentshavealtered thewording inorder toclarifytheirapplicationforexaminersandtheseamendmentswillnotaffectstudentsinanyway.Teachersareadvisedtousethesecriteriaforfuturesessions.

TheupdatedguideisavailablenowontheOCC.

Group5:Mathematicsandcomputerscience

MathematicsFeedback from examinationsExaminershaveexpressedconcernaboutcertainaspectsoffinalanswerstoexaminationquestions.Inparticular,itisfelt

thatissuestodowithaccuracyandsimplificationofanswersneedsomeclarification.

AccuracyTherubricsinstructcandidatestogiveallnumericalanswersexactly,orcorrecttothreesignificantfigures(sf).

Candidates should be instructed to follow this rubric, asgivingfinalanswerstofewerthanthreesfislikelytoleadtoincorrectvaluesinanysubsequentparts,andtheyarelikelytobepenalised. Inaddition,examinersmaybeinstructedincertainquestionstopenalisefinalanswersgiventomorethanthreesf.CandidatesshouldalsobemadeawareoftheroundingrulesusedbytheIB,asroundingerrorsmayalsoleadtoincorrectanswers.

Rounding rulesIfananswerto3sfisrequired,thefourthsfshouldbeconsideredandvaluesfrom0to4shouldberoundeddown,valuesfrom5to9shouldberoundedup,eg5.645becomes5.65;15.645becomes15.6;5645.47becomes5650.

Simplification of final answersThere has been some discussion on the OCC about this,whichhighlightedthedifficultyofgivinganeasyresponsetothequestion“howfarshouldyousimplify?”.Seniorexaminershave discussed the issue, and have agreed the followingguidanceforschools.

Candidatesshouldbeadvisedtogive finalanswersusinggoodmathematicalform.Ingeneral,arithmeticshouldbecompleted,andanyvalueswhichleadtointegersshouldbe

simplified, eg 25√4should be written as 5

2 . An exception

tothisissimplifyingfractions,wherethelowestformisnot

required(unless it isaninteger),eg104

maybeleft inthis

form or written as 52 (though it is generally advisable to

simplify),but105

shouldbewrittenas2.

Algebraicexpressionsshouldbesimplifiedbycompletingany operations such as addition and multiplication, eg4e2x × e3xshouldbesimplifiedto4e5x;and4e2x × e3x − e4x × ex

shouldbesimplifiedto3e5x.Unlessspecifiedinthequestion,expressionsdonotneedtobefactorised,nordofactorisedexpressionsneedtobeexpanded,sox(x+1)andx2+xareacceptable.

Computer scienceTeachersshouldbeawareofthefollowinginformationrelevanttothenewcomputersciencecourse,firstteaching2012:

• TheguideandteachersupportmaterialwillbepublishedontheOCCinJanuary2012.

• The specimen papers will be published on the OCC inMarch2012.

• FromAugust2012thesubjectwillmoveintogroup4andbecomenon-elective.



Should there be any questions please do not hesitateto contact the Subject Area Manager, Richard Taylor([email protected]).

Professional development Tosupporttheintroductionofthenewlyrevisedcomputerscience course for first teaching September 2012, globalprofessionaldevelopmentareplanningonlineworkshopsduring the first quarter of 2012. In order to assist withcapacityplanningfortheseevents,itwouldbeappreciatedifanyschoolsplanningtoofferthiscoursefromSeptember2012 contacted the global professional department [email protected]:

• schoolname/number

• languageofteaching

• potentialnumberofteachers.

Group6:Thearts

FilmAmendment to the assessment of the production portfolio (HL)FollowingthefirstassessmentsessionsforfilminMay2010andNovember2010,aformalrulinghasbeenintroducedonwhattodointhecaseofastudentsubmittinganHLproductionportfoliothatdoesnotincludeatrailer.Insuchcases,apenaltyof15%willbeappliedtothetotalmarkthathasbeenawarded.

ThetrailerisanessentialpartoftheHLproductionportfolioandshouldbesubmittedbyallcandidates.

Hexagoncore

Extended essay publicationsSchoolsandsupervisorsareremindedthataneweditionoftheExtended essay guidewaspublishedinDecember2010forfirstexaminationsin2013.Thisaddedanadditionalextendedessayoptioningroup1called“studiesinlanguage”whichfitsinwithchangestothelanguagesprogramme.Theguidealsoaddedtwonewsubjectoptions:worldstudiesandliteratureandperformance.

In addition, a new document has been published whichapplies to extended essays written in all subjects fromexaminations in 2013. It is entitled Ethical guidelines for extended essay research and fieldwork andisavailableontheextendedessaypageoftheOCC.Thisdocumentshouldbeused inconjunctionwithanyadditionalethicalguidanceoffered in thecorrespondingsubjectguides (for instanceinpsychologyandsocialandculturalanthropology).Theseextendedessayguidelinesmustbe followedbystudentssubmitting all extended essays from 2013 examinationsonwards but schools and supervisors are encouraged tofollowthemwiththeirstudentsbeforethisexaminationdate.

World studies extended essaySchoolswithstudentsinterestedinwritinganextendedessayinworldstudiesshouldnotethatthereisnowadedicatedOCC page for world studies that can be accessed under:DP>DP requirements>World studies extended essay. This includesateachers’ forumandavarietyofresourcesincludingcomprehensiveteachersupportmaterial.

Extended essay curriculum reviewTheextendedessaycurriculumreviewisbeingextendedforonecalendaryearinordertocompleteextensiveresearchanddevelopment.ThenewextendedessayprogrammeisnowscheduledforfirstteachinginSeptember2015andfirstexaminationsin2017.

Extended essay subject reportsFullsubject reportswerepublishedafter the firstsessionof the current extended essay programme in May andNovember2009.TheseareavailableonthesubjectpagesoftheOCC.

In addition, a general report, which outlines commonstrengths and weaknesses in all extended essays, waspublishedfortheNovember2010session.ThisisavailableontheOCCextendedessaypage.

Alltheabovereportsofferadvicethatappliestoallsessionsofthecurrentprogramme.

Updates for subject reportsarewrittenonly ifadditionalguidanceisneeded.

Practical work for extended essays TheIBdoesnotrecommendthatstudentsbasetheiressaysonpracticalworkcarriedoutatauniversityorotherresearchinstitution.However,ifsuchwork(undertheguidanceofanexternaladviser)isundertaken,itmustbeaccompaniedbyacovering letter included with thecandidate’sextendedessay,outliningthenatureoftheassistancegivenandthelevelofguidanceprovided.Theextentofsupportgivenmustcomplywiththerequirementthattheessayisanindividual,independentlywrittentask.

Theroleoftheschoolsupervisorremainsunchangedanditisparticularlyimportantinthesecasesthattheyareabletoverify(inthesupervisor’sreportanddeclaration)thattheessayisthestudent’sownwork.

Thistypeofworkismostcommonlycarriedoutinthesciencesubjectsbutsupervisorsshouldnotethattheseguidelinesapplytoallextendedessaysubjects.

CAS status of studentsSchoolsareremindedthatthedeadlineforcompletingtheCAS status of students on IBIS is 1 June/1 December. If astudenthasnotcompletedtheCASrequirement,he/shehasoneyearonlytocompleteit.OncetheCASrequirementhas



beencompletedtothesatisfactionoftheschool, it is theresponsibilityoftheIBDPcoordinatortochangethestudent’sstatusonIBIS.Thisextensionexpireson1June/1Decemberthefollowingyear.

CAS curriculum reviewThecurriculumreviewprocess forCAShasbegunand,aspartofourongoingcommitmenttoconsultation,wewishtoinviteteacherstobecomeinvolvedinthereviewprocess.

Thisconsultationwillinvolveaninitialquestionnairebeingsenttoschoolsand,laterthisyear,thecycleofreviewanddevelopmentmeetingswillstart,someofwhichwillbeface-to-faceandsomewillbevirtual.

Ifyouareinterestedinparticipatinginthesemeetings,pleasewritealetteroutliningyourexperienceandexplainingwhyyouwishtobeinvolvedandhowyoucouldcontributetothereview.Sendyourlettertotheassessmentandcurriculumcoordinatorforthehexagoncore,FabriziaFlynn,atIBCardiff,bypost,byfaxorbyattachingittoanemail([email protected]).

Thedeadlineforapplicationsis10October2011.

PleasenotethatanewpublicationCAS Illustratediscurrentlybeingdevelopedby IBPublishingfeaturingexpertadvice

onhowthetheoryofCAScanbeputintopracticewithrealexamples fromschoolsacross thethreeregions.FindoutmoreattheIBstore(http://store.ibo.org/).

TOK essaysCoordinatorsareremindedthatTOKcandidatesmustwritetheiressays inresponsetooneoftheprescribedtitlessetfortheexaminationsessioninwhichtheyareparticipating.Failuretousethecorrectsetofprescribedtitleswillseverelydisadvantagecandidates.

School-based syllabuses (SBS): available subjectsThefollowingisalistoftheavailableschool-basedsyllabusescurrentlyauthorizedbytheIB.

Please note:Thesearerestrictedentrysubjects,andschoolsmust apply for authorization to offer any one of them—authorizationmaynotbegrantedretrospectively.Pleaserefertotheschool-basedsyllabusessectionoftheHandbook of Procedures for the Diploma Programme,forfurtherdetails.Torequestsubjectguides,ortoapplyforauthorizationtoofferoneofthesesubjects,[email protected].

School-based syllabus Language Group

Arthistory English 3

Astronomy English 4

Beginners’Hindi* Hindi 2

Beginners’Nynorsk* Nynorsk 2

Beginners’Siswati* Siswati 2

ChileandthePacificBasin Spanish 3

Chinesestudies English 3

ClassicalGreek&Romanstudies English 3

Braziliansocialstudies Portuguese 3

Humanrights† English 3

Marinescience English 4

Peaceandconflictstudies† English 3

Politicalthought English,Spanish 3

Science,technologyandsociety** English 3or4

Turkeyinthe20thcentury(formerly Turkish Social Studies) Turkish 3

Worldartsandcultures English 3

Worldpoliticsandinternationalrelations† English 3

* Nonewgroup2SBSsubjectswillbeauthorized,unlessinexceptionalcircumstances.

**Nonewauthorizationsarebeingacceptedforthissubjectbecauseanewgroup3sciencecourseiscurrentlyindevelopment.

†WiththedevelopmentoftheGlobalPoliticspilotsubject,itisunlikelythatnewauthorizationstoofferthesesubjectswillbegrantedafterSeptember2013.



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