IB Core
As a crucial part of the IBDP, all students engage with the IB Core. There are three components designed to support student development and consolidate learning.
The three elements of the IB Core are:
- Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
- Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS)
- Extended Essay (EE)
Each of these components must be completed to qualify for the IBDP.
Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
The Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course runs for two lessons a week, for a total of 100 hours of study across two years. The course explores the origins of knowledge, posing critical questions around where knowledge comes from, how we know what we know, and what types of knowledge are most relevant and reliable to our lives. The program has two major assessment components, which are produced across the two years. These include a TOK exhibition, which demonstrates student thinking and reasoning to the community, and a TOK essay, which explores the nature of knowledge across different disciplines.
Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS)
The CAS component of the IBDP is about developing students as positive contributors to society. As part of the programme, students engage in regular experiences to challenge and develop their creativity, physical and mental wellbeing, and service to the community. Students keep records and reflections of their engagement with activities. They present a folio at the end of eighteen months detailing their personal growth, and impact on the local and global environment.
Extended Essay (EE)
All IBDP students engage in a research project based on one of their six selected subjects. Students propose a complex topic, and conduct academic research to determine a solution that benefits their chosen field. Students begin work on the Extended Essay mid-way through their first year of the IBDP, and present their final essay in the second year of study.
