Singapore among top in Asia-Pacific region for IB exams

ACS (I) student Seah Jun Jie, 18, who scored a perfect 45, switched from the Express stream to the Integrated Programme (IP) in Secondary 3. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG
ACS (I) student Seah Jun Jie, 18, who scored a perfect 45, switched from the Express stream to the Integrated Programme (IP) in Secondary 3. -- ST PHOTO: LAU FOOK KONG

SINGAPORE - SINGAPORE kept up its good showing as students collected their International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma exam results on Monday.

Of more than 2,000 students who sat the IB diploma exams here last year, 66 scored a perfect score of 45 points. Last year, the country had 43 maximum scorers.

Singapore also produced the most perfect scorers in the Asia- Pacific region, which includes the likes of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong and Korea.

Australia came in second, with 31 students scoring a perfect 45.

Students who took the exam here last year scored an average of 36.43 points, higher than the global average of 29.94.

As in previous years, Dover Road's Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) produced over half of Singapore's top scorers - 34 in total. Its 449 students who took the exams last year managed an average score of 41.3 - higher than that of other Singapore schools offering the IB diploma programme.

ACS (I) student Seah Jun Jie, 18, who scored 45, switched from the Express stream to the Integrated Programme (IP) in Secondary 3. The school offers a six-year IP leading to the IB diploma. He had wanted to be part of an accelerated science class offered only to IP students. "The IP stream... had more projects, so time management was very important. But I really enjoyed the programme," said Jun Jie, who was also the school hockey team's vice- captain and a student councillor. He now intends to apply to medical schools here.

At the School of the Arts (Sota), its 112 students scored an average of 38.89 points. About 23 per cent of its cohort - or 26 students - scored at least 42 points.

At St Joseph's Institution, its first batch of 76 IB diploma students scored an average of 39.4 points.

These institutions are among 20 in Singapore, including international schools, that offer the IB. The two-year diploma programme is more broad-based than the A levels, requiring students to take six subjects and theory of knowledge, a course combining philosophy, religion and logical reasoning. They also take a second language, do research, write a 4,000-word essay and take part in a community service project.

The programme conducts two rounds of exams each year in May and November.

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