SA schools that delivered the International Baccalaureate star students

The International Baccalaureate is hard work – but dozens of SA students have shone. Here’s which schools had the top IB stars.

SA’s top International Baccalaureate 2021 students. Front row – Henry Nind, Wanran Zhang, Bronte de Zwart, Maya Mason, Holly Wallman-Craddock, Victoria Thorp, Alana Spirou, Kyogo Sakai, Dylan Holland. Middle row – Will Subramaniam, Xian Huang, Anna Nixon, Madeleine Bardy, Lily Dunstone, Olivia Thomas Back row – Daniel Ramsay, Thomas Wiseman, Tim Naylor, Jasper Dew, Rory Young, Harrison Corey, Michael Jansen. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Schools have been buoyed by their International Baccalaureate scores, including Pembroke where more than a third of its students who picked the SACE alternative achieved an ATAR in the top 1 per cent nationally.

St Peter’s College was close to that mark, with 31 per cent of its IB students achieving an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 99 or more.

Most South Australian students who chose the IB as an alternative to the SA Certificate of Education scored high ATAR results.

Pembroke had 36 per cent of IB students with an ATAR of 99 or more and 86 per cent above 90.

The IB diploma is marked out of 45 points. Each subject is worth up to 7 points, with a Merit awarded for a 7.

At Prince Alfred College, 88 per cent came away with an ATAR of 95 or more.

These included Dylan Holland, on 99.95 with 45 IB points and six Merits.

He aims to study mathematics at Adelaide University but first up, he’s focused on hockey. “I’m in the under-18 SA team and I’m hoping to get into the national under- 18 futures squad,” he said.

Dylan Holland, from Prince Alfred College, with Seymour graduates Maya Mason and Bronte de Zwart. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Sport is also on the mind of Seymour College graduate Bronte de Zwart, who achieved an ATAR of 99.75.

“I’m going to Monmouth College in Illinois,” Bronte said. “I’ll be goalkeeper for their division 3 women’s soccer team and study a Bachelor of Physics.

“They approached me with a scholarship and I really like the importance they place on women’s sport.”

Bronte said the IB was “challenging – but that’s what makes it rewarding”.

Maya Mason, also from Seymour, has applied to study psychology at NSW University.

“The IB helped me develop a love for the subjects because you learn everything at such depth,” Maya said.

Having lived in Singapore during her middle school years, Maya valued the global viewpoints emphasised by the IB.

What SA schools say about their IB results

Glenunga International High School

Wanran Zhang – scored 45 IB points; ATAR 99.95.

Kyogo Sakai – Merits in Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, Psychology and Japanese.

All 54 IB students passed.

15% achieved an ATAR of 99 or more.

69% achieved an ATAR of 90 or more.

A significant number of SACE graduates included an IB subject and all passed.

71 Merits.

 

Mercedes College

Anna Nixon and Alana Spirou each scored 41 IB points; ATAR 98.55 and were joint 2021 IB Diploma Duces.

All 17 IB Diploma students passed.

41.2% achieved an ATAR of 95 or more.

64.7% achieved an ATAR of 90 or more.

Mean IB was 35 points; ATAR of 92.5.

14 students completed an IB subject as part of their SACE.

 

Pembroke School

Jasper Dew and Tim Naylor each scored 45 IB points; ATAR 99.95

36% achieved an ATAR of 99 or more.

86% achieved an ATAR of 90 or more.

Median ATAR was 97.1

 

Prince Alfred College

Dylan Holland scored 45 IB points; ATAR 99.95; six merits.

Henry Nind, ATAR 99.75

All 16 students achieved an ATAR of 90 or more.

88% achieved an ATAR of 95 or more.

Median ATAR of 97.90 and mean 97.27.

48 Merits, including 8 from SACE students completing IB Diploma courses.

 

Seymour College

Bronte de Zwart scored 44 IB points, ATAR 99.75.

Maya Mason scored 42 IB points, ATAR 99.1.

All IB Diploma students passed.

All students achieved subject scores of 5, 6 and 7 (out of 7).

33 IB Merits.

 

St Peter’s College

Will Subramaniam and Xian Huang each scored 45 IB points; ATAR 99.95.

31% (9 boys) attained an ATAR of 99 or more.

82% (24 boys) achieved an ATAR of 90 or more

70 Merits

 

St Peter’s Girl’s School

Sara Peak and Holly Wallman-Craddock each scored 44 IB points; ATAR 99.75

Victoria Thorp scored 43 IB points, ATAR 99.45

80% achieved an ATAR of 95 or more

Median IB score of 39, ATAR 97.10

28 Merits

 

Walford Anglican School for Girls

Madeleine Bardy scored 43 IB points; ATAR 99.45

Lily Dunstone scored 41 IB points; ATAR 98.55

17% achieved an ATAR of 99 or more

83% achieved an ATAR of 95 or more

All students achieved an ATAR of 90 or more

Median score of 39; ATAR 97.10

All grades were 5s, 6s or 7s

14 Merits

 

Woodcroft College

The school and students were very pleased with their IB results.

Glenunga International High School had one of the largest numbers of students taking the IB diploma – at 54, of whom 15 per cent received an ATAR of 99 or more.

Walford Anglican School for Girls had a similar result – 17 per cent with an ATAR of 99 or more.

Madeleine Bardy, who was a couple of years younger than most of her class, was rowing captain at Walford as well as achieving a 99.45 ATAR.

She wants to get into the space sector and has applied to several US universities.

“That meant she had to sit a number of extra tests and submit over 40 essays to different universities,” a Walford spokeswoman said.

Madeleine also volunteered teaching robotics at a northern suburbs school.

At St Peter’s Girl’s, 80 per cent of IB students scored at ATAR of 95 or more.

The class of 2021 took to 70 the number of Saints Girls to graduate with an IB since the option was introduced in 2014.

At Mercedes College, Anna Nixon and Alana Spirou were tied on 41 IB points and an ATAR of 98.55.

Mercedes named SACE student Olenka Smolicz, who had an ATAR of 99, as SACE dux and said the college celebrated all the year 12s and the school experiences which had supported them “to flourish academically and as individuals”.

Woodcroft College said its IB results were pleasing and praised students for working hard over the past two years in the “particularly trying circumstances” of the pandemic uncertainty.

There were 395 IB candidates in SA in 2021, including students sitting for the diploma or taking an IB subject for SACE.

The diploma had a pass rate of 97.13 per cent.

In considering results, IB World Schools says its members are diverse and operate in varying contexts, socio-economic positions and cohort sizes.