Admission to IB Schools

It is recommended that you visit a selection of schools before making up your mind which you will apply to.

Admissions criteria vary extensively by age and also by how selective a school is.

At younger ages (under 11) most schools will want to interview the child and see their previous school reports. Some may require an English test after age 7. Some may invite your child to a taster day to observe how they may settle into class and how they interact with adults and other children.

For entry to senior school at 11+ it is often very different. In countries with lots of selective schools such as the UK, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia there may be stringent admissions tests with high pass thresholds of 60% to 80%. For 16+ entrants, schools often set exams in the three subjects being selected for study at HL. Usually these tests are taken 11 months in advance of entry dates with decisions being given 9 months in advance, with the result that schools fill up very early.  It is now also common for a school to ask for a Personal Statement to be written by the child quite similar to those required by Universities.

On mainland EU it is different again. The majority of IB schools are non-selective, only requesting previous school reports.

The process of application starts with your completing the school’s registration form and paying a non-refundable fee which covers the administrative cost of your application whether you proceed or not.

We often recommend that parents apply to three or four schools simultaneously, in which case you will forfeit some of the total registration fees. They can be in the range £100 to £350 each.

Admissions procedures can be a minefield and we strongly advise you to let us handle them for you. For selective school entry we recommend we put your child through our age-related assessment tests to measure their strengths and weaknesses. Then we can recommend tutors to boost their chances of gaining admission. Please remember that for selective schools for the IBDP, you ideally need to start the process at least 13 months in advance of entry.

Call us on +44 1622 813870