On Jul 5, International Baccalaureate Organization released candidate results for 2020, and many students were disappointed by their awarded grades, which were significantly below what had been predicted. Close to 10,000 students have since signed a petition, calling for “justice” for their low grades. Another separate petition was also created, pushing for new grades to be issued. Furthermore, the hashtag #IBScandal has been used on social media platforms as students express their frustration.
How were the results calculated?
Under the International Baccalaureate, each subject group is graded on a scale from 1 to 7, with seven being the highest score. Furthermore, up to 3 additional points can be awarded for the Extended Essay(EE) and Theory of Knowledge (TOK). The maximum score for the Diploma Programme is 45 points. This year 170,343 candidates took the IB, culminating in a global average of 29.9. The diploma pass rate is 79.1%.
IB scores are usually calculated using end-of-year written examination results, and to a lesser degree, coursework and in-school assessments. This year, due to COVID-19, the May 2020 series of exams were canceled and the IB announced that results will be calculated based on coursework, internal assessments, teacher predictions, and historical data.
“We will be using vast historical assessment data to ensure that we follow a rigorous process of due diligence in what is a truly unprecedented situation” they announced at the time. “We will be undertaking significant data analysis from previous exam sessions, individual school data, subject data as well as comparative data of schools who have already completed uploading requirements and those who have not. We will require schools to submit the coursework for all candidates. We will externally mark work that is usually marked by teachers, instead of taking samples and applying moderation.”
Criticism of the 2020 grading model
The recent grading model the IB has used to award grades has received much attention, with critics expressed concerns regarding issues such as the socioeconomic status of schools. Furthermore, a widely expressed concern related to the effect of teacher predictions on the scores, as teachers have been found to provide lower predicted scores for students of color and students from disadvantaged communities.
In response to criticism from an article, the IB stated that the recent grade distribution of results corresponds to grades from past years. Furthermore, they are confident that grades have been awarded fairly.
In regard to their grading model, the IB stated that: “It was also checked against the last five years’ sets of results data, to ensure that it would provide reliable and valid grades for students. Prior to the attribution of final grades, this process was subjected to rigorous testing by educational statistical specialists to ensure our methods were robust.”
“The stability of results for students has been maintained for the May 2020 session. The mean total points for May 2020 DP students show small increases in the average grade achieved compared to previous years. The grade distribution level is also in line with the previous four years of results data.”
“The IB is confident that it has awarded grades in the fairest and most robust way possible in the absence of examinations, and the grades awarded to students are of equal value to those awarded in any other year. This level of confidence means that the DP and CP certification documents awarded to students for the May 2020 session will be the same as any other session.”
Candidates react
Linda Yang, a recent graduate from Beanstalk International Bilingual School (BIBS) believes that the issue is more nuanced than students simply receiving lower grades than they hoped for. “Candidates were both harmed and encouraged under the IB’s mode of assessment this year.” She emphasized that each group subject came with different challenges such as oral assessments and internal assessments (IA’s).
“The justice of the IB results very much depended on each independent subject group. The nature of various assessments offered different challenges and requirements for each individual candidate. Additionally, some candidates may have had more opportunities to work/study for their assessments.”
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Images: Green Chameleon (via Unsplash), International Baccalaureate Organization 2020
