Correct. Test scores come in July, well after grades are submitted and transcripts are sent. |
So getting a “full” IB diploma at graduation is just based on taking classes and if you sit for test, but not what score get on test? Or is it just taking the class to get full IB diploma and don’t even have to sit for test? With AP, know some colleges take AP scores now instead if or to supplement SAT, but sounds like IB test only possible benefit is college credit. |
At graduation students are acknowledged as "diploma candidates". The actual ceremony for receiving the IB diploma doesn't happen until the fall after graduation, because test scores aren't tallied until then. It's the same as if you took AP classes senior year. |
So unless kids want college credit, would think most kids already accepted to a college wouldn’t take an IB test. Is that what happens for most? They go down path for full when applying for college, but then don’t sit for tests in spring of senior year since only get results effectively after start college (unless wanting college credit important to them). |
But do you have to take test to pass class? |
IB test scores are released in the summer. AP test scores are also released in the summer. You find out if you receive the diploma when you get your test scores. Your high school may have a ceremony for the graduates - my DS graduated in '23 and his high school had a very relaxed ceremony in early January 2024 before most of the kids returned to college. But he knew in July that he had earned the diploma. |
Not true. The scores come out in the summer - I believe early July. So unless the student is doing an early start in college, they will know their scores before they start. My DS had his scores before he had to pick his first semester classes. |
So if get scores in summer after graduate, if a student decided didn’t care about/didnt want full diploma after all, could they just not take tests? Or are taking tests part of grade of classes? Meaning, could student take Math Analysis HL and get a grade but decide to NOT take the IB test part that is what need for full diploma? |
You seem to misunderstand where the bulk of the burden of getting the IB Diploma lies. It’s in going through all the intermediate requirements like writing reflections in all the Learn meetings, doing the CAS, even though students may be doing those as part of their EXs, taking Theory of Knowledge, writing the Extended Essay, etc. all things you can’t fake and still pretend you are a diploma candidate. And students take the tests whether they want the diploma or a la carte classes, because they want to get credit for all the hard work they put in. Diploma candidates also get a predicted score before they graduate. I am not quite sure whether that’s based on all the assessments that are sent out to be graded externally or what. |
So translated think above means students do NOT have to take tests after the IB classes and is purely optional to do- do not have to take test to get a letter grade in class and can be deemed to have taken and passed an IB class even if don’t sit for the IB test for the class. So the kids that are accelerated in math can elect to take IB math test as a senior (and 1-2 years after they complete their IB math class) or not at all and their decision won’t change final grade for the class. To be sure, I totally follow that there is subset of kids that will want to sit for IB tests and get full diploma and they will see test as least of the work to get the diploma, but there is another group that once in college of their choice may want to skip out on some or even all the IB tests for various reasons and would do if not required as a condition to pass class. |
Correct, just like AP. I mean, reality is there is a subset of kids who don't want to do ANYTHING after they are in to the college of their choice, and just completely check out second semester. But really, after the amount of work required to finish HL courses, the test is the easy part. The kids at my school all take them because it's an hour long test in the morning and they get the rest of the day off (x3, since it's spread over 3 days). I can't imagine putting in 2 years of work, writing the essays, doing the reflections, etc, and then not testing (unless a student was failing the class, I guess?) |