Pre-IB Pathway
What is the Pre-IB programme?
The Pre-IB programme is designed to prepare non-UK pupils for Stonyhurst’s IB Diploma Programme. It also aims at rapidly integrating non-UK pupils into the academic, social, spiritual, and co-curricular life of the College.
The Pre-IB curriculum is primarily designed to be tailored to the likely future IB subject choices of each pupil, with a programme which offers breadth of study across a range of subject areas (languages and literature, humanities, sciences, mathematics, and, possibly, arts). The individual pupil’s academic interests and university/career ambitions drive the process.
Download our Pre-IB brochure here
IB Syllabus
Students starting the Pre-IB year are, in most cases, joining a course of study that normally takes UK students two years. In consequence, Pre-IB students take fewer subjects (with the norm being 6 or 7 instead of 10 or 11). They also have more lessons per subject in one week, to ensure that they have covered the syllabus before the examinations in May/June. It is important to recognise that the full Pre-IB course is an academically challenging programme, and therefore a small minority of students will need to follow a reduced number of subjects, and instead have a greater degree of English language tuition; this will be negotiated as part of the interview and selection process.
Pre-IB entry requirements
In order to ensure that every pupil can make the most of this exciting and challenging year, we use the following criteria to assess the suitability of potential candidates:
• Students will normally be 15 years of age on entry to the College
• School reports will be considered, including grades awarded in the subjects to be taken for (I)GCSE.
• Students will normally be interviewed, either as part of a visit to the College, or via Skype
• Students will complete an online entrance assessment test, to assess abilities in verbal and non-verbal reasoning, as well as quantitative reasoning.
Hear what our past and current pupils have to say about our IB programmes:
The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organisation works with schools, governments and international organisations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
IB Mission Statement
