• Internal Assessment
     
    The International Baccalaureate curriculum is writing intensive. There are few assessments that are objective/multiple choice; thus, it is incumbent on IB teachers to prepare students to demonstrate what they know by writing essays or narratives. Students are judged by their performance in relation to identified assessment criteria.

    Each IB course has an Internal Assessment, assessed by the teacher and moderated by the IB Organization, which comprises a percentage of the student’s final grade for the course. This is in contrast to Advanced Placement courses in which the student’s grade on the final AP exam constitutes the assessment of the student’s learning. Completion of every internal and external assessment is required.

    The following are examples of Internal Assessment components of IB courses:

    English HL:

    An oral presentation given to the class on an aspect of the literature being studied and a 20-minute oral commentary on an extract of literature studied during the year, done individually with the teacher and tape recorded.

    French B SL/ Spanish B SL:

    An interactive oral activity which assesses both listening and speaking skills. An audio taped 10-minute individual oral consisting of a presentation followed by discussion with the teacher is required.

    History HL:

    An historical investigation of 1,500- 2,000 words, divided into 6 parts: a plan of the investigation, a summary of evidence, evaluation of sources, an analysis, a conclusion, and a list of sources. An example of one student’s work: "How does Benito Mussolini’s reaction to the last Fascist Grand Council meeting represent his disillusionment as a leader?"

    Visual Arts SL:

    A research workbook is assessed by the teacher an externally moderated at the end of the course. Studio work is assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by IBO.

    Biology HL:

    Labs, practicals and projects reflecting 60 hours of the teaching program. Student write-ups reflect their planning, data collection, data processing and presentation, conclusion/evaluation, manipulative skills and personal skills.

    Mathematics SL:

    A mathematics portfolio of three pieces of work, assessed against 6 criteria.

    Mathematics Studies:

    A mathematics project, of the student’s choosing, assessed against 6 criteria.

    Computer Science SL:

    Program Dossier internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated by IBO.

    In addition to the internal assessments above, each IB Diploma candidate writes two World Literature essays of 1,000-1,500 words in length, an Extended Essay of 4,000 words, and at least eight self-evaluations of his/her Creativity/Action/ Service activities.