IBO's dual route decision flummoxes DP students.
By Wynne Ho
The International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) has recently announced a dual-route for the Diploma Programme examinations of May 2021. According to the IBO's official statement, schools can choose between written examinations and externally moderated coursework assessments. At Renaissance College, Diploma Programme Coordinator Mr Glen Morgan has confirmed that the graduating class of 2021 will be sitting their written examinations, but the news has been received with varying responses.
The IBO's decision was surprising to many students due to rising COVID-19 cases in countries such as the United States. "I thought the IBO would cancel the May exams since diseases are much more contagious in summer," shared an anonymous student.
Whilst this had been the case in May 2020, students did not consider the dual-route examinations as a possible alternative; in fact, some believe the proposal to be unfair and poorly thought out. "It's unfair that someone across the globe will receive their Diploma without working whilst we'll have to study for exams," said year 13 student Charisse Kong.
Others have much stronger disdain for the IBO, lamenting that it failed to learn from the turbulence of 2020. Another anonymous student scathingly commented: "It simply isn't fair for students facing the same pandemic to have different advantages. It's almost as if the IBO lacks the critical thinking skills that they push for students to apply in real-life situations."
The student also pointed to the sub-par quality of online learning as another disadvantage of those sitting the examinations. "Schools shouldn’t claim that online learning is comparable to in-person classes because that is simply not the case … … the dual-route is absurd. It's a blatant show of how disconnected the IBO is from their schools and students."
Moreover, another student noted that the alternative route could be more unfair since "students who can afford extra tuition for assistance on internal assessments are at an unearned advantage over others."
At the same time, others are grateful for the commencement of examinations, as they were perturbed by the harsh grading algorithm for the class of May 2020, which had led to missed university offers and deferred entries. For this reason, some believe that the reassurance of being in control of their grades is worth more than receiving a Diploma without sitting examinations.
However, there is still uncertainty amongst students despite the IBO's announcement. The unpredictability of the pandemic has led some to worry that the cancellation of written examinations is inevitable. Bella Chang, another Year 13 student, stated that "the dual-route plan still leaves us with the possibility of receiving algorithm-based grades, especially if there is another COVID outbreak."
There is most undeniably shared anxiety between students and arguably an even greater shared animosity towards the IBO. Regardless of what the future holds however, the graduating class remains committed to working towards their Diploma to the best of their abilities.