IB Exams

The majority of the externally assessed work is the IB exams that our students will be writing in May. Most questions they answer on their IB exams will be in the form of essays, regardless of which IB subject is being examined. This approach gives students more of an opportunity to explain what they know about a given topic rather than demonstrating what they don’t know by bubbling in answers on a multiple choice exam.

In addition, most IB subject exams are divided into two or three different parts or “papers.” Usually, these papers are written on two consecutive days: the afternoon of the first designated exam date and the morning of the next date.

After each paper of the subject exam is completed by the students, the “scripts” (written answers) are sent to the assigned examiners. Each separate paper of a subject exam is assessed by a different examiner. When all examiners have finished assessing the papers sent them, they, in turn, send the marked scripts to Cardiff, where IBCA reviews and tabulates the marks for each student in each subject.

As with the internal assessment marks of IB teachers being checked for validity, so are those of the IB examiners. After a grade award committee review, final results are published early in July.

IB assessment system is a very well thought out program of quality control which encourages both students and teachers to pursue high, but very reachable international academic standards.

Some courses are designated AP/IB. In these cases one year of the two-year course will be an AP class. Students will not be required to take the AP test upon completion of the AP class in the first year and the IB test at the end of the second year.

Testing Costs

There is no charge for taking an AP or IB course. However, there is a cost for each exam. 

Please contact IB Coordinator Alma Di Giorgio if financial assistance is needed.