Is the IB Diploma Better than A Levels?
We are often asked the question:
If my child is going to university in the UK, wouldn't they be better advised to study British A level instead of the IB Diploma?"
In April 2011, the UK's Higher Education Statistics Authority published a report which showed that:
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:
References: IBO Survey 2003 -
Executive Summary |
IBO Reports page
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:
References: UCAS Tariff 2011 |
2006 UCAS Report on IB Diploma
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



