Over 2300 schools teach the
International Baccalaureate (IB) throughout the world yet Malvern College comfortably beats the world average in most subject areas. Malvern’s IB graduates often average over 37 points and Malvern has had 103 candidates achieving at least 40 points and ten achieve the full 45 points in the last five years (38 points normally being considered as the minimum Oxbridge entry requirements). We offer 26 subjects both for A levels and the IB, providing every pupil with a pathway to suit their individual requirements and wider aspirations.
From September 2024, we're excited to announce that we will be extending the Sixth Form academic curriculum by introducing the BTEC Level 3 Nationals in Sport qualification.
"Pupils in the Sixth Form demonstrate sophisticated communication skills, contributing ideas in discussion and synthesising this information for greater insight." ISI Inspection Report 2017
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A level or IB?
Given the choice available to pupils in the Lower School and to new pupils entering the school in the Sixth Form, Malvern provides a great deal of guidance in helping pupils to choose which course would be best for them. Individual tutors, the Head of Sixth Form, subject teachers and those members of staff responsible for university admissions are all able to provide advice as to what subjects would be most suitable for a particular pupil.
It is not possible to generalise about whether a pupil should study A levels or the IB. However, some general guidelines are set out below:
A levels enable early specialisation which may suit some pupils wishing to apply for university courses in, for example, engineering or medicine (it should be stressed that the IB provides an equally good, although broader, route into these two areas).
Although all major university systems recognise and support both A levels and the IB, those pupils wishing to study in the US will find that the breadth provided by the IB is particularly well suited to the US ‘liberal arts’ approach to university education.
“The requirements of IB that a pupil must study Mathematics and an additional language other than their mother tongue may put some pupils off, but Spanish is taught in the IB at Malvern assuming no prior knowledge at all (on an ab initio basis)”