Academics
Senior School
International Baccalaureate
What do Students Say?
I'll always remember my time with friends at Grammar. During my last year when everybody was preparing for the IB exam, it was really a communal effort. Everybody was helping each other. Although you wrote separate exams on the exam day, everybody helped each other to prepare for it, and the teachers were always there to assist us, to fill whatever need we requested. It was a very helpful atmosphere to prepare for something that would probably be one of the largest things we’d ever encountered in our lives.-Michael Song '09
(Read more about Michael's story and his life after graduation.)
The IB Advantage
We live in an increasingly global, interconnected world, and the Halifax Grammar School recognizes the need to prepare students for success in that world. Critical thinking skills and a sense of international-mindedness are at the core of what students learn and fully understand through the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. It is an advanced university preparatory curriculum offered in Grades 11 and 12 that provides the best possible preparation for post-secondary success.
The IB Diploma Programme consists of six subject groups and the DP core. The DP core, which all DP students complete, includes:
The IB Diploma Programme consists of six subject groups and the DP core. The DP core, which all DP students complete, includes:
- Theory of knowledge (TOK): A course that focuses on developing critical and analytical skills. It challenges students to question how they know what they claim to know.
- The Extended Essay (EE): A 4000-word essay written on a subject of student's choice. It encourages independent and self-directed research.
- Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS): Completed over a course of 18 months, students engage in experiences related to creativity, athletics, and altruism.
The IB Mission
The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.
