This article originally appeared in the Latest News and Announcements on ibo.org.
On the 5 July 2013, over 127,000 students worldwide received their results from the May 2013 IB Diploma Programme examination session.
Jeffrey Beard, Director General of the International Baccalaureate, says: “I would like to congratulate all students on their great achievements. Today’s IB diploma graduates can be confident that they possess the skills needed to excel in an increasingly international world, with students uniquely poised for success both at university and beyond. I wish every individual the very best and look forward to hearing of their accomplishments through our global network of IB alumni.”
For 45 years, IB programmes have gained a reputation for their high academic standards, for preparing students for life in a globalised 21st century, and for helping to develop the citizens who will create a better, more peaceful world. Currently there are more than 1 million IB students at over 3,600 schools in 145 countries across the world.
For the May 2013 session over 770 examination papers and supporting documents were prepared, which included examination papers in 74 languages. During the session nearly 9,000 examiners around the globe have marked or moderated candidates’ work, including over 950,000 examination scripts. The examination session reached its climax in late June with over 160 grade award meetings, each one led by a Chief Examiner. Over 400 Chief Examiners, Deputy Examiners and other senior examiners attend the grade award meetings to establish grade boundaries in each subject, enabling the IB to issue accurate results. In this session, the average score for diploma students is 29.81 points with 108 students reaching the maximum score of 45 points.
Carolyn Adams, Chief Assessment Officer at the International Baccalaureate adds: “We are very pleased with the examination results that have been achieved across the globe. We believe it is essential that students, teachers and universities have confidence in a robust qualification, which offers an internationally benchmarked standard against which to judge success.”
Pass rates for the diploma have remained stable over the past five years, with an international pass rate of 78.54% for the May 2013 session.
| International Pass Rate | |
| 2009 | 78.71% |
| 2010 | 78.06% |
| 2011 | 77.99% |
| 2012 | 78.48% |
| 2013 | 78.54% |