Buckswood celebrates 100 per cent pass rate

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Students and teachers at Buckswood are celebrating after achieving a 100 per cent pass rate in the International Baccalaureate for the fifth year in a row.

The Guestling school has been running the programme for five years and has achieved a full-house every time, with the number of students following the programme doubling year-on-year.

“The IB qualification really suits Buckswood students,” said head teacher Mark Redsell.

“Being a 50 per cent international and 50 per cent British school, students, over the course of their studies at Buckswood are becoming global citizens with an inherent understanding of the world and different cultures.

“We teach 17 different languages and have 47 different nations here, so the international origins of the IB qualification enables our students to shine.

“Yet again we have another year of 100 per cent passes and a fantastic set of Russell Group university offers for both our IB and A Level students to study such a wide range of degree subjects, from medicine to estate management ahead of successful, fulfilling careers.

“Buckswood has a long track record of graduates achieving top degrees and our alumni network is a very useful global address book of professionals.”

This year’s top scorer was Tom Wahlig who scored 38 out of a possible 42.

Tom’s score is equivalent to achieving four traditional A Levels at grade A*.

A spokesman for the school said all of the Buckswood IB students are now taking their pick of their offers from Russell Group universities and studying subjects including dentistry, information technology management, medicine, creative advertising and engineering.

One student Shannon Reeve said of her studies: “I wasn’t really sure what or where I wanted to study at university, doing IB at Buckswood has allowed to me to keep science and creative subjects going at a higher level and the one-to-one support has helped me identify what I want to do.

“I received some amazing uni offers at top universities and now that I have my results I can relax knowing I have secured my place, unlike my friends who took A Levels who still have another month to wait.”

The IB programme as an alternative to A Levels has been in existence since 1968 but the qualification has only really taken off in the UK over the last decade. “The IB qualification suits ‘all-rounder’ students who wish to study a broader range of subjects, rather than specialising in four subject areas as in the A Level programme,” said a Buckswood spokesman.

“Under the IB system, students study six academic areas, a theory of knowledge and have to undertake a creative action service element which includes voluntary, charitable works.

“The programme allows students to keep their options open when it comes to degree subjects and with the qualification recognised worldwide, IB students also are afforded the choice to study anywhere around the globe and take their pick of subjects and cheaper tuition fees.”

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