What are Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Systems?
AP and IB are systems that contain a series of exams and preparations that must be followed in order to apply to foreign universities. Unlike the university exam in Turkey, these systems have details that require long-term study and time management. In addition to studying effectively for the exams, it is extremely important to take the exams with the right timing.
Let's take a closer look at these two systems;
AP (Advanced Placement) What is “Advanced Placement”?
The Advanced Placement (AP) program, also called the Advanced Placement Program, is a strong, comprehensive and hard-working program that is implemented in the United States of America (USA) and spread all over the world from there, aiming for excellence in education. Apart from the USA, the AP Program is implemented and recognized in more than 60 countries. This program is an examination system that provides significant advantages in admitting students to world-renowned universities. The rapid recognition and validity in the world increases the importance given to FP even more. With your AP score, you can be accepted to international universities such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Oxford, MIT, as well as prestigious universities in Turkey such as METU, KOÇ, Sabancı and Özyeğin, providing advantages such as scholarships and loans.
This program is run by the College Board, which also administers the SAT exams.
The content of the AP exams is prepared by a board of college professors and high school AP teachers. Within the scope of Advanced Placement, also called the Advanced Placement Program, exams are offered in 38 different courses in 6 different fields. Each AP exam has two sections, consisting of multiple-choice questions and short-answer or essay-style questions. The AP results, which are the sum of the two parts, are evaluated with a grade between 1 and 5. Students who take 3 AP exams and get a minimum of 3 out of 5 in each will have the title of AP Scholar. The duration of the exam and the number of questions in the exam vary according to the chosen topic. In the exam, multiple-choice questions are evaluated by the computer, and short-answer and essay-style questions are evaluated by a committee of experienced AP professors and university professors.
AP exams are held once a year in May. Exam results are sent to students and universities in July. Results reports are cumulative, meaning they show all AP exam results a student has taken to date. A student can take one or more AP exams, as well as the opportunity to retake the same exam one year later.
Each university has AP admission requirements determined by its own policy. Each student must take the courses required by the field he/she aims to study and pass the exams of those courses successfully. Universities generally require AP scores from at least 3 courses. For some universities, this can go up to 4 or 5 AP scores. Although there is no written requirement, even an AP score of 7-8 for some prestigious schools has been experienced as a priority in admission.
AP exams are graded on a 1-5 grading scale. A student must get at least 3 to be considered successful. In university applications, it is expected to get at least 3 or higher scores out of 5 full grades from at least 3 AP courses required by the department applied for. Every year, tens of thousands of students take the AP exam outside the United States. 90% of 4-year colleges and universities in America accept AP scores as course exemption and/or placement criteria.
What is the AP Exam system like? How to prepare for AP?
With the AP program, students can have a much more in-depth knowledge of their intended field, improve their study habits, and improve their writing skills and problem-solving abilities. Students targeting universities abroad can start preparing for the AP exams during their high school education.
The AP Program provides students with the opportunity to take college-level courses in high school and be exempt from those courses at college. Particularly, during the admission phase of students' overseas university applications, the fact that a student has taken AP courses in high school and passed the exams successfully is considered as an indicator of his readiness for academic education.
Students who take AP courses and pass the exams are more advantageous than students who make standard applications during the application process to universities, and they also have the chance to be exempted from these courses when they start university. They can also study more easily in double-major programs.
The program implemented in American Schools and very few high schools in Turkey is considered the most important international diploma program. Students participating in the AP diploma program take AP courses in addition to the Turkish curriculum. For this reason, they may need out-of-school support from time to time.
AP Courses:
AP Art History
AP Biology
AP Calculus AB/AP Calculus BC/AP Statistics
AP Computer Science
AP English Language and Composition/AP English Literature and Composition/AP Spanish
AP Environmental Science
AP Geography
AP Macroeconomics
AP Psychology
AP American Government and Policy/AP American History
Let's summarize the advantages of the Advanced Placement (AP) Program:
- With high AP exam grades, the opportunity to be accepted or placed in a university in the United States, England and Canada,
- By taking university-level courses while in high school, making their credits count in foreign universities,
- Helping to increase skills such as “working more efficiently, good writing, problem-solving habits” that need to be developed in order to be successful at university,
- The opportunity to adapt early to the higher education system through online AP courses taken at the university level,
- Preference for being accepted from universities abroad through course credits with international equivalency.
What is the IB (International Baccalaureate) International Baccalaureate Program?
International Baccalaureate Organization; It was first established as a non-commercial institution in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1968. Since then, it has been accepted as the most competent, rational and functional education program accepted all over the world. The purpose of establishment; It is the execution of the curriculum of the students who continue their high school or university education in another country, within a common and universal framework. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Program is a comprehensive, pre-university two-year program for students aged 16-19. It is an academically challenging and balanced education program with final exams that prepares students to be successful at university and beyond. It is designed to provide students' intellectual, social, emotional and physical skills. The program is appreciated and respected by the world's leading universities.
Some high schools in Turkey also offer an IB diploma. Students participating in the IB diploma program take IB courses in addition to the Turkish curriculum. For this reason, they may need support from time to time. Some schools that offer an IB diploma include; We can list Eyüboğlu High School, ENKA Schools, Koç High School, Şişli Terakki, Işık Ayazağa, Wish Acıbadem, SEV American, MEF International.
What are the Benefits of IB?
More than a thousand universities in nearly 100 countries accept the IB diploma. Many foundation universities and private universities in our country; It provides success and high achievement scholarships at varying rates according to the IB diploma grade, grants the right to transfer, and provides exemption from some courses.
Giving an international diploma in addition to the MEB diploma,
International validity of the IB diploma and priority acceptance at the best universities abroad,
IB graduates come to the fore with their achievements, and they take place as privileged individuals in the society after university education,
To teach the student to use time in the best way and to work with the most appropriate methods,
Making students aware of academic honesty,
Enabling the student to develop his/her writing ability by writing prose, articles and essays,
The advantages of this program can be listed as the spread of these gains to the whole school as a result of the teachers in the IB program transferring these gains to other grade levels thanks to the ongoing in-service training.
Apart from the above-mentioned advantages, the IB Diploma Program provides the education of versatile, research-loving, curious, creative, responsible and perhaps most importantly, literate people with the principle of academic honesty. IBDP, which is a program that should be preferred or evaluated especially by students with a study habit and high performance, is only "a program to be chosen by students who want to study abroad." The determination is not very accurate. Students who take this program in high school 2nd and high school 3rd grades can also prepare for the university exams in our country in their last year.
Syllabus:
The diploma candidate must choose one course from each of the six groups within the options presented. In Turkey, the Mother Tongue and Social Sciences courses are taught in Turkish, while the other courses are taught in English.
Group 1 :
Language A1 - Literature studies are conducted in the student's most successful language, usually in the mother tongue.
Group 2:
Language A2 - Language and literature course with very proficient students in a second language.
Group 3:
Individuals and Societies -Business and Management, Economics, ITGS, Philosophy and Psychology.
Group 4:
Natural Sciences - Biology, Chemistry, Physics.
Group 5:
Mathematics - Mathematics (Advanced), Mathematical Methods (Standard Level).
Group 6:
Electives - Students can choose any course from the first five groups, or they can choose a specially approved course according to the school curriculum.
The IB program is a two-year program that includes 6 course areas, a dissertation, and creativity, activity, service imperatives. Candidates for the IB diploma also take the Theory of Knowledge course, prepare a 4000-word dissertation and complete creativity, activity and service studies. Most IB exams consist of short-answer, long-answer, and essay-style questions. Multiple choice questions are not asked in internal evaluations.
Only students enrolled in IB courses can take IB exams and receive IB credits. IB exams are developed and evaluated by the international exam preparation panel. Exams are administered locally and sent to the IB Organization testing center in Wales for assessment. Successful IB program students receive an IB diploma covering the entire program or an IB certificate for individual IB courses.
Point system:
Students can get 7 points from each course. The number of points received from the courses can reach 42. Apart from this, they can reach 3 more points thanks to a comprehensive study of approximately 4000 words called Extended Essay and a thesis to be written about the Theory of Knowledge. The total number of points that can be reached is 45. However, in order for a student to have a UB Diploma, this 150-hour program consisting of "Creativity, Action, Service - CAS" activities must be successfully completed within 2 years.
References:
⁃ IB vs AP: What's Better for Admissions in 2022? / https://bemoacademicconsulting.com
⁃ Pearson International Connections Academy AP (Advanced Placement) / tr.pearson.com
