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We could tell you that we believe that the breadth, rigour and challenge of the IB Diploma makes it more educationally valuable than other programmes. We could tell you that IB Diploma students achieve higher success in university than other students. We could tell you that IB Diploma students are more successful in their careers than other students. But don't take our word for it.

In April 2011, the UK's Higher Education Statistics Authority published a report which showed that:

IB Diploma students are more than twice as likely to enter the UK's top 20 universities than A Level students IB Diploma students are over 30% more likely to obtain a first class degree in the UK than A Level students IB Diploma students are more likely to obtain an upper second class degree in the UK than A Level students The median salary of IB Diploma graduates is about $2500 higher than that of A Level or equivalent graduates.

But even if IB students perform better than A Level students, isn't it still easier to get admission to university if you have done A Levels?

At the start of 2011, 190 schools in the UK alone had adopted the IB Diploma instead of A Levels. They believe it is a better qualification and so do university admissions officers:

57% of UK universities believed that IB diploma students had an advantage in admission over A Level students The majority of UK universities rate the IB higher than A Level in areas of critical thinking, communication, self management, and motivation 96% of UK university respondents appreciated broad curricula and liked this aspect of the IB Diploma.

So how can IB Diploma students prove that they are better when they apply to UK universities?"

The UK's Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) has a tariff which gives "UCAS points" to students who have done different exams such as IB Diploma or A Level, and this helps universities compare different students. The tariff scale shows the following:

An average ISM student (31 IB points) is given 413 UCAS points. An A Level student with three grade As only gets 360 UCAS points. In the last 3 years, 25% of ISM's IB students have scored 35 IB points or more, equal to 501+ UCAS point. An A Level student would need more than four grade As at A level to attain this. A Grade 7 (top grade) in IB Diploma higher level is rated by UCAS as superior to a grade A in A Level. But IB students usually take 6 subjects. A Level students only take 3 or 4.

News Reports

Read the following UK news articles on the UCAS tariff:

• Daily Mail: A-level blow as Baccalaureate given same rating as 5 A grades
• Daily Telegraph: Baccalaureate gets top marks at UCAS
• Times Educational Supplement: Diploma better than As at A-Level
• Guardian: Baccalaureate Pupils Numbers Rising
• BBC News
• IBO Press Release

Other References

Our main diploma page explains the IB grading system

UCAS Tariff for A Level and IB Diploma

US High School Equivalent Grades

Recent ISM IB Diploma Results