All Diploma students complete three core requirements: Creativity, Activity & Service, Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay.

Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS)

CAS is an important part of the holistic nature of the IB diploma it involves students in experiences that encompass creativity, activity and service.

Creativity encourages students to create an “original or interpretative product or performance”. Activity seeks to develop a healthy lifestyle through physical activity. Service is about “Collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need”. Moreover, students are involved in at least one CAS project, this is a collaborative and longer term covering at least one of the strands.

Theory of Knowledge (ToK)

Students examine and reflect on the nature of knowledge in this interdisciplinary course. This course develops a coherent approach to learning that unifies the academic disciplines. In this course on critical thinking, students inquire into the nature of knowing and deepen their understanding of knowledge construction. At the heart of ToK’s content is the question ‘How do we know that something is true, or an assertion is well grounded?’ Other questions explored in the course are the following: What counts as knowledge? How does it grow? What are its limits? Who owns knowledge? How do different disciplines justify knowledge?

Extended Essay (EE)

Students investigate a self-generated research question by undertaking independent research in one of their DP subject areas, culminating in a 4,000-word academic and fully referenced paper that follows the IB guidelines for Academic Integrity. This project offers the opportunity to investigate a topic of special interest and acquaints the student with the kind of independent research and writing skills expected at university.