The Core

1. Theory of Knowledge
Students reflect on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know.

2. Extended Essay
It is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper.

3. Creativity, activity, service

Students complete a project related to those three concepts.

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Group 1: Studies in Language and Literature

English A Language and Literature

This course aims at studying the complex and dynamic nature of language and exploring both its practical and aesthetic dimensions. It will explore the crucial role language plays in communication, reflecting experience and shaping the world, and the roles of individuals themselves as producers of language.

Korean A Literature

This course aims at exploring the various manifestations of literature as a particularly powerful mode of writing across cultures and throughout history. It aims at developing an understanding of factors that contribute to the production and reception of literature—the creativity of writers and readers, the nature of their interaction with their respective contexts and with literary tradition, the ways in which language can give rise to meaning and/or effect, and the performative and transformative potential of literary creation and response.

Group 2: Language Acquisition

English B

This course is designed for students with some previous experience of the target language. Students further develop their ability to communicate through the study of language, themes and texts. There are five prescribed themes: identities, experiences, human ingenuity, social organization and sharing the planet.

Language ab initio

•  French ab initio
• Mandarin ab initio
• Spanish ab initio

This course is designed for students with no previous experience in—or very little exposure to—the target language. It aims to develop the student’s receptive, productive and interactive skills while learning to communicate in the target language in familiar and unfamiliar contexts.

Group 3: Individuals and societies

Business Management

This course aims to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of business management theories, as well as their ability to apply a range of tools and techniques. Students learn to analyse, discuss and evaluate business activities at local, national and international levels.

History

This is a world history course based on a comparative and multi-perspective approach to history. It involves the study of a variety of types of history, including political, economic, social and cultural, and provides a balance of structure and flexibility.

Psychology

This course is an introduction to three different approaches to understanding behaviour: the biological, cognitive and sociocultural approaches. Students study and critically evaluate the knowledge, concepts, theories and research that have developed the understanding in these fields.

Group 4: Sciences

Biology

Chemistry

Physics

This course helps students become aware of how scientists work and communicate with each other. While the scientific method may take on a wide variety of forms, it is the emphasis on a practical approach through experimental work that characterizes the sciences. Teachers provide students with opportunities to design investigations, collect data, develop manipulative skills, analyse results, collaborate with peers and evaluate and communicate their findings.

Group 5: Mathematics

Mathematics: analysis and approaches

This course recognizes the need for analytical expertise in a world where innovation is increasingly dependent on a deep understanding of mathematics. The focus is on developing important mathematical concepts in a comprehensible, coherent and rigorous way, achieved by a carefully balanced approach.

Mathematics: applications and interpretation

This course recognizes the increasing role that mathematics and technology play in a diverse range of fields in a data-rich world. As such, it emphasizes the meaning of mathematics in context by focusing on topics that are often used as applications or in mathematical modelling.

Group 6: The  Arts

Theatre

This course gives students the opportunity to actively engage in theatre as creators, designers, directors and performers. It emphasizes working both individually and collaboratively as part of an ensemble.

Visual arts

This course encourages students to challenge their own creative and cultural expectations and boundaries. It develops student’s analytical skills in problem-solving and divergent thinking, while working towards technical proficiency and confidence as art-makers. In addition to exploring and comparing visual arts from different perspectives and in different contexts, students are expected to engage in, experiment with and critically reflect upon a wide range of contemporary practices and media.

source: ibo.org