How do I Earn an IB Diploma

To be ELIGIBLE to receive an IB Diploma, a student must:

Complete:
- Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
  - taken in spring of junior year and fall of senior year
  - has 2 major assessments which will be submitted to IB
- Extended Essay (EE)
  - research based argument driven essay
  - consists of 3,500-4,000 words
  - will be completed during junior and senior years; will be submitted prior to Winter break of senior year
- Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS)
  - 7 learning outcomes
  - begins at start of junior year
  - For more information about CAS, please visit the Westwood IB CAS website
- Students must meet all internal deadlines and engage in the process for each assessment (IAs, EEs, CAS and TOK) in order for Westwood IB to authenticate their work
Take Six IB Courses (one from each group listed below):
- Group 1: Studies on Language and Literature
- Group 2: Language and Acquisition
- Group 3: Individuals and Societies
- Group 4: Sciences
- Group 5: Mathematics
- Group 6: The Arts OR an IB Elective
  - the elective can be an additional course from Groups 2, 3 or 4 in lieu of an IB Arts course
Of the six courses listed above, students will complete:
- 3 Standard Level (SL):
  - Typically one year courses with the exception of the courses listed under the next bullet point
  - Two year SLs: SL Literature, SL Physics, SL Dance, SL Visual Arts, SL Theatre are 2 year SL courses
    - These courses will be completed over junior and senior year with the exam in May of senior year
  - Only 2 SL courses can be completed junior year (will test in May of junior year; 3rd SL will test in May of senior year)
    - This is an IB rule
- 3 Higher Level (HL):
  - Two year courses
  - Will be taken junior and senior year
  - Will test in May of senior year
- IB allows students to complete 4 HL courses and 2 SL courses
- Students can pick which IB courses they want to SL and HL in and develop a unique course plan that allows them to take courses they are interested in
- More information about individual courses and developing a course plan can be found under IB Pathways by Group, Course and Teacher Information
Each IB Course will require an Internal Assessment (IA):
- These are course specific assessments and are submitted to IB
- These are typically writing intensive assignments
- The IAs and exams taken in May both junior and senior year are used to calculate a final score in the IB course on a 1-7 scale

To be AWARDED the IB Diploma from IB, the following requirements must be met:

In order to receive the IB Diploma, you must earn 24 out of 45 possible points
- Students earn a score from 1-7 for each course (for reference, AP is 1-5)
- Each course is worth up to 7 points (7 points x 6 courses is 42 points)
- TOK and the EE are graded A–E, with A being the highest grade. These two grades are then combined in the diploma points matrix (shown below) to contribute between 0 and 3 bonus points to the total. An N means you failed to submit the required component. (42 + 3 is 45 total possible points)
- You must earn at least 9 points from your 3 SL classes (average 3 each course). If you only have 2 SLs (meaning you’re taking 4 HLs), you must earn 5 points from those 2 courses.
- You must earn at least 12 points from your 3 HL classes (average 4 each course). If you have registered for 4 HLs, the highest 3 scores count towards the 12 points.

The following are failing conditions:
- Not submitting an IA in any IB course will disqualify you (this will give you an N in that course).
- Not submitting your TOK assessments or EE will disqualify you (this will give you an N for that component).
- Submitting plagiarized work will disqualify you and will not be submitted to IB (all IB Assessments (IAs, EE, TOK) will be submitted through Turn it In as we have to verify that the work submitted is authentic student work. We cannot submit work to IB that has not been verified to be free of plagiarism.
- Not meeting Internal deadlines and checkpoints set forth by Westwood IB. Students must engage in the process in order for their work to be authenticated by Westwood IB.
- An E in TOK or on your EE will disqualify you.
- Not completing CAS will disqualify you.
- Earning a 1 in any IB course.
- More than 2 2’s awarded.
- More than 3 3’s awarded.
- Total points fewer than 24.
- Missing an exam. True emergencies will require documentation which will be sent to IB for approval to take the exam within 24 hours. IB may or may not approve a late test depending on the circumstances. If you miss an exam, you must communicate with the IB Coordinator ASAP and not engage in any type of communication or access social media in a way that would compromise the integrity of the missed exam.

In the event that a student does not earn an IB diploma (not enough overall points, an N in any subject, not enough HL or SL points, failure to complete CAS, and E in TOK or EE), missing an exam, you are able to retest during the following May exam session. The IB Coordinator will follow up with additional information if this applies to you after scores are released in July.

Please remember that you also need to meet Texas High School Graduation Requirements in addition to meeting the requirements of the IB Diploma

Core 4×4

4 English credits – met with IB Literature through senior year
4 Math credits
4 Social Studies credits (need .5 Gov & .5 Econ junior or senior year)
4 Science credits

Other Requirements

2 LOTE credits – met with IB Group 2 courses
1 Fine Art
1 PE
7 Electives

Westwood High School IB Programme

Westwood High School IB Programme

Westwood High School IB Programme

How do I Earn an IB Diploma

To be ELIGIBLE to receive an IB Diploma, a student must:

To be AWARDED the IB Diploma from IB, the following requirements must be met:

In order to receive the IB Diploma, you must earn 24 out of 45 possible points

Please remember that you also need to meet Texas High School Graduation Requirements in addition to meeting the requirements of the IB Diploma

Westwood High School IB Programme