The International Baccalaureate (IB) has announced that it is amending previously announced results for its diploma programme (DP) and career-related programme (CP).
Final marks will be now be awarded using predicted grades and coursework.
In an echo of the furor surrounding the grading of A-level results in the UK, there had been widespread concern that the IB’s method for grading students, in lieu of exams, meant that many were being marking unfairly.
When the IB announced the cancellation of exams in March, it turned to more than 12,000 international examiners to help evaluate students’ work.
The IB appreciates the inquiries, questions and comments received over the last several weeks
“These experienced and trained IB examiners marked more than 920,000 pieces of student coursework – examining all student work, rather than only moderating or sampling, aiming to maximize the confidence that every student will receive a fair mark overall,” said the IB.
That mark was to have been ascertained using a combination of coursework results, predicted grades and ‘school context’.
“The school context was not based on previous cohorts’ performance, but instead the relationship between predicted grade accuracy, performance in coursework versus examination components and final outcomes,” said the IB.
After the results were released on 6 July, it added, “we listened carefully to the concerns raised by some schools, students and their families”.
Out of the 3,020 schools that received results, around 700 submitted a review request on behalf of their students.
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On 14 July, augmenting the IB’s established enquiry-upon-results regime, a new service was launched “whereby schools could provide further evidence that either student, subject or cohort results were not in line with student performance”.
Three days after its 14 August deadline for reviews, the IB made the announcement that students would instead be marked based on predicted grades and coursework alone.
“The IB appreciates the inquiries, questions and comments received over the last several weeks, and will continue to support IB students and schools as they build a better world,” said the non-profit foundation.
For more details on the adjustment, please go to ibo.org/news
2 Comments
Sarah
Completely agree with above. The IBO are not using predicted grades at all. They are relying 100 % on one piece of work ( internal assessment) which was never intended for this purpose and is highly unreliable ( some students were able to submit after they knew of its new importance, examples can. E bought off internet). Many IB students remain unfathomably downgraded, at a distinct disadvantage versus A levels using predicted grades and unable to progress to University. The issues with the awarding model from IBO are far from solved or addressed.
Shrijah
AM SORRY, THE UPDATED RESULTS ARE NOW BASED ONLY ON THE COURSEWORK,WHICH ARE FRANKLY VERY ERRACTIC & HAVE NO BEARING TO THE GRADING BY THE TEACHERS.ITS BEEN SOMETHING LIKE A LOTTERY!! AS FOR THE PREDICTED GRADES, THEY ARE NOWHERE IN THE PICTURE; BECAUSE OF AN INDECISIVE BOARD,MANY A KID HAS BEEN DOWNGRADED OR LOST THEIR UNI ADMISSION & ABSOLUTELY NO RECOGNITION OF THIS OR AN APOLOGY FROM IB…WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR JUSTICE!