Students from Barton
Court Grammar School, Canterbury, celebrate their IB results on
Monday.

by Adam Williams

Barton Court Grammar School is
celebrating an impressive set of exam results and it’s only the
first week of July.

A hundred students successfully
negotiated the school’s first-ever International Baccalaureate (IB)
programme, recording results above the national average.

Of the 600 subjects sat by
students, 599 were passed. The quick turnaround between exams and
results, means prospective universities and employers have results
on their desks six weeks before A levels are announced next
month.

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Video: Barton Court IB
co-ordinator Andy Jeffries celebrates the first set of results.

Instead of sitting three or four
subjects at A level, IB students aged 16 to 19 take six subjects.
Three are sat at standard level and three at higher level, with
core areas in extended essay, theory of knowledge and creativity,
action and service. Grade 7 is the maximum mark for each
subject.

Emily Murdoch
(pictured left) was among the highest scoring students to take
the first set of exams. The 18-year-old from Rough Common felt the
IB was challenging, but rewarding.

She said: "A lot of my friends at
other schools around Canterbury have said the level of study is
roughly the same as at A level. But the work load is much higher,
as the exams are sat in a much shorter period of time."

Emily, who scored 38 points out of
a possible 45, is heading to York University in October to study
History and English.

Robyn Marsh, also 18, admits being
the first year to take the IB had its challenges.

She said: "It was hard work, but
I’m glad I chose it instead of taking A levels. It’s a heavy
workload, but if you’re organised and disciplined, it’s worth
doing."

Robyn (pictured right), from
Staple, scored 32 points and will study Psychology at Canterbury
Christ Church University.

Andy Jeffries, the school’s
creativity, action and service coordinator for the IB programme,
was delighted with the performance.

He said: "The points average for
the whole school is 30 and the global average is 27, so they’ve
performed above that.

"It’s been a difficult course to
carry out for both students and staff. It’s a very daunting and
rigorous package, but by and large, the students have done very
well.

"Employers and universities love
the extra depth and breadth of knowledge that the IB gives
students. They’ve taken on a series of unique challenges throughout
the course that have shown they can handle whatever the world will
throw at them."