How are there so many perfect scores?′ Australia’s IB results raise eyebrows & More News Here – Upjobsnews

Richardson said Australia’s PISA results revealed a gulf between the top-performing students and the weakest students, larger than in many other countries.

“We know that the correlation between socio-economic status and achievement in Australia is high. We already see this in [numeracy and literacy test] NAPLAN at grade 3, and the gap gets greater as students move up through school.”

Schools often chose the cream of the crop to do the IB for years 11 and 12, said education consultant Paul O’Shannassy, from Regent Consulting.

“They screen them because it’s more difficult. Some schools insist on a B+ average in year 10 to undertake the course in Australia whereas if you’re in Hong Kong, the curriculum is the IB whether you’re a battler or not,” he said.

The IB diploma is an internationally recognised alternative to Victoria’s VCE and NSW’s HSC that requires students to study six subjects, including a second language, write a 4000-word research essay and perform community service.

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Government schools account for about a fifth of schools offering the IB for years 11 and 12, and include Albert Park College, Brighton College and Mac.Rob select-entry girls’ school.

Mainly taught at high-fee non-government schools, including Geelong Grammar, Presbyterian Ladies’ College and Wesley College, there have been complaints that IB students have an edge over their VCE counterparts when their results are converted to ATARs.

Kidson said last year’s IB results, in which the mean global graduate score jumped 2.8 points to 32.4, had reignited concerns about overly generous marking.

“There’s a real sensitivity to supporting students and schools that have gone through difficult challenges, and that’s laudable, but what you’re looking for in those conversions is real consistency,” he said. “It’s not just that there’s some change, but that the change is so significant.”

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A spokeswoman for the IB said: “The IB has taken the pandemic’s global disruption to education into account when determining grades for this year. The IB’s main priority has been to ensure students are not disadvantaged by the pandemic, including their applications to university and higher education.”