UWC Atlantic College Celebrates IB Results Success
12th July 2012
Students at UWC Atlantic College have achieved excellent International Baccalaureate (IB) results this year.
Two students scooped the maximum score of 45 points, equivalent to six A levels at grade 'A', (putting them in the top 0.25% of 55,000 candidates worldwide) and a further 28% of pupils achieving 40 points or more. With the college averaging a score of 36, which is equivalent to four A levels at grade ‘A’ compared to the International Baccalaureate Diploma global average point score of 30.
Students study for the International Baccalaureate Diploma, which is an increasingly popular alternative to A-levels and a qualification that the college helped to develop back in the late 1960’s.
UWC Atlantic College, the first college in the UK to opt out of A levels in favour of the IB, credits its success to the IB’s curriculum, which encourages critical thinking skills and independent learning among students.
Pupils at the pioneering college study six compulsory subjects as well as an extended essay project. The two-year IB course expects students to take part in 180 hours of creativity, action, service (CAS) – which can include volunteering and sports – and makes up part of pupils’ final mark. At UWC Atlantic college, where CAS was first developed, students take this commitment to service much further and are involved in 400 hours of this hugely stimulating part of the curriculum that may involve such activities as crewing the RNLI lifeboat stationed at the college, lifeguarding on local beaches, organising peace conferences or working with refugees in Cardiff.
John Walmsley, Principal of UWC Atlantic College, said: ‘We are incredibly proud of the achievements of our students this year. The International Baccalaureate really challenges students both in and out of the classroom, creating a more rounded individual. The IB is continuing to grow in popularity, in the UK and around the world. Universities such as Harvard, Princeton, and Yale are so impressed with our students that they send their admissions staff to the college here in Wales to interview our students, as well as those in the rest of the UK.’
