Day in the Life of an IB Student at Dulwich Pudong

What's it like studying the IB? Three Year 12 IB students take us through a day in their lives. From morning to night, they welcome us into classrooms, into the gym, into their club meetings and communal spaces, and into their world to reveal what it's like to be an IB student at Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong.

Take it away Jade, Saachi and Jonathan!

"It's like doing your first year of university, but in high school"

They say studying the IB (International Baccalaureate) Diploma Programme is like running a marathon AND a sprint at the same time. But each student who completes it looks back on it as one of the most impactful learning experiences of their life.

There's good reason why the IB curriculum continues to be the gold standard for university preparation. It combines breadth and depth and challenges students to achieve more than they ever thought possible. Research shows that acceptance rates at elite universities for IB graduates are up to 13% higher than the total pool of applicants.

What is the IB?

The IB has been in existence for over half a century and is followed by over 5,500 schools worldwide.

It’s a 2-year curriculum in which students pursue 3 courses at Higher Levels and 3 courses at Standard Levels accompanied by the "IB Core" which comprises CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service), Theory of Knowledge, and an Extended Essay (EE), a research paper on a topic chosen by the student.

Studying the IB is like doing your first year of university, but in high school, and puts graduates in the best possible position to turn their aspirations and dreams into reality.

The IB Diploma Programme’s mission is to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better, more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

The IB aims to develop learners who are:

• Inquirers
• Knowledgeable
• Thinkers
• Communicators
• Principled
• Open-minded
• Caring
• Risk-takers
• Caring

Together, these attributes form the IB Learner Profile.

Globally-renowned IB achievements

Since our first class of IB graduates in 2009, our students have been leading the way in academic achievement on the IB examinations.

Our Class of 2023 students achieved an average score of 38.0 (out of 45 points), significantly above the global average of 30.24 points. 38.6% of them earned scores of 40 points or higher, with 4 students achieving 44 points and 1 student achieving full marks (45 points).

In 2022 our IB average score was recognized by Education Advisers as the top amongst all international schools in the Chinese Mainland.

"Oh the anticipation!"

So what did our three students think of their video? We arranged a special screening for them in our Mei Lan Fang Theatre to find out.

They told us beforehand they thought it was going to be cringe, but they actually found it a really cool learning experience; they even clapped at the end! And they agreed that it really captured something essential about the IB experience.

Here's what they had to say about their video:

Thanks again to Jade, Jonathan, and Saachi for sharing their day with us and the world!