Stonyhurst students celebrate IB Diploma success

Staff and students from Stonyhurst College are celebrating after the prestigious institution achieved a 100 per cent pass rate in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma.
Louisa Johren, fifth from the left, with fellow Stonyhurst students.Louisa Johren, fifth from the left, with fellow Stonyhurst students.
Louisa Johren, fifth from the left, with fellow Stonyhurst students.

A total of 27 students sat the IB Diploma examinations in May and have now surpassed the 96 per cent pass rate achieved by the college in 2017, in addition to far exceeding the global average pass rate of 78 per cent.

As well as this, 74 per cent of the candidates achieved the Bilingual Diploma, and when split by gender, average scores were almost equal.

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Louisa Jöhren achieved the college’s top score of 42 points out of the possible 45, a score achieved by fewer than two per cent of candidates worldwide.

The pupils achieved a variety of prestigious university offers including Biochemistry at Kings College, London, Medicinal Sciences at Edinburgh, Business and Management with International study at Exeter, History at Manchester and Architecture at Kent.

The IB Diploma was established in 1968 and is an educational foundation which aims to develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills needed to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalising world. It is offered to students aged between 16-19 and provides an alternative route to A Level, with universities now accepting IB points.

Louisa Jöhren, who plans to attend WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management in Germany, said: “I was very happy to receive my results and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to do the IB Diploma at Stonyhurst College – the experiences have shaped me for life. I decided to complete the qualification because it would provide me with lots of options for the future. I have increased my confidence and become more organised throughout the course, as well as learning how to carry out research and study independently as well as in class. My teachers have been very supportive, and I’ve also made lots of new friends at Stonyhurst.”

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Debbie Kirkby, director of the IB programme at Stonyhurst College, said: “As a non-selective school, the pupils at Stonyhurst have achieved strong results across a wide breadth of subjects. The IB Diploma is highly valued by universities within the UK, which in turn will set learners up for an excellent start to life after Stonyhurst. The 100 per cent pass rate is a testament to the school staff and the hard work of our students, and we are very proud of the effort they have put in.”

From September, Stonyhurst College will also offer its students the opportunity to embark upon the IB’s newest programme, the IB Career Related Programme (IBCP).

It was first established by the IB Organisation in 2012 and has been developed for students who wish to engage in career-related learning while gaining transferable and lifelong skills in applied knowledge, critical thinking, communication and cross-cultural engagement.