Why do the IB?
The skills and competences that the IB Diploma Programme equips you with prepare you ideally for University. The IB Diploma is a globally recognised qualification and signals one of the highest standards of academic achievement. The IB Diploma Programme is taught exclusively in English, leading to a level of language proficiency that is highly valued in the increasingly internationalised professional world.
What are the criteria for admission to the IB Programme?
Pupils must be resident in Klosterneuburg with a legal guardian and must have the ability to study exclusively in English. Their previous academic record must be very good and they will be asked to take a written entrance assessment. Austrian pupils must additionally fulfil the criteria of the Austrian national curriculum. Priority is given to those pupils who have completed the Bilingual Programme in the lower school and external applicants will be accepted only subject to a place being available.
When does my child apply for the IB Diploma Programme?
The IB Diploma Programme is a two-year Programme for 16 – 18 year olds (Years 7 – 8). If your child is interested in a place, please contact the IB office by the end of December in the year preceding entry. Your child can apply for the pre-IB Years if they are 14 – 16 years old (Years 5 and 6). The application dates and process are the same.
Does my child need to sit an admissions test?
Yes. If your child is applying to the the IB Programme an individual date for testing will be arranged.
What languages does my child need to know to join the IB Programme?
The IB Diploma Programme itself (final two years of secondary school, ages 16 – 18) is taught exclusively in English, and therefore knowledge of German is not required for non-Austrian pupils. All pupils must have an excellent level of English. In addition, the IB Diploma requires that another foreign language is studied – at Gymnasium Klosterneuburg, we offer French, Spanish and German. Austrian pupils must also fulfil the language requirements of the Austrian state curriculum, taking one “Langsprache” (either French or Latin from Year 3) and one “Kurzsprache” (French, Latin or Spanish from Year 5). Please note that Latin must be taken in one of the two forms.
How many extra teaching hours does the IB Programme entail in comparison to a regular Austrian Gymnasium curriculum?
Between 1 and 13 hours. The amount of extra teaching depends very much on which six IB subjects are chosen and as a consequence, varies between one and thirteen additional hours a week. This chart shows the subjects in which additional teaching hours are needed to fulfill the teaching requirements of the International Baccalaureate Organisation. It is possible to choose a combination of six subjects that require very little or no extra afternoon teaching including for instance e.g. German A, English B and French B. However, some IB subjects e.g. Film are not part of the Austrian national curriculum and therefore must be taught entirely in the afternoon. Follow this link to see sample timetables of pupils in IBDP Year 1 (7. Klasse) and IBDP Year 2 (8. Klasse)
Can my child transfer to Gymnasium Klosterneuburg IB World School in the middle of the two-year IB Diploma Programme?
This possibility does exist, in cases where the pupil has studied the same or similar subjects to the ones we offer at Gymnasium Klosterneuburg. However, the chances of a good IB score in such cases are extremely low. Please note that not only subject combinations, but also the options studied in these subjects are important – if a pupil has studied completely different options within a subject, it will be very difficult to catch up with the syllabus.
My child is interested in taking some IB courses / certificates, but does not want to do the whole IB Diploma. Is this possible?
Yes, but only for Austrian pupils who are taking the Austrian Matura and wish to complete just one or more IB certificates.
How much does the IB Programme cost?
See here.