As a DP student you must select one subject from the following columns and take three subjects at higher level.

In addition to your six subjects you will also take Theory of knowledge and CAS, and you will be responsible for writing the Extended Essay, which is an independent research paper of 4000 words, written over a period of several months.

When choosing your subjects you should think first about what you want to do as a career, then research that career to find out what you need to study at university to be qualified in a particular field. If you want to be a doctor, for example, then you will need to study medicine. In order to be accepted into most medical programmes you will need to take chemistry and biology at higher level.. 

Most universities will specify what IB students should take in order to get into particular programmes.

The assessment in each subject group is based on the determination of the level of student performance against the established criteria, and not on the ranking of students in a given group. External assessment includes a number of tasks emphasising higher-order cognitive thinking skills, and which may take the form of essays and test sets. Internal assessment carried out by the teachers and moderated by the IB, is part of the final assessment of the student.

Each IB Learner creates his or her curriculum profile to a large extent by themselves. Subject and level groups are formed taking into account the staffing and organizational capacity of the school.

The student’s task is to choose one subject from each of 5 groups, which ensures the breadth of knowledge and deep understanding of:

• the student’s best language,
• additional language(s),
• the social sciences,
• the experimental sciences
• mathematics.

Each student can choose to study an additional subject from the groups 1-4.

Students must choose 3 subjects at Higher level and 3 subjects at Standard level. Language B subjects can be taken at AB initio level instead of Standard level.

Group 1 – Studies in language and literature

Students learn to appreciate the language and literature through the study of formal literary texts. At the IHSW we offer the following subjects in Group 1:

• Polish A
• English A
• School supported self-taught language in mother tongue (only offered at standard level)

Group 2 – Language acquisition

Students gain the ability to communicate in a foreign language. In our high school we offer the following subject in Group 2:

• English B (only offered at higher level)
• French B
• German B
• Spanish B

Group 3 – Individuals and societies

Students develop a critical approach to the experience and human behaviour by studying the social sciences, such as economics, geography and history. In our school we offer the following subjects in Group 3:

• Geography
• History
• Business Management
• Environmental Systems and Societies* (only offered at standard level)
• Psychology

Group 4 – Sciences

Students explore the concepts, theories and methods of physical and biological sciences, such as chemistry, physics and biology. We offer the following subjects in Group 4:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Environmental Systems and Societies (only offered at standard level)

Group 5 – Mathematics

Students increase their understanding of mathematics and its applications. At our school we offer the following subjects in this group:

• Analysis and approaches course
• Applications and interpretation course

Group 6 – Elective

In Group 6 students choose an additional subject from groups 1 to 4.

Our high school is certified as an IB World School. The school belongs to the ranks of over two thousand Diploma Programme schools in the world.

IB certified schools offer not only the highest level of educational programmes, but also highly trained staff and facilities considered optimal for the development of young people. These schools share a common philosophy of education, according to which the focus is always on the student as a creative individual. The programmes develop students’ ability to combine knowledge from different subjects in the context of real-world issues. IB World School graduates are people who not only have a wide range of knowledge, but they are also reflective, capable of critical thinking and prepared to continue their education in schools and universities around the world.

IB World School teachers are committed to continued self-development, to increasing their qualifications, to the use of online bookstores and libraries and to participating in international conferences and workshops organised by the IBO. Training courses are an opportunity to increase and consolidate the factual knowledge and they allow teachers to exchange experience with teachers from all over the world who are also implementing IB programmes.

Other schools run by the Foundation of International Education (ATUT Bilingual Primary School, ATUT Bilingual Secondary School and Wroclaw International School) have been IB World Schools for several years already.

The Diploma Programme (DP) consists of learning in 6 subject groups, an Extended Essay of 4,000 words, learning through experience in the CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) programme and the theory of knowledge course which develops critical thinking.  The assessment in each subject group is based on the determination of the level of student performance against the established criteria, and not on the ranking of students in a given group. External assessment includes a number of tasks emphasizing higher-order cognitive thinking skills, and which may take the form of essays and test sets. Internal assessment carried out by the teachers and moderated by the IB, is part of the final assessment of the student.

Why the IB Diploma is ideal preparation for university?

1. It increases academic opportunity
2. IB Students care about more than just results
3. It encourages you to become a confident and independent learner
4. It’s an international qualification
5. Graduates are globally minded
6. The IB encourages critical thinking
7. DP students have proven time management skills
8. It assesses more than examination techniques\
9. Subjects are not taught in isolation
10. It encourages breadth and depth of learning

Hello and welcome!

My name is Sean Dooley and I am the Diploma Programme coordinator for the International High School of Wroclaw, which is a certified IB World School. I’m very excited about helping our students to learn in the challenging and unique IB Diploma Programme that will prepare our students for success at university and beyond.

The Diploma Programme (DP) is a two-year course of study consisting of six subject groups: literature, foreign languages, social sciences, experimental sciences, mathematics and the arts. Students choose a subject from groups 1-5 and may choose either an arts subject or another subject from groups 2-4. Students choose three of these subjects to study in depth.

In addition to their subject choices, students are required to participate in the core. The core is what really makes the DP unique. Students engage in a piece of formal research that equips them with the skills of scholarship that are so essential to success at university. Theory of knowledge is a course in critical thinking, which ties the curriculum together as students study how knowledge gained across subjects. And through the Creativity, action, service (CAS) programme, students participate in experiential learning through creative and physical activities and service to others. Taken together, the core and the breadth and depth offered by the student’s subject choices make the DP a unique and effective educational path to creating principled, lifelong learners with the skills, passion and knowledge to understand and shape the world.

With the IB authorization, the International High School of Wroclaw and the Foundation of International Education’s primary and middle schools become the only educational institution in Lower Silesia to offer a continuum of all three IB programmes. It is the place where our national and international students, teachers and families come together for the first time, a place where students can study Korean, Polish or English literature; learn how to speak German, Spanish, French, English or Polish; experiment with biology, chemistry or physics; study history, geography and mathematics.

If you have any questions or need further information please feel free to contact me.

Sean Dooley
Diploma Programme Coordinator
International High School of Wroclaw