IB Science Courses

Overview of the course

The IB Diploma gives students the opportunity to study up to two science subjects (biology, physics or chemistry). Each science subject can be studied at either standard or higher level. The IB Diploma science courses have a strong focus on developing the students’ practical skills and ensuring that they have exposure to the latest scientific methods and equipment.

Course content covers all the major theoretical aspects of the subject with, for example in physics, sections on mechanics, electromagnetism, and nuclear physics. However, one of the distinct advantages of IB science is that it also allows students to select 2 optional sections on often more challenging or applied topics. As a further example in physics, the topics of relativity and astronomy can be explored.

Finally through the Group 4 Project, students are encouraged to work together with other science disciplines to produce an extended project involving a high level of innovation and design.

Although our Chinese students have a strong theoretical knowledge of science when they join our centres, they have generally had little exposure to practical work. Therefore, a strong emphasis is put on rapidly developing the core skills necessary to produce excellent laboratory work coupled with the academic English required to describe their results and conclusions in university level experimental reports.