The Pre-IB Programme
One-year programme preparing students for the IB Diploma Programme
In the one-year Pre-IB Programme (corresponding to the first year of the Danish Gymnasium), you will have a range of subjects aimed at preparing you for the IB Diploma Programme. The Pre-IB Programme is taught in English, and is aimed at both Danish and foreign students who still need one year of schooling before entering the IB Diploma Programme.
Danish students from 9th or 10th grade have to complete the Pre-IB Programme to gain access to the IB Diploma Programme. As a foreign student, you may be able to skip the Pre-IB Programme, if you are eligible to start the IB Diploma Programme in your home country.
For the languages, the following levels are offered:
- Language A: First language (mother tongue)
- Language B: Continuation of foreign language (1-3 years of prior schooling or equivalent)
- Language ab initio: Beginners language (no prior knowledge expected)
In the application for the Pre-IB Programme, students must indicate their level in Danish and which second foreign language they wish to study, please see the application form for the Pre-IB Programme.
At the end of Pre-IB, there are written exams in English and Mathematics.
When students have completed the Pre-IB Programme, they will obtain Danish C-level certificates in chemistry, physics and visual arts.
The Pre-IB year complies with the requirements set by the Danish Ministry of Education for the first year of the Danish Gymnasium. Consequently, Danish-speaking students, who change their mind about continuing in the IB Diploma Programme, can transfer into the second year of the Danish Gymnasium (2.g stx), although we cannot guarantee that we have room in the stx programme at Nyborg Gymnasium.
Subjects in the Pre-IB Programme
The IB Diploma Programme
An internationally recognized and academically challenging two-year programme
In the two-year IB Diploma Programme (corresponding to the second and third year of the Danish Gymnasium), you choose your own subjects. You develop academic skills through the Extended Essay, a 4000-word independent piece of research, and Theory of Knowledge, where students reflect on the nature of knowledge. You engage in Creativity, Activity and Service, sending you on journeys of self-discovery.
You can join our IB Diploma Programme directly, if you have completed our Pre-IB programme, an equivalent year in another school system, or one year of the Danish Gymnasium. The IB Diploma Programme is taught in English.
Subjects in the IB Programme
Most subjects are available at both higher level (HL, 240 teaching hours over two years) and standard level (SL, 150 teaching hours over two years).
For the languages, the following levels are offered:
- Language A: First language (mother tongue)
- Language B: Continuation of foreign language (2-4 years of prior schooling or equivalent)
- Language ab initio: Beginners language (no prior knowledge expected)
To complete the IB Diploma Programme, you have to select 6 subjects (3 HL+3 SL), although it is possible to select 4 HL and/or 7 subjects at Nyborg Gymnasium, depending on your plans for higher education.
Choosing IB subjects is not a simple thing. You want to choose subjects that fulfils the entrance requirements in the areas of higher education that you are interested in, and several things need to be carefully considered:
- Pursue your passion: What are you passionate about/especially interested in?
- Think of entrance requirements – choose carefully: Which subjects and levels are required to enter these programmes of higher education?
- Consider you own skills – be realistic: What are your skills in the subjects required = what kind of grades are realistic for you?
- Avoid trying to keep all options open – be selective: How many subjects and especially HL subjects will you be able to cope with and still get good grades?
Consider these four questions very carefully, since the final IB Diploma has to fulfil two things:
- You need the right subjects and levels, in order to fulfil the entrance requirements for your desired, future higher education
- You need as many IB points as possible, in order to full the grade requirements for your desired, future higher education. Many higher educations have such grade cut-offs
Subjects in the IB Diploma Programme
For further guidance on selecting IB subject, please see the application form for the IB Diploma Programme, and contact the IB Coordinator.
There are written examinations in all chosen subjects, and in the languages, there are also oral examinations. Examinations are in English, with the obvious exception of the other language subjects. Grades from 1 to 7 are given in each of the six chosen subjects, with 7 as the highest grade. Three extra points in total can be given for the Extended Essay and for Theory of Knowledge. A total of 24 points, from the grades for the six subjects and these extra points, is required to complete the IB Diploma.
Students failing to get a full Diploma will receive course certificates stating the results, and can be re-examined in the following examination period if they want to obtain a full Diploma.
Exam rules are set by the International Baccalaureate Organisation to ensure fair and equal treatment of students around the world (see www.ibo.org).
Links
International Baccalaureate Organization
www.ibo.org
International Baccalaureate World Schools in Denmark
http://ib-skoler.dk/schools.html
Official IBO material for parents and students
About the IB Diploma Programme
http://ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/
General regulations: Diploma Programme
http://www.ibo.org/globalassets/publications/become-an-ib-school/dp-general-regulations-en.pdf
IB learner profile
http://www.ibo.org/contentassets/fd82f70643ef4086b7d3f292cc214962/learner-profile-en.pdf
Further information
Please contact the IB Coordinator for further information.
The application deadline for Pre-IB Programme, the IB Diploma Programme, and the boarding school is 1 February.
Links to application forms
Admission and Promotion Policy
Preface
This policy was developed using the publications “Candidates with assessment access requirements” (IBO, 2009), “Meeting student learning diversity in the classroom” (IBO, 2013) and “Learning diversity in the International Baccalaureate programmes: Special educational needs within the International Baccalaureate programmes” (IBO, 2010). The policy is made available to the all stakeholders on the IB section of Nyborg Gymnasium’s website, and to students and teachers on the intranet, Lectio. Students and teachers are informed of the policy, when they start at Nyborg Gymnasium.
Aim
At Nyborg Gymnasium, we welcome students from all over the world into our IB Diploma Programme. Our ambition is to create an international and inspiring learning environment based on the values of the IB Mission Statement and the IB Learner Profile. Applicants with the right motivation and approach to learning will be accepted, providing that their prior schooling indicate an ability to achieve the standards required for an IB Diploma.
Our aim is to have a student body with a rich diversity in cultural backgrounds, nationalities, interests and languages. As a public school in Denmark, we do not have any tuition fees and we have chosen to maintain that we welcome high ability applicants as well as applicants of average scholastic abilities, as long as they have the right attitude towards both schoolwork and contributing to our school community.
The IB Diploma Programme may not be the right choice for all students, and an aim of our Admission and Promotion Policy is to ensure that those students who will benefit from joining other educational programmes receive advice and guidance to this end. A further aim of the policy is to identify students with special educational needs at an early stage, allowing us to initiate measures to support their learning towards successfully achieving the standards of the IB Diploma.
Overview of the educational background of our applicants
The Danish school system consists of 9 years of compulsory school (primary/lower secondary school), an optional 10th year and then 3 years of upper secondary school (high school), which are numbered year 11-13. Consequently, it is possible to join our programme at two stages, either for the preparatory year 11, termed Pre-IB, or directly into the IB Diploma Programme, year 12 (IB1) and 13 (IB2).
Information about our Pre-IB and IB Diploma Programmes
We have a number of activities aimed at providing potential students and their parents with information about our Pre-IB and IB Diploma Programmes:
Outreach to lower secondary schools
We invite groups of interested students from the Danish lower secondary schools to visit us for a two-day introductory programme of information and especially targeted tuition. A significant portion of our IB students has attended these introductory programmes.
Information evening
Potential students and their parents are invited to an information evening in advance of the application deadline, where they are informed about the requirements and contents of our Pre-IB and IB Diploma Programmes.
Individual visits to our school
A large number of potential students, especially from abroad, arrange for individual visits to our school, where they meet the IB Coordinator.
Admission to the Pre-IB Programme year 11
Pre-IB applicants from the Danish school system
The majority of our Pre-IB students come with 9 or 10 years of schooling from the national Danish system. Admission is based on an application containing the most recent grades, a motivational statement, and an evaluation of their readiness for further studies based on a statement from a counsellor at their previous school. We accept students with an average Danish grade of 5 from year 9, along with a grade of 7 in English and Mathematics, and this entrance level is based on our prior knowledge of how the Danish students cope with the requirements of the IB Diploma.
Pre-IB applicant from foreign school systems
All applicants from foreign school systems have to fulfil the same basic requirements as applicants from the Danish school system. An application containing the most recent grades, a motivational statement, and a statement from their previous school is required. The Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science has produced a database containing information on educational systems from all over the world, containing information about the structure, subject levels and grades of foreign systems. This database is used to evaluate foreign applicants. To clarify the entry level of an applicant, the IB Coordinator can choose to conduct a personal face-to-face or Skype interview, or to ask the applicant to sit a standardised entrance test in English and/or Mathematics. In general, foreign applicants may be offered a place in our Pre-IB Programme if they only lack one more year of study to be eligible to join the IB Diploma Programme in their home country.
Admission to the IB Diploma Programme, year 12 (IB1) and 13 (IB2)
IB applicants from our own Pre-IB year
Applicants who have attended our Pre-IB year may be accepted into our IB Diploma Programme, provided that they fulfil a number of requirements. They need to achieve an average Danish grade of 4 in both their end-of-year grades and their end-of year exams. Their attitude, attendance record and written work are evaluated, and their choice of subjects are compared to the grades obtained in the respective subjects. The evaluation has four possible outcomes: 1) the student is accepted into IB1 without any conditions, 2) the student is conditionally accepted into IB1, with conditions stipulating goals to be achieved to allow continuation in the programme, 3) the student is offered the possibility of retaking Pre-IB, but only if there are sufficient reasons, e.g. long-term illness or personal issues, or 4) the student is asked to consider other educational programmes and is provided with guidance towards selecting an appropriate alternative. Pre-IB applicants have been through extensive guidance to ensure selection of appropriate IB subjects, with the evaluation of appropriateness being based on plans for further studies abroad or in Denmark after the IB Diploma, as well as on abilities and interests. Low grades might prohibit certain subject choices.
IB applicants from other Danish schools
The Pre-IB year follows the same curriculum as the 1st year of the Danish 3-year upper secondary school. Consequently, we accept students from other Danish schools, provided that they fulfil the requirements expected of our own Pre-IB students. An application containing the most recent grades, a motivational statement, and a statement from their previous school is required. IB applicants from other Danish schools are guided to ensure selection of appropriate IB subjects, with the evaluation of appropriateness being based on plans for further studies abroad or in Denmark after the IB Diploma, as well as on abilities and interests. Low grades might prohibit certain subject choices.
IB applicants from foreign school systems
All applicants from foreign school systems have to meet the same standards as applicants from our own Pre-IB year. An application containing the most recent grades, a motivational statement, and a statement from their previous school is required. As mentioned above, the Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science has produced a database containing information on educational systems from all over the world, containing information about the structure, subject levels and grades of foreign systems. This database is used to evaluate foreign applicants. To clarify the entry level of an applicant, the IB Coordinator can choose to conduct a personal face-to-face or Skype interview, or to ask the applicant to sit a standardised entrance test in English and/or Mathematics. In general, foreign applicants may be offered a place in our IB Diploma Programme if they are eligible to join the IB Diploma Programme in their home country. IB applicants from foreign school systems are guided to ensure selection of appropriate IB subjects, with the evaluation of appropriateness being based on plans for further studies abroad or in Denmark after the IB Diploma, as well as on abilities and interests. Low grades might prohibit certain subject choices.
Promotion from IB1 to IB2
At the end of IB1, the end-of-year grades along with the end-of-year mock exams form the basis for a decision regarding promotion of a student. The student’s attitude, attendance record, written work and CAS activities are considered along with their grades. The evaluation has four possible outcomes: 1) the student is promoted to IB2 without any conditions, 2) the student is conditionally promoted to IB2, with conditions stipulating goals to be achieved to allow continuation in the programme, 3) the student is offered the possibility of retaking IB1, but only if there are sufficient reasons, e.g. long-term illness or personal issues, or 4) the student is asked to consider other educational programmes and is provided with guidance towards selecting an appropriate alternative.
Procedures for securing acceptance from Pre-IB into IB1, and promotion from IB1 to IB2
Procedures are in place to ensure the acceptance of able students from Pre-IB into IB1, and promotion from IB1 to IB2. The school’s Study Rules and Regulations stipulate a set of sanctions, ranging from a talk with a counsellor, an educational reprimand, a written warning, a final warning in the form of a contract and ultimately expulsion, which can be imposed as disciplinary measures. Every four weeks the academic standing of each Pre-IB and IB student is evaluated at a meeting between the IB Coordinator, the IB Counsellors, the Head of Boarding School and the IB Secretary and if necessary, appropriate disciplinary measures are taken.
As described in the Special Education Needs Policy, our school has a number of measures, which can be initiated to ensure the successful development of students with such needs.
Admission to our Boarding School or Student Apartments
Many of our Pre-IB and IB students live on campus, either in our Boarding School or the Student Apartments situated next to the school.
Admission to the Boarding School is based on an application containing a motivational letter and information on any medical issues. The selection criteria are mainly based on commuting time and social considerations. Any boarder must have a contact person in Denmark. The boarding fee for students below 18 years of age may be reduced, depending on their parents’ income.
The Student Apartments are owned by a private company, but the school can recommend specific students. This recommendation will be mainly based on commuting time and social considerations.
Academic Honesty Policy
Preface
This policy was developed using the publication “Academic honesty” (IBO, 2009). The policy is made available to the all stakeholders on the IB section of Nyborg Gymnasium’s website, and to students and teachers on the intranet – Lectio. Students and teachers are informed of the policy, when they start at Nyborg Gymnasium.
Aim
This policy aims to:
- Promote correct academic practice within an honest and principled school culture
- Enable students to understand academic honesty and dishonesty
- Encourage students to seek support from teachers when completing work so as to prevent instances of malpractice
- Ensure students understand the value of accurate acknowledgement of others’ work
- Acknowledge that plagiarism and other malpractice are a serious disciplinary matter
Scope
This policy refers to all work set and completed in or out of school, including homework and formal assessment. It is expected that:
- All students understand academic honesty’s meaning and significance.
- All students’ work is their own work.
- Student work may include others’ ideas, appropriately acknowledged.
- Students may collaborate but not collude.
- Students understand and fully obey the rules of behaviour associated with examinations.
Terminology
Academic honesty refers to:
- Correct conduct relating to examinations;
- Producing authentic work;
- Full acknowledgement of others’ work;
- Protection of intellectual property.
Malpractice refers to any behaviour that may result in a student gaining an unfair advantage. Academic dishonesty/malpractice includes:
- Plagiarism: the representation of the ideas or work of another person as the student’s own
- Collusion: supporting malpractice by another candidate, as in allowing one’s work to be copied or submitted for assessment by another
- Duplication/replication of work: this is defined as the presentation of the same work for different assessment components and/or diploma requirements
- Making up, modifying or omitting data
- Falsifying records
- Taking unauthorised material into an examination or test
- Misbehaving during an examination or test
- Referring to non-existent work
- Citing work that has not actually been read by the student
- Not complying with examiners’ or invigilators’ instructions
- Impersonating another student
- Including offensive material in an assessment
- Stealing or attempting to steal examination material
- Disclosing the contents of examinations
- Using unauthorised calculators or other equipment
- Concealing unauthorised software in calculators
- All other forms of malpractice as described in the publication “Academic honesty” (IBO, 2009)
Academic honesty in practice:
- Collaboration: working openly with other students.
- Paraphrasing: re-writing another’s ideas, which must be acknowledged.
- Quoting: clearly indicating by quotation marks that e.g. a paragraph is inserted directly from a stated source.
- Acknowledging: clearly identifying the source of any intellectual property utilised in a piece of work.
All ideas of others must be acknowledged using an appropriate system. All appropriate referencing systems will be accepted for IB assessment, but at Nyborg Gymnasium the students can choose between the Harvard, or the Chicago referencing styles.
Student responsibility
Each student is responsible for:
- Ensuring all work is authentic
- Giving full and correct acknowledgements
- Managing deadlines so that time for a self-authentication check is possible
All work submitted, whether in draft or final version, whether an explicit declaration is made or not, is considered to be authentic. If the first submission is found to be plagiarised, resubmission is subject to the permission of the IB Coordinator and is only granted under special circumstances.
Teacher responsibility
Teachers will exercise their professional judgement before signing off IB Diploma cover sheets/declarations. If a student cannot prove to the satisfaction of the relevant teacher/supervisor or the Diploma Programme Coordinator that the work is authentic, a cover sheet will not be signed.
Teachers should take the following precautions:
- Scan students’ work through the plagiarism detection system Ephorus.
- Speak with students about academic honesty and malpractice.
- Read student work to gain an impression of the student’s writing standard and style and so be vigilant for obvious changes in writing standard and style.
- Investigate concerns relating to academic honesty and malpractice. If malpractice is suspected, the work must not be accepted or submitted for assessment. As per the IB’s suggestion:
- The student has one opportunity to revise and resubmit in sufficient time for the work to be assessed.
- If there is not enough time for (i), an F must be entered, resulting in no grade for the subject and no Diploma awarded.
- An F will be entered, as above, if a student cannot prove to the Diploma Programme Coordinator’s satisfaction that the work is authentic.
If plagiarism becomes apparent after a student’s work has been submitted, the IB Curriculum and Assessment office must be informed.
Student support and prevention of malpractice
The following steps are taken to inform students and prevent malpractice:
- At the beginning of the school year, the IB Coordinator explains the school’s study rules and regulations, with special focus on academic honesty and malpractice, to new students. The procedures for investigation and the consequences of malpractice are outlined
- Teachers must demonstrate appropriate acknowledgments in everyday teaching.
- Students will be reminded during normal lessons of their academic honesty obligations
- Students will be given a copy of Conduct of Examinations
- In the spring term of 2i/DP1, students will be introduced to the Extended Essay process, which will involve advice on the appropriate citation of resources
Investigating malpractice
Investigations are conducted when malpractice is suspected.
If malpractice is detected by IB after assessment material has been submitted, the investigation is directed by IBCA. Similarly, IBCA regulations direct investigations relating to malpractice during examinations.
Suspected malpractice relating to internal assessments (IA) or extended essays (EE) will be investigated as follows:
- The IBDP Coordinator will be advised in writing by the teacher/supervisor, after the teacher/supervisor has spoken to the student
- If the student accepts that malpractice has occurred, if there is time, and if the declaration on the IA/EE cover sheet has not been signed, the student may re-submit an IA/EE subject to permission from the IB Coordinator
- If the student does not accept that malpractice has occurred, the teacher/supervisor will prepare a written submission detailing the suspicion of malpractice. A meeting will be held, chaired by the IBDP Coordinator, together with the student and his or her parents if he or she agrees, and the teacher/supervisor. A written record of the meeting will be kept
- The student will be asked to submit material supporting his or her claim that the IA/EE is authentic. This may include draft material, research material, or a verbal explanation of the IA/EE’s content. The meeting may include a verbal test relating to the content of the IA/EE
- If the teacher/supervisor is not prepared to sign the cover sheet, this decision is final. The consequence is a Grade F
Consequences of malpractice
External and Internal summative assessment components
At the time of writing, the IB advises the following consequence of malpractice:
- If the plagiarism is minimal (called an ‘Academic Infringement’), no marks are awarded for the component but a grade for the subject will be.
- If all or part of any assignment has been plagiarised then no grade will be awarded for the subject and the Diploma cannot be awarded.
- Examination misconduct means no grade for a specific subject and therefore no Diploma is awarded.
- Falsifying a CAS record means no Diploma may be awarded within 12 months. If a correct CAS record is submitted a Diploma may be awarded.
- Serious misconduct may mean a candidate will not be allowed to re-register.
- An IB Diploma may be withdrawn at any time if malpractice is established after a Diploma has been awarded.
Internal formative assessment (homework, classwork, internal examinations)
Students who have plagiarised homework tasks will be required to resubmit the work to an academically honest standard. As a follow-up, the student may receive a written warning for breaking the study rules and regulations at Nyborg Gymnasium. This sanction will depend on the nature of the malpractice and whether it is a reoccurring offence. Malpractice in internal examinations will be regarded as a serious disciplinary offence and may have consequences for the promotion of the student.
Assessment Policy
Preface
This policy was developed using the “Guidelines for developing a school assessment policy in the Diploma Programme” (IBO, 2010). The policy is made available to the all stakeholders on the IB section of Nyborg Gymnasium’s website, and to students and teachers on the intranet – Lectio. Students and teachers are informed of the policy, when they start at Nyborg Gymnasium.
Assessment values and principles
In assessing our students, we are guided by the following values and principles:
- The IB teachers recognize that our IB students come to the school from different cultural backgrounds and with different expectations, needs and learning styles.
- The IB students must receive constructive feedback on their performance and learning skills, in order to be able to improve their learning process.
- The IB students must be able to communicate with the teacher about the assessment, and whenever appropriate, the students must be asked to reflect on their own learning skills, learning process and self-evaluation.
During the progress of the school-year, assessment and evaluation:
- are integrated in the continuous planning of lessons and topics.
- monitor the progress of student learning skills and academic achievement.
- are planned collaboratively to secure the concurrency of learning.
- allow the teachers and students to adjust their practices.
- are used to familiarise the students with the IB Diploma criteria and requirements for each Diploma subject.
- should feel relevant and motivating to both students and teachers.
- are introduced through a variety of methods .
The IB Coordinator and IB Counsellors are responsible for communicating and discussing assessment of the individual students with:
- Students, to guide them in the choice of IB Diploma subjects and help secure their successful completion of the IB Diploma programme
- Parents and guardians, when a student is below the age of 18, or all through the programme if a student is enrolled as a boarder.
- Subject teachers, who will use official exam results and feedback on these to evaluate their practice individually as well as collaboratively. New subject teachers receive overall guidance from the IB Coordinator and help from experienced colleagues, who function as mentors.
- Institutions of higher education and the IB, when transmitting relevant data.
How are students informed about the development of their learning skills:
How we help the students to improve, realise their potential and set goals (formative assessment):
- Some tests and assignments are set with the goal of enhancing the students’ understanding of the assessment criteria and their own learning techniques. These are types of assignments that often happen as part of the daily teaching and learning.
- We base our ideas about formative assessment on the principles of visible learning, where the students and teachers engage in an on-going dialogue on the approach to learning and the effect of the tuition.
- Some marking will be conducted as peer-marking and self-marking, where the students become actively engaged in understanding and applying the marking criteria that are used in IB exams, in order to enhance the self-evaluative skills of the students.
- Feedback between teacher and students take place on a daily basis in relationships based on trust and respectful open-mindedness – sometimes the feedback is arranged through individual interviews, evaluation questionnaires, or class talks about the learning processes in class.
- Feedback between the teachers, students and their parents happens once in the first term of the pre-DP year, and thereafter when needed and on the behest of the parent, IB coordinator or IB counsellor.
- Students receive formative feedback on how to develop better study skills and time management skills from their teachers, IB Counsellor, IB Coordinator and EE Coordinator at appropriate times during the IB Diploma course.
When students need help:
- Students may seek help to complete their homework and assignments at the regular Study Centre afternoons, which take place on three afternoons a week.
- Students are welcome to contact their IB counsellor for individual advice on how to improve their learning and study skills.
- Nyborg Gymnasium has an IB Special Educational Needs policy (SEN policy) which outlines the possibilities for further help, consultation with specialists and arrangements related to assessment when these are needed.
How are students informed about the assessment of their academic standing:
How we use testing to assess each student (summative assessment):
- Summative assessment tasks are given e.g. tests in the subjects, end-of-year exams, internal assessment work/exams, mock exams and the official IB Diploma exams.
- Term grades are released through the school’s intranet – Lectio, twice per school year – in November and February.
Furthermore the end-of-year grades for the pre-DP and DP1(2i) year are released in June.
For students in DP2 (3i) the last grade is given in April – as the predicted grade, but this is only reported to the IB and not to the students, or parents/guardians.
- Pre-DP students receive counselling from the IB Coordinator and IB Counsellor on their choice of IB Diploma subjects in the period from January to June of the pre-DP year in order to ensure that their choice matches their academic strengths and capabilities in the best possible way. This counselling will be informed by the term grades and end-of-year results of each student.
- The summative assessment in term and end-of-year grades is based on tests, written assignments, oral presentations and general oral performance. The weighting of each of these elements vary from subject to subject according to the nature of the subject, however the weighting relates to the elements in the official assessment outline for each IB subject as found in each IB subject guide.
Exams at the end of pre-DP, DP1(2i) and mock exams in January of DP2(3i):
- Mock exams will be held in June between pre-DP and the IB Diploma programme, as well as in June between DP1(2i) and DP2(3i), and finally in January of DP2(3i). Mock exams are used as summative assessment under exam like conditions to prepare students for the official exams at the end of the IB Diploma programme, but also to assess whether the individual students have the academic capability of successful promotion to the next school year.
- The end-of-year exams are scheduled as and planned to resemble the official exams, but are assessed by the subject teachers.
- Pre-DP :
- General Linguistics course and Basic Science course in the first term:
The General Linguistics course is completed by an official written exam (assessed by the General Linguistics teachers).
The Basic Science course is completed by an official oral exam (assessed by the Basic Science teachers)
- End-of-year exams:
Pre-IB students take end-of-year exams in English and Mathematics
- DP1(2i) End-of-year exams:
- Written exams in all IB Diploma subjects – often in several components, except in Visual Arts, Film, TOK and CAS. Specimens of previous official exams are often adapted by the teachers and used to give students a clear understanding of what the final exams will be like.
- DP2(3i) Mock exams in January:
- Mock exams in January of DP2(3i) serve the purpose of informing the teachers of the strengths and weaknesses of their class as a whole and of individual students, so they may target their tuition in the final months of the IB Diploma programme towards the needs of the students. The mock exams in January also serve as part of the basis for the predicted grades submitted to the IB in April and finally it serves as formative assessment for the upcoming IB candidates (3i students) who can realise their strengths and weaknesses hereby, and target their revision accordingly.
Assessment of the core of the Diploma Programme – Creativity –Activity –Service (CAS), Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and the Extended Essay:
Extended Essays:
- DP2(3i) students complete a 4000 word research based Extended Essay during the course of the Diploma Programme. The process of research and writing starts in March/April of the DP1(2i) year and finishes in October/November of the DP2(3i) year.
The students will have to complete their Extended Essays according to the Extended Essay calendar in order to uphold their registration for the IB Diploma exams the following May.
- The Extended Essay process is a supervised process, in which students are assigned a subject teacher as their supervisor. The supervisor will have meetings with the Extended Essay students and supervise the process, but will only comment on one draft essay before the submission of the final Extended Essay. Furthermore the Extended Essay coordinator is overall responsible for the planning of the process – in collaboration with the IB Coordinator, and is responsible for informing the Extended Essay students of the Extended Essay subject guide, the referencing style guide and the academic honesty policy of the school.
- The Extended Essay is assessed according to the mark bands stated in the Extended Essay guide, where the subject specific mark bands are also found. The essay is externally assessed and the marks awarded are converted to a grade between A and E, which are added to the grade awarded for the Theory of Knowledge components to award potential Diploma bonus points to the individual students. Please refer to the ‘How do we grade’ section of this policy for further information.
Theory of Knowledge (TOK):
- DP2(3i) students complete the Theory of Knowledge course by giving a presentation based on a TOK topic of their choice, as well as by writing a 1600 word TOK essay based on one of the prescribed titles for the TOK essays of that year.
- Both the essay and the presentation are assessed using global impression marking. The essay contributes 67% of the final mark and the presentation contributes 33% of the final mark. (TOK subject guide first assessment 2015)
- The TOK presentation is internally assessed whereas the TOK essay is externally assessed. The marks awarded are converted to a grade between A and E, which are added to the grade awarded for the Extended Essay to award potential Diploma bonus points to the individual students. Please refer to the ‘How do we grade’ section of this policy for further information.
Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS):
- IB Diploma students complete CAS by fulfilling the requirements stated in the CAS subject guide and by participating in CAS activities continuously over the duration of the IB Diploma course. The CAS activities and the students’ subsequent reflections upon these activities must relate to the seven learning outcomes stated in the CAS subject guide.
- The student must engage in activities that involve all three CAS strands – Creativity, Activity and Service – during their Diploma course. At least one of the activities undertaken must be a long-term CAS project. For more information please see the CAS subject guide.
- IB Diploma students log all their CAS activities, and their reflections upon these via the web-database Managebac, for which they will receive a login at the beginning of their IB Diploma course.
- IB Diploma students have a CAS Coordinator/Adviser, who will monitor their progress through the activities logged on Managebac. The CAS Coordinator/Adviser will invite each student for formative interviews twice a year and further conversations as needed.
- At the end of the IB Diploma course in March/April of DP2/3i the IB Diploma students will write an overall reflective statement to sum-up and complete the CAS course. This final reflective statement will show whether the student has related his, or her activity to the learning outcomes and serves the purpose of developing the reflective skills of the student.
- The CAS Coordinators and CAS Advisers will evaluate the final CAS portfolio of the students – the sum of activities and reflections logged on Managebac. If all requirements stated in the CAS subject guide have been met, the students will be marked as ‘satisfactorily completed’ in the IB administrative database.
- The CAS subject will not contribute to the grades of the IB Diploma candidate, but further recognition for exemplary CAS efforts may be awarded at the graduation of the Diploma candidates.
- If a student has not completed his, or her CAS satisfactorily, he or she will be marked as such in the IB administrative database. The student will subsequently be required to complete CAS according to the requirements of the subject guide, and will not achieve his, or her IB Diploma until the requirements are satisfactorily completed. The assessment of this is the responsibility of the CAS Coordinators and subject to moderation by the IB.
Official IB Diploma exams:
- The dates of the official IB Diploma exams are set by the IB and released approximately one year before the exams begin.
- The IB Coordinator and administrative staff schedule the exams according to the dates set by the IB, and make sure that the DP2(3i) students are registered for the exams.
- The DP2(3i) students are informed about the general exam requirements and regulations at a meeting in April.
- The exams take place in a secure location at the school, or at a locality nearby, and are conducted according to IB regulations.
- If any malpractice is discovered during the exams the students involved will face immediate expulsion from the exam, and may be excluded from further exams depending on the nature of the malpractice. For more information on malpractice, please see Nyborg Gymnasium’s IB Academic Honesty policy.
- Access to official IB Diploma exam results via the IBIS database are released on the 6th of July each year. This is followed by the dispatch of the IB Diplomas and Course Certificates in August.
- The IB Coordinator will be available for contact after the release of the results as announced in a letter to the students upon completion of their exams in May.
The IB Coordinator will investigate the grades awarded for each subject and student and will decide whether to take action in the form of an enquiry upon result (EUR).
- The official exam results are evaluated in meetings between the IB subject group teachers and the IB Coordinator.
- November and/or May retake exams are only open to Nyborg Gymnasium’s IB graduates and only upon permission from the IB Coordinator
How do we grade?
In the IB Diploma programme the following grades are used:
Grade
|
Description |
7
|
Excellent |
6
|
Very Good |
5
|
Good |
4
|
Satisfactory |
3
|
Mediocre |
2
|
Poor |
1
|
Very Poor |
The Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essays receive the following grades:
Grade
|
Description |
A
|
Excellent performance |
B
|
Good performance |
C
|
Satisfactory performance |
D
|
Mediocre performance |
E
|
Elementary performance |
The grades from Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay results in extra points in accordance with the TOK/EE Matrix from the IB Publication: The diploma points matrix (May 2015 onwards) from 2014
ToK
|
A
|
B
|
C
|
D
|
E
|
A
|
3
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
Failing condition
|
B
|
3
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
C
|
2
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
D
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
E
|
Failing condition
|
IB subject specific grade descriptors (found on the IB teacher’s online curriculum centre (OCC)) are used as the basis for awarding grades, in addition to any assessment-specific mark schemes for the individual subject components. The student’s answer is assessed according to a ‘best-fit’ practice, when the marks given fit with majority of descriptors in the IB mark-bands. If a piece of work seems to fall between two level descriptors, only partially fulfilling the requirements of the higher descriptor, teachers re-read both of the descriptors in question and choose the descriptor which most appropriately describes the candidate’s work.
The students should be made familiar with the assessment criteria for each subject and its assessment components from the beginning of the Diploma Programme. The subject teachers are responsible for the introduction to the assessment criteria in relation their subject and its components.
In the pre-IB year the following grades are used for term grades and for assessment purposes in general. They are the grades used in the Danish Studentereksamen (STX), as the pre-IB year follows the 1st year curriculum of the Danish Studentereksamen:
Danish Grade
|
Description |
12
|
For an excellent performance |
10
|
For a very good performance |
7
|
For a good performance |
4
|
For a fair performance |
02
|
For an adequate performance |
00
|
For an inadequate performance |
-3
|
For an unacceptable performance |
Students not writing in their first language
Many students are English language learners and will not be taking the exams or other assessment in their best language. Teachers are not marking the language used by the students, but it is important that students present their answers as clearly as possible. All teachers should aid students by highlighting major language mistakes, when detected.
Who assesses the students?
All students are assessed by:
- IB subject teachers – during the course of the programme, for all end-of-year exams and mock exams, and for all internal assessment subject components.
- Examiners assigned by the IB, for all components, which are externally assessed or moderated.
Collaboration:
- All assignments, Extended Essay process and exams are planned according to the school’s assessment calendar, which is coordinated each year by the IB Coordinator. The IB teachers contribute to this calendar collaboratively at a planning meeting.
- Assessment is planned to secure concurrency of learning within and across subjects.
- Assessment of assignments, mock exams and official Internal Assessment may take place collaboratively, so teachers can benefit from collective experience, when assessing the students.
Resources used for assessment:
- All IB teachers base their assessment in the criteria stated in the IB subject guides. The tasks and assignments undertaken in classes will vary according to the plans of the subject teachers, but will always reflect the topics and components stated in the subject guide for the subject.
- Teachers attend IB specific professional development regularly, during which assessment is discussed, also they have access to IB teacher support material relating to assessment in their subjects.
- The mock exams and many of the tests and assignments used in classes will be based on past official IB exams and exam questions. These are available to the teachers in IB question banks and past exam collections.
- Official IB documents are available to all teachers through the Online Curriculum Centre (OCC): e.g. General Regulations, Diploma Programme assessment: principles and practice, Diploma Programme: From principles into practice, Approaches to teaching and learning in the Diploma Programme.
Appendix 1:
Conditions for the award of the IB diploma
- From: The Diploma Programme General Regulations. International Baccalaureate Organisation 2014.
Article 13: Award of the IB Diploma
13.1 All assessment components for each of the six subjects and the additional Diploma requirements must be completed in order to qualify for the award of the IB Diploma, except under the conditions stipulated in articles 18 and 19 of these regulations.
13.2 The IB Diploma will be awarded to a candidate provided all the following requirements have been met.
- CAS requirements have been met.
- The candidate’s total points are 24 or more.
- There is no “N” awarded for theory of knowledge, the extended essay or for a contributing subject.
- There is no grade E awarded for theory of knowledge and/or the extended essay.
- There is no grade 1 awarded in a subject/level.
- There are no more than two grade 2s awarded (HL or SL).
- There are no more than three grade 3s or below awarded (HL or SL).
- The candidate has gained 12 points or more on HL subjects (for candidates who register for four HL subjects, the three highest grades count).
- The candidate has gained 9 points or more on SL subjects (candidates who register for two SL subjects must gain at least 5 points at SL).
- The candidate has not received a penalty for academic misconduct from the Final Award Committee.
13.3 A maximum of three examination sessions is allowed in which to satisfy the requirements for the award of the IB Diploma. The examination sessions need not be consecutive.
Appendix 2:
Conversion to Danish grades:
IB points
|
Danish grades
|
24
|
2.7
|
25
|
3.3
|
26
|
3.8
|
27
|
4.3
|
28
|
4.9
|
29
|
5.5
|
30
|
6.0
|
31
|
6.6
|
32
|
7.1
|
33
|
7.6
|
34
|
8.0
|
35
|
8.5
|
36
|
9.0
|
37
|
9.4
|
38
|
9.8
|
39
|
10.2
|
40
|
10.6
|
41
|
10.9
|
42
|
11.2
|
43
|
11.5
|
44
|
11.9
|
45
|
12.7
|
Conversion of individual grades:
IB grade
|
Danish grade
|
1
|
00
|
2
|
00
|
3
|
02
|
4
|
7
|
5
|
7
|
6
|
10
|
7
|
12
|
Special Educational Needs Policy
Preface
This policy was developed using the publications “Candidates with assessment access requirements” (IBO, 2009), “Meeting student learning diversity in the classroom” (IBO, 2013) and “Learning diversity in the International Baccalaureate programmes: Special educational needs within the International Baccalaureate programmes” (IBO, 2010). The policy is made available to the all stakeholders on the IB section of Nyborg Gymnasium’s website, and to students and teachers on the intranet, Lectio. Students and teachers are informed of the policy, when they start at Nyborg Gymnasium.
Definition:
A student is in need of inclusive education if she/he fulfils one of the following:
- Has a significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of the student of the same class
- Has a disability, which prevents or hinders the student from making use of a school facility of a kind generally provided for students in the same class
- Has a disability which prevents or hinders the student from learning or performing compared to students in the same class
The disability or challenge could be:
- learning disabilities
- specific learning difficulties, e.g. dyslexia, dyscalculia or physical disabilities
- communication and speech difficulties
- autism spectrum disorders
- social, emotional and behaviour challenges
- multiple disabilities and/or physical, sensory, medical or mental health issues.
Inclusive education is not related to language issues that are based on relocations etc.
Students who have to learn either Danish or English due to the reason mentioned above may seek a differentiated support in the daily lessons and at Nyborg Gymnasium’s study centre, which is open for all students three afternoons a week, but lack of language proficiency is not defined as a learning difficulty in the sense of inclusive education.
Aims and responsibilities:
Nyborg Gymnasium:
- Follows Danish laws regarding students who are in need of inclusive education
- Aims to adopt an inclusive stand on education, acknowledging the different learning skills and strategies of all students and supporting students’ needs in a positive, inclusive environment.
- Provides training for specialised staff to successfully implement this policy, e.g. support staff such as reading counsellors, mathematics counsellors, and the general IB counsellors.
- Secures staff awareness of the needs of students identified as students in need of inclusive education
- Ensures to start the process that students get diagnosed properly if any hints on learning difficulties arise such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, physical limitations etc.
- Advises students and parents and inform them about the Inclusive Assessment arrangements by the IB
- Submits an application to the IB for Inclusive Assessment arrangements at the Official Diploma Programme exams
- Provide the facilities and support for students with inclusive educational needs, if possible
Students and parents:
- Provide information about special educational needs or potential special educational needs
- Communicate to the school all documents related the inclusive educational needs at the earliest possible opportunity
- Contact and secure the required documentation from external experts, e.g. psychologists and doctors, and previous school records.
- Communicate with the school regarding any changes to those needs
- Actively seeks information and support in relation to their needs.
General practices that support special educational needs:
Nyborg Gymnasium aims to adhere to the following four principles of good practice in supporting the learning of all its students, including those in need of special educational needs:
- Affirming identity and building self-esteem – making all students realise their abilities and potentials to reach a result that reflects their potential.
- Valuing prior knowledge – developing teaching strategies that enable students to refer back to prior learning, or to identify areas where prior knowledge needs further development.
- Scaffolding – using different teaching strategies to build a platform of understanding in the individual student and strategies for further individual exploration.
- Extending learning – ensuring the academic progression through learner-centred practice and the support of differentiated learning.
Source: ’Learning diversity in the International Baccalaureate programmes: Special educational needs within the International Baccalaureate programmes’, International Baccalaureate Organisation, 2010.
Identification of Special Educational Needs:
- Will normally happen during the admissions procedure, where students and parents inform the school of special needs and provide the appropriate documentation relating to these needs.
- May also be identified through admissions testing, or a subsequent screening of the students in for example Mathematics or the languages.
- May be identified by teachers and students during the course in relation to subject specific problems.
- May arise during the programme if the student experiences illness, or other personal challenges.
Procedures during the IB Diploma Programme and the pre-Diploma year:
- The individual needs and challenges of the individual student will be taken into consideration in the process of selecting the right subjects for the IB Diploma – whether during the course of the pre-Diploma year, or in the admissions procedure for the IB Diploma for students applying to enter directly into the IB Diploma Programme.
- The student might be invited for/independently seek counselling by the IB Coordinator and/or the IB counsellors, who might refer the student to specialists, such as the school psychologists, educational counsellors, or medical specialists.
- The student may seek further help in the Study Centre, or a teacher may recommend this to the student.
- The student and educational counsellors can apply for extra resources tailored to help the individual student. These may include a dedicated computer with special software designed to aid students with a specific learning difficulty, or they may include extra hours for individual tuition or mentoring.
Procedures relating to official IB Diploma examinations:
- The IB Coordinator must request inclusive assessment arrangements from the IB no later than 6 months before the official exams (15th of November for May exams the following year). These are requested through a D1 form in the IB administrative system – IBIS. Please see below for further information.
- If a student is affected by adverse circumstances, such as illnesses, or personal circumstances that have an effect on the student’s ability to perform in the exams, or any of the other assessment components, the IB Coordinator may submit a D2 form through the above-mentioned system – IBIS. This form must be accompanied by appropriate documentation such as medical certificates, specialists statements etc. all of which must be submitted in English, or in a school-approved translation to English.
Assessment arrangements
The following paragraphs are copied from the IB DP’s Handbook of procedures to explain the possible assessment arrangements that do not require (A) and that do require (B) authorization by the IB
Assessment arrangements not requiring authorization (A)
At the discretion of the coordinator (or head of school), the following arrangements are permitted in examinations without prior authorization from the IB Assessment centre.
3.1 A candidate is permitted to take an examination in a separate room if it is in the best interests of the candidate or other candidates in the group. For example, lighting may be a particular consideration for a candidate with a visual impairment, or a room with an echo may be difficult for a candidate with autism. Furthermore, a candidate’s condition or the nature of the inclusive assessment arrangement (for example, a scribe, a computer) may disturb other candidates, in which case a separate examination room is justified. If the examination is taken in a separate room, all regulations governing the conduct of IB examinations must be observed. The candidate must be kept under the constant supervision of an invigilator.
3.2 The coordinator may arrange for appropriate seating to meet the needs of individual candidates (for example, sitting near the front may be appropriate for a candidate with vision or hearing difficulties).
3.3 An assistant, if necessary a nurse, may be in attendance if this is necessary for the welfare or safety of a candidate. The assistant must not be another candidate or a relative of the candidate.
3.4 A candidate who normally uses an aid (for example, a coloured overlay, a Braille slate, a sound amplification device, a radio aid, a hearing aid, a low vision aid, a magnifying aid, coloured filter lenses) is allowed to use the aid in examinations. Note: It is in breach of regulations if candidates are found in possession of any other mobile devices in the examination room.
3.5 A candidate with a hearing condition may receive instructions from a communicator. This arrangement must be confined to explaining the conduct of the examination and the instructions in an examination paper. The communicator must not convey information about any aspect of a question in the paper without prior authorization from IB Assessment centre.
3.6 If a candidate has difficulties in reading or attention, test directions may be clarified by the invigilator or a designated reader. This arrangement must be strictly confined only to clarifying the directions and the instructions and not the content of the questions.
3.7 Magnifying devices to enlarge and read print may be used by candidates with vision issues. These may include magnifying glasses and line magnifiers.
3.8 For a candidate who has colour blindness, the coordinator (or invigilator) is permitted to name colours in an examination paper (for example, on a map in a geography examination). However, no other form of assistance may be given without authorization from the IB Assessment centre.
3.9 A candidate who is hypersensitive to sound is permitted the use of noise buffers such as headsets, earplugs and individual workstations with acoustic screens. If an individual workstation is employed, all regulations governing the conduct of IB examinations must be observed. The candidate must be kept under the constant supervision of an invigilator.
3.10 A candidate may be permitted rest breaks if required to do so due to medical, physical, psychological or other conditions. The amount of time permitted for rest breaks is not counted towards the duration of the candidate’s examination. Rest breaks must be supervised to ensure that the security of the examination is maintained. There must be no communication with, or disturbance to, other candidates. The amount of rest time and number of breaks permitted must be pre-determined and will depend upon the candidate’s circumstances, although 10-minutes per hour is the general recommendation. During a rest break, the candidate is not permitted to read, respond to the examination paper or write notes of any kind. Candidates may be allowed to leave the room for all or part of the rest periods. For example, a candidate with diabetes may be provided rest breaks to check blood sugar levels and take medication. If a candidate’s personal examination timetable is such that, with rest periods and additional time more than six and a half hours of examinations would take place in one day, rescheduling should be requested.
3.11 A candidate may be permitted the use of a prompter due to attention issues, psychological or neurological conditions. A prompter would ensure that a candidate pays attention to the examination. The use of the prompter should not disturb other candidates. The coordinator or invigilator may act as a prompter, but the examination must be conducted according to IB regulations. In all cases, the prompter may only prompt the candidate and not provide any form of assistance. The prompt may be a gentle tap on the candidate’s arm or desk/table but should not be given verbally. The prompter must not draw the candidate’s attention to any part of the examination paper or script. The prompter should be familiar with the candidate’s behaviour so that he/she knows when the candidate is off-task. The candidate should be familiar with the kind of prompt that he/she would likely receive from the prompter. The prompter should be in a position that provides a view of the candidate’s disposition rather than his/her work. The candidate should not feel as though he/she is under pressure or scrutiny.
3.12 At the discretion of the coordinator, a candidate may be given additional time to complete assignments during the two-year programme (for example, the extended essay, the theory of knowledge (TOK) essay) without authorization from the IB. However, if an extension to the deadline for the submission of work for assessment is required, the coordinator must contact IB Answers (See section 4.8 Access to extensions and exemptions).
Assessment arrangements requiring authorization (B)
All inclusive assessment arrangements other than those listed in this section must have prior authorization from the IB Assessment Centre.
All requests for inclusive assessment arrangements must now be submitted using the online system on IBIS. The Request for inclusive assessment arrangements is located under the Candidate tab and must be submitted no later than 15 November, 6 months before the written examinations. Requests for modified papers will not be authorized after this deadline. Before completing the request, the candidate must be registered for the intended examination session.
Inclusive assessment arrangements approved for a candidate will automatically apply for all examination sessions for which they are registered. It is not necessary to submit a second request. However, if a candidate’s requirements change after the initial request, the IB must be notified.
Evidence and information required
The following supporting documentation must be submitted (uploaded) with the online Request for inclusive assessment arrangements:
- medical/psychological/psycho-educational documentation (translated into English)
and
- at least one piece of educational evidence.
The purpose of the educational evidence is to show that the access requested has been the candidate’s usual way of participating in classroom activities and tests. Examples of educational evidence include:
- anecdotal observations from the school such as records or correspondence from a class teacher, a learning support/inclusion coordinator or school counsellor
- an individualized educational plan (IEP)
- samples of the candidate’s work (for example, showing unsuccessful work owing to lack of access or successful work owing to access given); the work submitted, which needs only be in one subject, must be work that has been written in English, French or Spanish
- evidence of correspondence or records from a previous school where the candidate was enrolled and whether the assessment arrangement was used.
Modifications to examination papers
For a candidate with a visual impairment, please provide specific details of the Braille code required. For candidates who require enlarged papers, the IB offers a standard enlargement on A3 paper (420 x 297 mm) with a font size of 18. If a candidate can access this, coordinators are encouraged to use this standard enlargement. Enlarged font size of 24 point on A3 paper may also be requested. For candidates who require an enlarged font on A4 paper (297 x 210 mm), the IB offers a standard 16 point font. Any other request for alternative font size that is not listed above as a standard modification may be considered only in exceptional circumstances.
In addition all students and parents have access to the IB DP document “Candidates with assessment access requirements” (IBO, 2009). This document is available from the school’s website, along with the Special Educational Needs Policy.
Language Policy
Preface
This policy was developed using the “Guidelines for developing a school language policy” (IBO, 2008). The policy is made available to the all stakeholders on the IB section of Nyborg Gymnasium’s website, and to students and teachers on the intranet – Lectio. Students and teachers are informed of the policy, when they start at Nyborg Gymnasium.
Language philosophy:
Nyborg Gymnasium is a Danish Upper Secondary School with approximately 950 students, of which the IB Diploma department with its 273 students is the only department with a programme conducted in English.
The school sees its strength in offering tuition with a high emphasis on student–centred participation and engagement. This develops students as active communicators and demands that all teachers are responsible for the language development of their students, whatever the language of the programme or subject.
- We aim at using and promoting a diversity of first- and second languages in Nyborg Gymnasium’s IB Diploma Programme.
- We aim at adapting the students’ linguistic abilities to their educational needs.
- We aim at enhancing English as the primary language for both students and teachers in the IB Diploma Programme; in class, as an internal working language, as a means of written communication and in everyday school activities.
Language profile:
The overall language environment of Nyborg Gymnasium is Danish, as 3/4 of the students at the school are students in programmes conducted in Danish, but for the 1/4 of the students, who are students in the IB Diploma Programme or the pre-Diploma year, the daily language is English.
The majority of teachers in the IB Diploma Programme and pre-Diploma year are Danes who have opted to teach in the IB Diploma Programme and they are therefore aware of teaching and learning in a language other than their native tongue. A smaller group of IB Diploma teachers are non-Danes mainly from countries where English is the native tongue.
The majority of the students in the IB Diploma Programme and the pre-Diploma year have Danish as their first language, or one of their best languages, whereas a sizable minority has Danish as a second language and fewer still have no knowledge of Danish, when they enrol in the programme.
All students in the IB Diploma Programme and the pre-Diploma year must be proficient in English. The level of proficiency is assessed through certificates and grades from prior education and possibly through admissions testing (cf. the school’s admissions policy) and interviews. The level of English required to successfully enter the IB Diploma and pre-Diploma year can be described through the following standards:
IB International Baccalaureate |
CEFR
Common European Framework of Reference |
ACTFL
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages |
University of Cambridge
ESOL Examinations |
Language B HL |
B2 Vantage |
Advanced |
First Certificate in English (FCE) |
Language B SL |
B1 Threshold |
Intermediate |
Preliminary English Test (PET) |
It should be noted here that a student entering directly into the IB Diploma Programme with a level of English that corresponds to Language B SL, should expect to put in considerable effort and time to reach progress to the Language B HL/B2 level, or higher, in order to be able to express him, or herself fluently and freely orally as well as in writing.
Most of the IB Diploma students at Nyborg Gymnasium choose English A Language and Literature, or English A Literature as part of their IB Diploma Programme, often in combination with Danish A Literature.
Only a minority chooses languages other than English and Danish; nonetheless the school offers the option of:
- School-supported self-taught Language A
- German and French language B
- Spanish, French and Mandarin at beginners’ level (ab initio), as well as Danish ab initio, which is only available in the pre-Diploma year
The proficiency required to enter the language courses offered as a part of the IB Diploma Programme, or the pre-Diploma programme is determined by the level of the course requested. The beginners’ languages require no prior knowledge of the language and these courses are only open to students with no prior knowledge, or little knowledge of the language taught.
The language B levels offered in English, Danish, French and German require a basic proficiency in the languages at standard level (SL) and an intermediate level of proficiency for entry into a language B course at higher level (HL), corresponding to 2-4 year of prior schooling or equivalent. The language B level courses are not open to students who are clearly natives in the language taught. This means students who are fluent orally as well as in writing.
The language A levels should only be chosen by students who feel fully proficient in the language taught/ the school-supported self-taught language. Please see the table below for further guidance:
IB International Baccalaureate |
CEFR
Common European Framework of Reference |
ACTFL
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages |
Instituto Cervantes Diploma de Espanol como Lengua Extranjera |
Alliance francaise Certificats et diplomes |
University of Cambridge
ESOL Examinations |
Language A: Literature HL
Language A: Language and Literature HL |
C2 Mastery |
Distinguished |
Superior |
Diploma de Hautes Etudes Francaises (DHEF) |
Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) |
Language A: Literature SL
Language A: Language and Literature SL
Literature and Performance SL |
C1 Effective Operational Mastery |
Superior |
|
Diploma Superieur- Langue et Culture Francise (DSLCF) |
Certificate in Advances English (CAE) |
Language B HL |
B2 Vantage |
Advanced |
Intermedio |
Diploma de Langue (DL) |
First Certificate in English (FCE) |
Language B SL |
B1 Threshold |
Intermediate |
Inicial |
Certicat dÉtudes Francais Tratique 2 (CEFP 2) |
Preliminary English Test (PET) |
Language ab initio |
A2 Waystage
A1 Breakthrough |
Novice High Novice Mid Novice Low |
|
Certifica dÉtudes Francais Pratique 1 (CEFP 1) |
Key English Test (KET) |
Use of language:
Students:
In class:
All communication is conducted in English with the appropriate terminology. A diversity of language classes on offer also encourages the use of other languages than English.
Outside class:
The IB section of the school aims to introduce more IB related activities such as guest lectures, social activities, IB national day, field trips (class related trips or meeting up with other IB schools), IB party (e.g. for teachers and students) and students should help initiate these.
English native speakers could help other students (also students in the Danish programmes) enhance their language abilities.
It is the aim to steadily increase the integration of students in the different educational programmes of the school and so they use both English and Danish in events that involve the whole school are a part of this integration, and the efforts of the IB Diploma students play a vital role in this.
Teachers:
In class:
All communication is conducted in English with the appropriate terminology. Teachers should enforce this from day one.
This includes all school related activities such as
- group work
- oral and written communication with students (even if both teacher and student are Danish speakers)
Language classes, excluding English, accept and encourage other languages.
Outside class:
Teachers should help motivate students to participate in school related activities e.g. assemblies, language workshops etc.
Teachers should initiate outside class activities e.g. field trips to other IB schools or subject related field trips.
Teachers should aim at communicating with each other in English at IB related meetings.