On the 6th July across the world, International Baccalaureate students woke up anticipating the release of their Diploma programme results and the outcome of two years of hard work. Varndean College’s IB class of 2023 were no doubt full of nerves, but had nothing to worry about as they collectively achieved outstanding world beating Diploma scores!
This cohort of students sat their first ever external examinations during May 23, having been awarded Teacher Assessed GCSE Grades by their high schools in 2021. Understandably they began the three week window of assessment a little nervous but prepared, focused and resilient. All of this hard work has certainly paid off as the class of 2023 achieved an average points score of 35.87 out of 45, the equivalent to 3 A grades at A Level and up on the College’s 2019 pre-pandemic average of 33.9.
One of our amazing students achieved 44/45 points, the equivalent to 5 A* at A Level which puts her in the top 2% of all IB learners globally.
Early indications suggest 92% of UCAS applicants have secured a place at a Russell Group university, including two heading to Oxford University to study PPE and Law, whilst one of our learners heads off to study Medicine at UCL, and another is due to study Engineering at a University in Austria. We also have students planning to attend Leeds, Edinburgh, Birmingham and York universities.
A number of our students also scored 40+ points and are opting to take gap years, during which they will work, travel and volunteer carrying forward the values and philosophy of the International Baccalaureate.
Principal Donna-Marie Janson said: “We are immensely proud of our students, whatever results they achieve, as they really are an exceptional, engaged and wonderful group of young people. This year’s achievements are fantastic and something to be so proud of. It is worth bearing in mind that the IB is equivalent to studying 5 A Levels as we celebrate these superb results.
This is the first year of ‘normal’ examinations and the return to normal grading and so we are absolutely thrilled with these exceptional results, which are well above pre-pandemic and national averages despite incredibly rigorous assessment and without any concessions to the effect of the pandemic. They are a real achievement and I would like to thank my staff for their hard work and care, parents and families for their support, as well of course the students for being an absolute delight and inspiration.”
Director of Curriculum Quality and Head of School for the IB, Lee FInlay-Gray said: “On behalf of all of the staff at Varndean College, I want to congratulate the IB class of 2023. They conducted themselves in a mature, focused and dedicated way at all times and it has been a pleasure to teach and support them over the past two years. We wish them all the best in the future and hope they can use the knowledge, skills and experience acquired on the Diploma in their endeavours.”
Varndean college is the only state funded provider of the prestigious IB Diploma in Sussex. Now in its 15th year of delivering the programme, students continue to achieve outstanding results and move on to world class universities. The IB Diploma offers students a broad but integrated curriculum whereby learners study six subjects including English Literature, a modern foreign language, a humanities, a natural science, Mathematics and an additional subject of their choosing, alongside a critical thinking course and a university preparation dissertation component.
