International Baccalaureate World School

Why IB at Léman?

• Nationally and internationally recognized by top colleges and universities.
• Considered the gold standard in college preparatory curriculum.
• IB diploma students are more than 20% more likely to be admitted to the most prestigious universities in the U.S., including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Duke and Stanford.
• Ability to earn college credits.
• Challenging, in-depth, creative curriculum with service-oriented activities.
• IB students are better able than their peers to cope with demanding workloads, manage their time and meet the expectations placed on them.

The International Baccalaureate is a long-established, globally recognized program of study, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018. The IB Diploma Programme is a two-year, full-time, academically challenging and balanced programme of education that prepares students aged 16 to 19 for success at university and life beyond. It has been designed to address the intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being of students. The programme has gained recognition and respect from the world's leading universities.

The Diploma Programme prepares students for effective participation in a rapidly evolving and increasingly global society as they:

• Develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and ethically

• Acquire breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding, studying courses from six subject groups

• Develop the skills and a positive attitude towards learning that will prepare them for higher education

• Study at least two languages and increase understanding of cultures, including their own

• Make connections across traditional academic disciplines and explore the nature of knowledge through the programme's unique theory of knowledge course

• Undertake in-depth research into an area of interest through the lens of one or more academic disciplines in the extended essay

• Enhance their personal and interpersonal development through creativity, action and service.

The Curriculum

Students at Léman have the choice of either pursuing the full IB Diploma Programme or individual IB Course Certificates. IB Diploma candidates take six subjects, three at Higher Level (HL) and three at Standard Level (SL), and complete three additional core components of Theory of Knowledge, CAS and an Extended Essay.

Group 1 – Language & Literature
Group 2 – Language Acquisition
Group 3 – Individuals & Society
Group 4 – Sciences
Group 5 – Mathematics
Group 6 – The Arts

The Diploma Programme Core

In addition to disciplinary and interdisciplinary study, the Diploma Programme features three core elements that broaden students' educational experience and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills.

1. The extended essay (4,000 words) asks students to engage in independent research through an in-depth study of a question relating to one of the DP subjects they are studying. The world studies extended essay option allows students to focus on a topic of global significance that they examine through the lens of at least two DP subjects.

2. Theory of knowledge develops a coherent approach to learning that unifies the academic disciplines. In this course on critical thinking, students inquire into the nature of knowing and deepen their understanding of knowledge as a human construction.

3. Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies throughout the Diploma Programme. Creativity encourages students to engage in the arts and creative thinking. Action seeks to develop a healthy lifestyle through physical activity. Service with the community offers a vehicle for new learning with academic value. The three strands of CAS enhance students' personal and interpersonal development through experiential learning and enable journeys of self-discovery.