The Diploma Programme started in Geneva Switzerland in 1968. It is the first IB programme and therefore the oldest of the 3.  As of September 2023, there are 3,686 schools offering the DP, in 155 different countries worldwide. Today there are 48 International schools within Indonesia offering the DP. 

It is a world renowned programme that will open doors at universities worldwide including Indonesia. It is an academic rigorous programme that focuses not just on subject knowledge but develops the learner as a person including key skills for future life as well as open minded critical thinkers that are internationally minded. 

 The IB offers a broad range of subjects classified into six groups: Studies in Language and Literature, Language Acquisition, Individuals and Societies (Humanities), Sciences, Mathematics and The Arts.  Students must study one subject from each of the first five groups and another subject from either Group 6 (The Arts) or any other group. The purpose of this is to ensure that students are all-rounded. Subjects are offered at the Standard Level (SL) and the Higher Level (HL) and students have to study at least 3 HL subjects and the rest as SL subjects.

Students have various options to specialize in subject areas through course selections.  Students select  which courses they would like to participate in at either Standard or Higher Level. Each course has a detailed IB-provided syllabus, from which teachers design a comprehensive and cohesive curriculum that best fits SBB. 

What makes the IBDP unique from all other programs are the three ‘Core’ elements that complete the student experience. The Extended Essay (EE)  is a 4,000 word structured academic essay about a particular subject area in which the student is interested. The unique Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course teaches students how to question and critique sources of knowledge and indeed, their own values about the nature of knowledge. Creativity-Activity-Service (CAS) asks students to engage with, reflect on and document a range of outside-of-school experiences that will challenge them and help them stay mentally as well as physically balanced.

Overall, the IBDP is the ideal balance of academic rigor with elements that develop a young person’s personality and character. 

The IB Diploma Programme is a rigorous programme and at SBB we aim to place each student on a pathway where they have every chance of success. 

All students will be monitored throughout the entire program to ensure they are on target to meet all requirements.

 These checks  generally occur after each term, when summative grades are reported, as they provide a strong indicator of the student’s progress and likelihood of success.

Students moving from the MYP to the DP must meet the following minimum requirements but acceptance for each course is always done in consultation with subject teachers and coordinator.

• Achieve a minimum total of 24 points across the seven subject areas in year 10 of the MYP.  (L&L, LB, I&S, Sc, Math, VA or Music)
• Achieve a minimum final grade of 4 or above in any subject area they wish to pursue at DP Standard Level.
• Achieve a minimum final grade of 5 or above in any subject they wish to pursue at the DP Higher Level.
• Achieve a final grade of 4 or above in the Personal Project.
• Successfully meet the Service as Action Learning Outcomes by the end of year 10.
• Ensure that the course selection form is signed by the relevant DP teachers and the student’s Parents/Guardians.

For students who join our school at the end of year 10 we will have the English level entrance exam and prior school report cards to advise about the best pathway for the  student. For students who join the IB curriculum later there is the option to start in year 10 prior to the start of the DP to prepare them in the best way for the DP.

Within the full DP Students will select 6 subjects from 6 subject groups, 3 SL and 3 HL level. 

Students also complete the 3 CORE subjects of

• CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service)
• EE (Extended Essay)
• TOK (Theory of Knowledge)

Our Indonesian students also complete the national requirements for the subjects religion and civics. 

For the class of 2026 we offer;

• Language & Literature Indonesian or English
• English B, Indonesian Ab Initio or Spanish online
• History or Business Management
• Environmental systems & societies or Chemistry
• Math Analyses & applications
• Visual Arts, Music or Biology.

For more details on each subjects, please check our DP subject handbook for 2026

IB International standards 

The Diploma programme is a standardized exam programme. This means that exams are created by the IB, marked by the IB, and students all across the world will have similar exam conditions such as time allocated. Students within a similar time zone will sit the same exams on exactly the same day and time. The schedule is sent out by the IB. 

This means that for universities, all IB marks are guaranteed to be reliable and represent the same standards no matter in what school a student followed the IB programme.  

To ensure we follow strict IB protocol the school has written various policies including the assessment and reporting policy that have been checked and approved by the IB during our accreditation process. It is therefore important the IB students and their parents are familiar with procedures and responsibilities to ensure a fair examination session.  

Internal and external assessment 

In the DP students have various written exams. Each subject has an ‘Internal assessment’ (IA) and several ‘External Assessments’ that students sit during the month of May in year 12. 

The assessment in the DP measures the level of which students have mastered academic skills such as;

• Analyzing and presenting information
• Evaluating and constructing arguments
• Solving problems

External assessment

These exams take place during May of year 12. These exams weigh ‘heavy’ in the final marks released by IB in July.  These exams are used in all subjects because they are most objective and reliable. 

Examples of tasks during exams include;

• essays
• structured problems
• short-response questions
• data-response questions
• text-response questions
• case-study questions
• multiple-choice questions—though these are rarely used. 

Internal assessment

Each subject in the DP has an internal assessment. These are all tasks that go over a longer period of time. Major IA deadlines are agreed upon by teachers and the Diploma Programme Coordinator and published prior to the start of the school year in the IA calendar. These final deadlines are set on the DP1 and DP2 calendars and are unchangeable.

 Students will submit a completed draft after which they will receive detailed feedback from their teacher. Students submit their work for final submission after which the work will be marked and sent to IB. 

Internal assessments are marked by school and we will upload the detailed marking for each student. Based on group size IB will ask for random samples. If our marking is up to standards, all marks given by school will stay. If we mark students too low, all students get additional points. If we mark our students too high, all students in the class will lose marks. 

Teacher assessment is also used for most courses. This includes:

• oral work in languages
• fieldwork in geography
• laboratory work in the sciences
• investigations in mathematics
• artistic performances.

In the DP students are being marked on a scale from 1-7. To pass the IB exams students need to receive a final score of 4 on all HL subjects and a minimum of a 3 on SL subjects. Students can receive up to 3 ‘core’ points for the core subjects of the Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge. Students need to have a total of minimum 24 points to receive their diploma.

Group 1: L&L Indonesian and/or L&L English

The  Language and Literature course is offered in both Indonesian as well as English language. This course is meant for students who stream out of the MYP in phase 5 and 6 in year 10.    Students in the Language & Literature courses develop strong language skills, including analyzing and communicating for a range of purposes.

The course explores literature and texts from a variety of cultures and regions. This exposure helps students develop cultural awareness and sensitivity, which is important in an increasingly globalized world. Students learn to critically analyze and evaluate texts, including literature, media, and academic articles. This skill is valuable for making informed decisions and understanding complex issues. Through class discussions, presentations, and written assignments, students improve their ability to communicate ideas effectively. This is crucial for both interpersonal relationships and professional success. The ability to analyze and adapt to different communication contexts and audiences is a valuable skill in a rapidly changing world. 

Group 2: Language Acquisition – English B HL

This course is ‘English as a second language’ and is aiming for students who are not native level in the English language. Students in the IBDP English B HL course develop strong language skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening. They learn to express themselves clearly and effectively in English, a valuable skill for both academic and professional contexts. The course explores literature and texts from a variety of cultures and regions. This exposure helps students develop cultural awareness and sensitivity, which is important in an increasingly globalized world. Students learn to critically analyze and evaluate texts, including literature, media, and academic articles. This skill is valuable for making informed decisions and understanding complex issues. 

The IBDP English B HL course involves research projects and essays. Students learn how to conduct in-depth research, evaluate sources, and synthesize information, skills that are essential in higher education and many professions. Through class discussions, presentations, and written assignments, students improve their ability to communicate ideas effectively. This is crucial for both interpersonal relationships and professional success. The ability to analyze and adapt to different communication contexts and audiences is a valuable skill in a rapidly changing world.

Group 2: Language Ab Initio  Indonesian

This course is a beginner level Indonesian class and is aiming for foreigners new to the indonesian language.  Indonesian ab initio can lay the foundation for future language proficiency in Bahasa Indonesia. As students progress, they can continue to build on their language skills and achieve higher levels of fluency that will benefit them in enriching their capacity in understanding and improving their proficiency in Bahasa Indonesia or further their research about or in Indonesia in the future. 

Group 3: History SL/HL

Historia est Magistra Vitae – The Romans already knew that the past serves as a lesson for the future.  Understanding the world around us today can only be explained by having a good understanding of the past. History is an absolutely fascinating subject, driven by concepts such as causation, significance and effect. The focus of this specific course is 20th century history with links to Asian and Indonesian history helping us to understand Indonesia in the broader context of world history. 

The DP History course offers a wide variety of in class activities and tasks such as debate, presentations, group work, individual work and essay writing. It explores historiography (nature of history as an academic discipline) and goes beyond learning historical facts. During classes students will engage with a wide variety of source materials. 

The history course focuses on skills that are transferable in a great amount of careers in the future. One of the main skills students take away for the course is critical thinking, analyzing a variety of source materials, debate and academic writing. These are skills students will use in every university course they will continue to follow in the future and are therefore well appreciated by universities across the world. 

Group 3: Business Management SL/HL

Students learn to analyse, discuss and evaluate business activities at local, national and international levels. The course covers a range of organizations from all sectors, as well as the socio-cultural and economic contexts in which those organizations operate.

The course encourages the appreciation of ethical concerns at both a local and global level. It aims to develop relevant and transferable skills, including the ability to: think critically; make ethically sound and well-informed decisions; appreciate the pace, nature and significance of change; think strategically; and undertake long term planning, analysis and evaluation. The course also develops subject-specific skills, such as financial analysis.

Group 4: Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS) SL/HL

Students who study ESS will get a thorough awareness of the urgent environmental problems of our day, such as biodiversity loss and climate change. This subject does more than just provide students with problems / global environmental issues to solve; it also pushes them to analyze these problems from a variety of perspectives, including socioeconomic, ethical, and cultural ones that are related to the global environmental issue, which inevitably helps them become more adept at critical thinking. An increasing amount of global environmental concerns mean that understanding ESS is essential. 

ESS offers a strong basis for students who see careers in environmental management, environmental policy-making, environmental consulting, environmental research, environmental activism, and environmental education.

Group 4: Chemistry SL/HL

The skills and techniques students experience through the chemistry course are relevant for students who are considering a future career in fields such as medicine, biomedics and biological technicians. 

Group 4: Biology SL/HL 

Biology will be offered during the group 6 scheduling in the timetable to allow students to complete a double science. 

Students who study IB DP Biology gain a deep understanding of the complex mechanisms that drive life, from cellular processes to ecosystem dynamics. This course goes beyond simply teaching biological knowledge; it encourages students to delve deeper into biological phenomena through various lenses, such as evolutionary, genetic, and molecular perspectives, hone their analytical skills. The constantly growing science of biology, with advancements in fields such as genomics and biotechnology, emphasizes the significance of a solid biological foundation. 

DP Biology Higher Level is an excellent choice for students interested in careers in biological research, medicine, biotechnology, pharmacology, genetics, ecology,  environmental consulting, etc, while DP Biology Standard Level is a great choice for students considering careers as laboratory technicians, biology educators, science writers, nurses, nutritionist, etc.

Group 5: Math Interpretations & Analyses SL/HL

Mathematics Applications and Interpretation is for students who are interested in developing their mathematics for describing our world and solving practical problems. Students who take Mathematics Applications and Interpretation course will be those who enjoy mathematics best when seen in a practical context. 

Students who wish to take at higher level will have good algebraic skills and experience of solving real-world problems. They will be students who get pleasure and satisfaction when exploring challenging problems and who are comfortable to undertake this exploration using technology.

Group 6: Music SL/HL

Students will develop their knowledge about music in the world and they will begin to understand and appreciate the cultural contexts and develop increasingly sophisticated, informed responses to work they see and experience. Development of an understanding of the conventions and techniques of different musicians and instruments  and identifying possible uses within their own music skills.

Group 6: Visual Arts SL/HL

In the visual arts course students will explore a variety of techniques as for example photography, aquarel and printing and continue to develop their knowledge, passion and understanding in the visual arts. Students will work over the course of 2 years to develop their own portfolio and exhibition towards the end of year 12. Part of the visual art course is the ‘comparative’ study where students need to analyze various visual artists. This visual art course will lead students to understand visual art through time. It will also challenge them further to explore and develop their art making skills. 

This course is specifically recommended for students who love the artmaking process. The process portfolio and exhibition pieces created could be used when applying to college or universities across the world. The IB highly encourages students to create a balanced package of subjects and taking the arts course is therefore highly recommended.

The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) is recognized and respected by the world’s leading universities, and evidence suggests that higher rates of DP students go on to university and higher education study than non-IB students.

The Diploma Programme (DP) is recognized by universities worldwide including Indonesia. 

The International Baccalaureate (IB) provides a world-class preparation for university and life beyond. IB students consistently demonstrate the critical thinking and research skills needed to excel in their university studies—and they tend to get into the world’s best universities. IB graduates enter university with a firm foundation for their degree program—not just academically, but with excellent self-sufficiency and resilience. Local and national governments around the world recognize that the IB programmes offer internationally accredited curricula and qualifications. 

For more information, please visit the IB website or contact our career counselor, Ms. Ana.