IB Diploma Program Core Requirements
Aside from taking the required 6 IB Diploma Program courses, IB DP students must also complete the DP Core requirements. They work on fulfilling these requirements during both junior and senior year.
Extended Essay: The extended essay is a required component of the IB DP. It is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper. The extended essay provides a practical preparation for undergraduate research and an opportunity for students to investigate a topic of special interest to them. Students are supported throughout the process of researching and writing the extended essay with advice and guidance from a supervisor at the school.
Through the research process for the extended essay, students develop skills in:
Extended Essay: The extended essay is a required component of the IB DP. It is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper. The extended essay provides a practical preparation for undergraduate research and an opportunity for students to investigate a topic of special interest to them. Students are supported throughout the process of researching and writing the extended essay with advice and guidance from a supervisor at the school.
Through the research process for the extended essay, students develop skills in:
- formulating an appropriate research question
- engaging in a personal exploration of the topic
- communicating ideas
- developing an argument
CAS: Creativity, activity, service is one of the three essential elements that every student must complete as part of the DP. Studied throughout the Diploma Programme, CAS involves students in a range of activities alongside their academic studies. The three strands of CAS, which are often interwoven with particular activities, are characterized as follows:
In order to demonstrate these concepts, students are required to undertake a CAS Project. The project challenges students to: show initiative, demonstrate perseverance, and develop skills such as collaboration, problem solving and decision making.
Theory of Knowledge (TOK): TOK is a 2-year course at NAHS. TOK plays a special role in the IB DP by providing an opportunity for students to reflect on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know. It is one of the components of the DP core and is mandatory for all students. The TOK requirement is central to the educational philosophy of the DP.
As a thoughtful and purposeful inquiry into different ways of knowing and into different kinds of knowledge, TOK is composed almost entirely of questions. The most central of these is "How do we know?" Through discussions students gain greater awareness of their personal and ideological assumptions, as well as developing an appreciation of the diversity and richness of cultural perspectives.
The TOK course is assessed through an oral presentation and a 1600 word essay. The presentation assesses the ability of the student to apply TOK thinking to a real-life situation, while the essay takes a more conceptual starting point. For more information about TOK, please visit the IB website: ibo.org
- Creativity – arts, and other experiences that involve creative thinking.
- Activity – physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle, complementing academic work elsewhere in the DP.
- Service – an unpaid and voluntary exchange that has a learning benefit for the student. The rights, dignity and autonomy of all those involved are respected.
In order to demonstrate these concepts, students are required to undertake a CAS Project. The project challenges students to: show initiative, demonstrate perseverance, and develop skills such as collaboration, problem solving and decision making.
Theory of Knowledge (TOK): TOK is a 2-year course at NAHS. TOK plays a special role in the IB DP by providing an opportunity for students to reflect on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know. It is one of the components of the DP core and is mandatory for all students. The TOK requirement is central to the educational philosophy of the DP.
As a thoughtful and purposeful inquiry into different ways of knowing and into different kinds of knowledge, TOK is composed almost entirely of questions. The most central of these is "How do we know?" Through discussions students gain greater awareness of their personal and ideological assumptions, as well as developing an appreciation of the diversity and richness of cultural perspectives.
The TOK course is assessed through an oral presentation and a 1600 word essay. The presentation assesses the ability of the student to apply TOK thinking to a real-life situation, while the essay takes a more conceptual starting point. For more information about TOK, please visit the IB website: ibo.org
