The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in Spain

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (known as the IB, or BI in Spanish-speaking countries) is an educational organisation for students between the ages of 16 to 19.

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in Spain is known for its challenging curriculum that prepares students for university and helps them to grow intellectually, emotionally and ethically.
The International Baccalaureate Organization was founded originally by several teachers from the International School of Geneva, in collaboration with other international schools.
It was created as a way of guaranteeing a balanced education for young people who had to move to other countries with their families so that the curriculum of the new schools they enrolled at would be similar to those they had been studying at their home countries.
However, the languages in which the IB is taught are limited exclusively to French, Spanish and English. There are many schools across the world, both public and private, that offer the IB Diploma Programme. To teach the programme, a school has to be authorised by the IB council, consequently becoming an IB world school.
The IB encourages independent, critical and analytical thinking, involvement in the community, linguistic fluency and international issues.
It creates a base from which students can then apply to universities, teaching them skills to excel and cope with university curriculum. Research indicates that a larger proportion of IB students go to university or go on to further education.
In Spain, students who have the International Baccalaureate Diploma do not need to take University Entrance Exams (Selectividad), as they can use their IB Diploma points instead.
The curriculum is made up of six subject groups.
The Diploma Programme Common Core, which is made up of three core components, aims to widen students’ educational experience and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills, cope with workloads and manage their time effectively.

The three core components are:

• Theory of Knowledge – encouraging students to reflect on the nature of knowledge and how we know what we claim to know
• The Extended Essay – an independent, student-directed piece of research leading up to 4,000-word essay
• Creativity, Activity and Service – students complete a project related to these three concepts

The six subject groups are:

• Studies of Language and Literature
• Language Acquisition
• Individuals and Companies
• Sciences
• Maths
• Arts

Each subject group comprises different courses.
In Spain, there are currently over 100 world schools that offer the International Baccalaureate.

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