The IBDP educates the whole person. Students study subjects from within six Groups, three studied at Higher Level, and three at Standard Level. These represent all major disciplines and are studied concurrently along with the DP Core subjects of Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS), Theory Of Knowledge (TOK) and the Extended Essay.

All subjects have Internal Assessment (IA) (marked by the school and moderated externally) and External Assessment (exams that are sat at school and marked externally).

TOK is an interdisciplinary subject, which explores the nature and origin of knowledge within and without the classroom. Along with CAS it adds coherence to the IBDP programme.

CAS invites students to challenge themselves in active pursuits, in thoughtful creations and ideas and in real and engaging service in their local and broader community. CAS draws upon the available arts and sports/fitness activities to promote lifelong healthy habits, while it challenges students to investigate and address need in their immediate community. The reflective component of CAS allows students time to consider their actions and commitments in the light of what they are learning personally and communally in other parts of the IBDP programme.

The six groups of academic disciplines

Group 1: Language A: is the student’s native language. For Chinese students it will be Chinese. The international students will study their mother tongue language.

Group 2: Language Acquisition: is intended for students who have previously studied a second language for a number of years. NBHIS will be offering English or Chinese as a second language.

Group 3: Individuals and Societies: NBHIS offers Economics and

Business Management and Economics can be either at SL or HL; and Environmental Systems and Societies is offered at SL only. This cross discipline course can be taken either as a science or as an humanity.

Group 4: Experimental Sciences include: Biology, Chemistry and Physics. These can all be completed at either SL or HL and, Environmental Systems and Societies, which can also be offered on this line, is at SL only.

Group 5: Mathematics allows students to choose HL or SL in Analysis and Approaches.

Group 6: The Arts. NBHIS offers Visual Art and Music with the options of substituting a group 6 subject, for a subject from group 3 or 4.

Each Year, the Year 12 Students along with thousands of others around the world, take written examinations in May of their senior year. These exams are sent to external IB examiners and results are available at the beginning of July. Students are also required to Internal Assessment over the two years at school. These assessments are marked by the students’ teachers and then moderated by external IB examiners.

Through the careful planning and delivery from our experienced DP teachers, the IB hallmarks of critical thinking, inquiry-based learning and international mindedness permeate our IBDP programme.

IBDP CAS programme

• The requirements of CAS

Initially, students learn what makes up the CAS program, including what kinds of activities count as CAS activities, what a CAS project looks like, how their progress will be tracked and verified, and how they will be supported through the process.

• The nature of CAS reflection

Perhaps the most important element of the CAS program is the reflection component. This is gives students a chance to delve more deeply into their understanding of how their experiences can help them to grow as people. This growth can be examined from different facets; from their ability to plan and implement a complex project involving many people and logistical challenges, to the simpler (but no less important) ability to really assess their commitment and engagement in a particular activity.

• Possible areas for CAS experiences

CAS introduces students to a variety of different areas — social, environmental, athletic, and artistic, etc. — where they will choose to become involved as a CAS participant. For example, in the pre-DP year 10 CAS class, students do an extended unit about issues of global concern, including food safety, air quality, access to water, eliminating poverty, and terrorism. By giving the students a forum to learn about and grapple with these topics, they will later be more confident in choosing to take action in one or more of these areas in connection with CAS’s “service” (S) requirement.

In addition to the CAS class, the Year 11 (or DP1) students receive several workshops where the CAS program is formally introduced along with their imminent responsibilities, where their ability to use Managebac is verified, and where we again discuss the nature and importance of good reflections.

Managebac
The Managebac system is the way our students demonstrate their involvement in the CAS program and all other components of the Diploma. It is where students propose activities to be approved by the CAS Coordinator, where they post evidence of their participation in those activities, and engage in reflection and dialogue regarding them.