The IB Diploma Programme (DP) is the 2 year graduation programme for students of The International School of Brno. It is the concluding stage of secondary/high school studies after the student has completed the IGCSE programme or equivalent.
Students intending to enter the first year of the Diploma Programme (DP1) must meet the following criteria:
ISB students:
Most IB DP subjects have certain requirements in terms of prior knowledge. The results of IGCSE exams are the most significant indicator used to determine that students have the requisite prior knowledge to be admitted to the Diploma Programme. However, ISB grades also play a role in accepting students to the Diploma Programme. ISB students* are expected to meet the following criteria:
* while these criteria are preferred, the school always reserves the right to set individual criteria for students, if the situation warrants
(For more information see IB DP parent handbook).
New students:
Families new to ISB interested in enrolling to the IB DP, should contact the Head of school Mr. Jan Svihalek, Secondary and High School Principal Mr. Dylan Vance, or the IB DP coordinator Ms. Barbara Albrechtova for more details about the general admission conditions, which are available on the school’s website.
After submitting a registration form and satisfying the ISB admission conditions, the following additional DP1 entry requirements apply for new students:
Based on the results of this process, the school will decide on the applicant’s suitability for enrolment in the IB DP. There are no prescriptive minimum levels required by the school for entry to the DP or DP courses, only certain expected levels.
The language of instruction in the ISB IB DP is English, all subjects in Groups 3, 4, 5 and 6 are taught in English. The expected CEF level of English for enrolment in DP1 is B2. If a student’s level of English is lower than expected, he or she may still be enrolled in the DP but will be required to receive extra English support offered at the school. It is also strongly recommended that a student with less than the expected level of English take private English lessons after school.
Subject group | IB DP course | Prior learning requirements | Details |
Group 1 | Language A SL: English Language and Literature | YES | CEFR level B2 |
Language A HL: English Language and Literature | YES | CEFR level C1 | |
Language A SL: Czech Literature | YES | CEFR level C2 | |
Language A HL: Czech Literature | YES | CEFR level C2 | |
Group 2 | English B HL | YES | CEFR level B1 |
Spanish B SL: | YES | CEFR level A2 | |
Language ab initio: on-line | NO | * | |
Group 3 | History | YES | Content similar to that covered in the ISB IGCSE course |
Group 4 | Biology/Chemistry/ Physics Sport, exercise and health science | YES | Content similar to that covered in the ISB IGCSE course Some prior learning is recommended for HL courses ** |
Group 5 | Mathematics applications and interpretation Mathematics approaches and analysis | YES | Content similar to that covered in the ISB IGCSE course |
Group 6 | Film studies: on-line | NO | --- |
*If a student does not have the required A2 level of a Second Foreign Language, he or she may enrol in the DP Language ab initio course. The ab initio course is designed for students with little or no previous experience of the target language.
**Prior learning in HL Group 4 subjects - please refer to each specific Subject Guide for more details.
General expectations: As well as the prior learning expectations, there are certain traits of students well suited to the IB DP and who are likely to be successful:
It is important to note that the IB DP is not exclusively for gifted & talented students! While the DP is rigorous, challenging and demanding, the minimum score required to be awarded a Diploma is 24 points from 45. A student with decent (“good”) grades in IGCSE, MYP (or equivalent), especially in the relevant subjects, and who is motivated to work hard, should be successful.
Parents & students are also strongly advised to consider potential university entrance requirements. Many university courses require at least 30 points and highly competitive universities require considerably more. However, Parents & students must familiarise themselves with the Requirements for the Award of an IB Diploma (see IB DP handbook and Assessment policy) and realistically predict whether the student is capable of passing all parts of the Diploma Programme.
The Head of School, the DP Coordinator, the University Counsellor and specific subject teachers can all provide more advice to parents & students who are unsure about the best plan for them.
Parents or guardians of students with special educational needs, and who are considering enrolment in the IB DP, should refer to the SEN policy. The International Baccalaureate Organisation and ISB are all committed to providing maximum accessibility to the Diploma Programme.
Students must be 18 years of age or younger to start in Year 12 of the Diploma Programme at ISB.
Please note: Because the IB Diploma Programme is a continuous two-year course, we can only accept transfer students into the second year of the programme (DP2) from another IB World School.
Policy reviewed August 6 2019 by Barbara Albrechtová