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IB vs A-levels: Family puts qualification to the test

Published by SchoolAdvisor | Jul 15, 2016
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Sarah and Tim Turney are British parents who lives in Switzerland. The two decided to test the credibility of the highly regarded IGCSE A-level and the IB programme.turney_600x400Both Sarah and Tim have been living in Geneva for 22 years, and they had their children Jamie, 21, taking the IB programme and Issy, 19, taking the IGCSE A-Level.Cambridge_600x400

Jamie's IB programme

Issy's IGCSE A-Level

IB Programme Experience

  • A full timetable of academic work to be covered at school
  • Each student has to write an essay of 4,000 words on a topic related to one of the subjects they are studying.
  • “Theory of Knowledge” essay, 1,600 words about the nature of knowledge.
  • CAS Hours - Complete 50 hours on each of Creative, Activity and Service.

A-Level Experience

  • A Level develops learners’ knowledge, understanding and skills in various areas
  • School academic work involves in-depth subject content, independent thinking, and applying knowledge and understanding to new as well as familiar situations
  • Handling and evaluating different types of information source and thinking logically and presenting ordered and coherent arguments

6 Compulsory subjects

MathsEnglishA languageA scienceA humanitySubject of their choice

Subjects

MathBiologyEconomicsSchool Requirement:SportsCommunity Service

IB Outcome

The International Baccalaureate is a better all-round qualification and ensures that a student has plenty of interest on their CV.

IB Calculation of GPA:*A, A - 4.0B - 3.7C - 3.0D - 2.3E - 2.0F - 1.3G - 1.0

IGCSE A-Level Outcome

A-Level provides more focus. The flexibility in curriculum allows learners to specialize in a particular subject area or study.

IGCSE A-Level Calculation of GPA:7 - 4.06 - 3.755 - 3.54 - 2.753 - 2.02 - 1.751 - 1.0

For the full story, please click here.AS-Banner-International-

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