IB in Tallinn English College

Information about the IB curriculum in Estonian can be found on the webpage of the Estonian Ministry of Education: http://www.hm.ee/index.php?0511938 (Information about the IB curriculum is also available in English from: http://www.ibo.org/general/what.cfm

The IB DP (the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme) is an internationally recognised educational curriculum which was developed by the IBO (International Baccalaureate Organisation). The IBO is an international organisation and its headquarters is situated in Geneva. It offers international curriculum for three different school levels in 3,300 schools and in 141 different countries.. The number of schools offering the programme is increasing constantly. IB diploma is recognised in more than 80 distinguished universities in the world, including Tartu University, Tallinn University and Tallinnn Technical University.

The first academic year of the IB Diploma Programme starts in Form 11 and is preceded by a preparatory year. The programme extends over the two last years of secondary school and prepares students to continue their baccalaureate studies at university. Hence the term “baccalaureate” in the programme’s title. The internationally standardized curriculum is meant for motivated students who are able and willing to take responsibility for their further development. The program is in English which is one of the three formal languages of the IBO. Although one of the main purposes of the Diploma Programme is to prepare students for enrolment in any international university, cross-curricular principles are also important: understanding between nations, the development of student, and the development of critical thinking and reasoning skills. The leading principle of the IB DP curriculum is to offer a flexible choice of subjects. The core of the curriculum model consists of three components: an independent research paper (EE – Extended Essay), interdisciplinary course of the theory of knowledge (TOK – Theory of Knowledge), and creative, physical and socially beneficial activity (CAS – Creativity, Action, Service) which is surrounded by six academic areas: mother tongue, foreign languages, social sciences, experimental sciences, mathematics, and an additional subject. Every subject, excluding the compulsory core subjects, can be studied either at higher level (HL) or standard level (SL). In order to offer the students balanced individual choices, it is mandatory to choose at least one subject from each of the six subject groups. The school works out its own curriculum according to possibilities and needs.

Tallinn English College is the first municipal school in Estonia to be granted IB World School status which gives it the right to teach the IB Diploma Program since September 2009.

Young people who successfully complete the 10th form programme of TEC can apply to continue their studies according to the IB curriculum. Additional information can be found in TEC secondary school admission procedure.

The IB DP curriculum ends with international exams in all subjects. Good exam results enable young people to study in both Estonian and foreign universities. For admission to Estonian universities IB graduates do not have to take Estonian National Exams.

Additional information: tik@tik.edu.ee