International Baccalaureate exams begin: Plan to bring IB to public schools in NSW could take years

Hundreds of Year 12 students in private schools will begin their final exams today as candidates for the International Baccalaureate – a challenging and sometimes controversial alternative to the HSC.

The King's School at North Parramatta is next in line to start the IB diploma, but for public schools the future is hazy.

Hundreds of Year 12 students in private schools will begin their final exams today as candidates for the International Baccalaureate – a challenging and sometimes controversial alternative to the HSC – but public school students could be waiting up to five more years for the same opportunity.

The Switzerland-based IB diploma – taught in Year 11 and 12 – has fluctuated in popularity over the years in NSW, but is expected to exceed the 739 candidates who completed the program in 2023 with two new schools set to deliver the exams for the first time – Central West Leadership Academy in Dubbo, and St Ursula’s College in Kingsgrove.

The three-week examination period will begin with business management, global politics and philosophy papers this afternoon.

While some exams take as little as 45 minutes to complete, this year all students will be held in their exam halls for a minimum or two hours to prevent cheating as IB candidates around the world complete the papers in their own time zones.

Students are further prohibited from discussing the exams and content on social media, and teachers cannot access the papers for 24 hours following the tests.

Year 8 students at St Ursula's College in Kingsgrove. They will be able to choose the IB diploma when they’re in Year 11 if they wish. Picture: Justin Lloyd

Unlike in previous years, IB students will receive their results just one day ahead of their peers undertaking the HSC.

Often considered a more rigorous program due to its minimum standards – which require students to cover six disciplines including a language, a science and the arts, with three subjects to be taken at an advanced level – the IB has attracted controversy due to a proportionally higher number of students being awarded tertiary admissions ranks (ATARs) above 90 than the HSC.

In February 2023 Chris Minns pledged a Minns Labor Government would lift the ban on NSW public schools being able to run the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, to provide equitable access to the program across all school sectors. Picture: Supplied

It is also run exclusively by private schools in NSW due to restrictions on public high schools running the program, despite the Secondary Principals Council reporting “keen interest” from some public school leaders.

NSW Premier Chris Minns pledged to overturn the ban on public schools running the IB Diploma as an election commitment, however the policy is yet to be changed with the Department of Education still investigating the implications for workforce training, accreditation and curriculum development to comply with the IB standard.

IB Schools Australasia secretary Antony Mayrhofer said it takes, on average, three to five years for a school to be approved to run the internationally recognised program.

(File image) St Paul’s Grammar School teacher and secretary of International Baccalaureate Australasia Antony Mayrhofer goes through 2013 student results.

High-fee independent school King’s will offer the two-year diploma for the first time to Year 11 students next year, while sister school Tara Anglican School for Girls is still awaiting authorisation, he said.

The lengthy accreditation process raises questions as to whether the Minns government will see a NSW public school gain authorisation within its first term.

“There’s been quite a lot of growth in the IB schools – it’s been around for a long time, and it’s a very well-regarded program,” Mr Mayrhofer said.

“It’s been a bit of a slow burn … (but) particularly after the pandemic there’s been increased interest in global education.”