Varied, rigorous, global: will the IB make the grade?

By Nick Morrison. Top universities are finally waking up to the true value of the International Baccalaureate, finds Nick Morrison. As far as school qualifications are concerned, the International Baccalaureate has always stood out for the passion of its supporters. No average award this, they say, the IB is the complete package. 
“Almost everybody who teaches it thinks it is a better education,” says John Claughton, Chief Master of King Edward’s School, Birmingham, which switched from A-levels to the post-16 IB diploma in 2010. This year their faith has been rewarded, as two leading universities have lowered their entry requirements for IB students. King’s College London and Leeds universities have both announced that for admission next autumn, they will consider three As at A-level to be the equivalent of an IB score of 35 points – out of a total of 45 possible points – rather than 39 as previously. More...