IB, A level or AP program - which is better for entering an American college?
Holders of school IB, A level or AP education receive advantages when enrolling and the opportunity to count these courses towards credits/units of the college program of study.
IB, A level, and AP courses are considered college-level courses, so American college admissions officers view these programs as a sign of an applicant's readiness for a higher education program, which is the main purpose of assessing applicants' academic abilities upon admission. The Registrar (secretariat of the dean's office) of colleges count them towards the program of study (each college or university has its own rules: for IB, usually only HL courses, and for A level, issued by schools in the UK and Singapore (H2)).
At the same time, completing a full course of study and a grade on it has much more weight in the eyes of admissions committees than just a grade on an exam (without completing the course). The National Association for College Admission Counseling in the United States conducted a survey of admissions committee members in 2019, according to which 73.2% of respondents attach great importance to the applicant taking such courses when enrolling, while only 5.5% of respondents noted the presence of only an exam.
US colleges are familiar with all of these systems and take them into account, but in different ways. Each college and university has its own policy regarding these programs; it cannot be said that any system in the United States is given clear preference (although the American AP system is certainly more widely known). Let's take a closer look at each program separately.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) is a comprehensive two-year high school program that issues an international “supplement” to the school certificate - the IB diploma. To obtain an IB diploma, you must complete and pass 6 courses (at least 3 or 4 High Level (HL) and the rest Standard Level (SL)) plus two essays and CAS (creativity, activity, service). The number of IB programs is still small; the program is more widespread in Europe than in America.
Advanced Level (A level) is a British standard for the quality of knowledge of subjects (confirmed by advisory exams) in the final two grades of school, also known as “preparatory” for entering university. For admission you need to successfully pass 3-4 subjects (out of approximately 40) at A level. The fact is that in the British system, the Secondary School Certificate (GCSE) is issued after 11 years of study, while schoolchildren who want to enter university study for another 12 and 13 years at “college” (sixth form). A level is offered in many countries (primarily former British colonies) and is widespread throughout the world, but only those obtained in the UK and Singapore are often recognized as a “quality standard”.
Advanced Placement (AP) is a widely used American system for assessing the difficulty of college-level courses. In 2018, 40% of American high school students took at least one AP exam, with a total of 38 in various subjects. AP is not a curriculum, but a standard of difficulty for courses taught in school. Students can take AP courses in High School, in the vast majority of cases they are taught in the last two (junior (11) and senior (12)) classes, although there is a tendency to start AP courses in earlier (sophomore (10) and even freshman (9) classes ) classes).
Students can also take the AP exam without taking a course but by studying on their own. Registration for the exams begins in the fall, and the exams themselves typically take place in late May, administered by CollegeBoard (the same organization that administers the SAT). This year, due to the pandemic, these exams were held online.
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