Impressive IB results for Impington International College and Stephen Perse students
Students have been celebrating impressive International Baccalaureate (IB) results after a challenging year.
At Impington International College, all IB students passed their IB diploma programme (DP) and career-related programme (CP), achieving an average point score of 36 – well above the global average of 33.02.
Some 26 per cent of students at the college, which introduced the programme 30 years ago, attained 40 points or more, with four achieving 44 and 45 – the maximum point score.
IB students at the Stephen Perse Sixth Form achieved an average score of 40.9 points this year, which is the highest average since 2013. These results again place Stephen Perse in the top group of IB schools, both in the UK and worldwide.
The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) developed two parallel routes to mitigate the global impact of Covid on young people.
Unlike 2020, when an algorithm was used to determine the final grade, this year the results are based on a combination of a student’s coursework, marked by the IBO, and their teacher-predicted grades.
Jo Sale, vice principal at Impington Village College, said: “After another challenging year, we are thrilled that the hard work, dedication and resilience of this year’s student cohort has resulted in such tremendous achievements, and offer our heartfelt congratulations to all of our students. They will be deeply missed but we are delighted to see them leaving to follow their dreams.
“As one of the first state schools to offer the IB in the UK, exceptional outcomes like these demonstrate the strength of the programme and its impact on students’ progression since its introduction.”
The results have secured Impington students places at Oxbridge, Russell Group and leading international universities, along with a number of top drama schools to study a multitude of subjects including biology, law, acting and psychology.
Ms Sale continued: “The IB expertly prepares students for the world of higher education, and they are able to use the skills learnt to eloquently engage in seminars, write longer essay pieces and understand things in the context of the world around them.”
Reflecting on how her time at Impington International College prepared her for university, alumna Caitlyn Riley said: “Having gained a scholarship through my IB results to study applied terrestrial and marine ecology, I found the whole transition from Impington to university very easy. The structure of university and the IB is very similar; the DP’s internal assessments during sixth form helped me develop skills that are required as you move into higher education.”
IB subjects are graded on a one to seven scale, with seven being the highest score. At Stephen Perse, some 89 per cent of students’ grades were level six or seven, and 56 per cent achieved 40 points, with one student achieving a perfect score of 45.
Jacqueline Paris, head of the IB programme at Stephen Perse which offers pupils the choice with A-levels, said: “The 2021 cohort is an exceptional group of students. This is not just evidenced by the grades they have achieved but also by the fortitude and commitment they have shown to their IB studies and to the school. Since the cancellation of their exams, they have completed coursework delayed by the lockdown, worked together on a variety of projects such as producing information boards on the core elements of the IB, and have led assemblies for Year 10 students.”
Thee results will allow Stephen Perse Sixth Form students to embark on a wide range of university courses including this year modern languages at Newcastle University, geography at Durham University, law at the University of Oxford and medicine at the University of Cambridge.
Richard Girvan, principal of the Stephen Perse Foundation, said: “Our IB students can be hugely proud of their outstanding achievements.
“The results represent the culmination of years of hard work by the students and their teachers at the Stephen Perse Foundation and I am delighted that their efforts have been rewarded.
“We are particularly impressed that, as well as their outstanding academic performance, our students have also demonstrated their tenacity, resilience and well-roundedness throughout their time in our Sixth Form. We wish all of our students a wonderful summer and every success in the future as they prepare to take up university places.”
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