FAQs

Envisioned as a bold and innovative pilot course, there are some key differences between Systems Transformation and other IB subjects:

1. Currently, UWC Atlantic and UWCSEA are the only schools in the world invited by the IB to develop and run this pilot course. A pioneer cohort of 24 students at UWCA began their studies in August 2023 (you can find out more about their journey here).
2. Systems Transformation counts for two standard level subjects: meaning students will have four lessons per week, and be awarded two identical Grades 1–7.
3. Selecting Systems Transformation opens up greater flexibility in the other course options for diploma students (see more below).
4. Systems Transformation is designed for students seeking to take action, show initiative, and make change. In offering students a transdisciplinary, project-based learning experience, and a progressive, authentic assessment model, Systems Transformation offers a different kind of challenge for our students. 

With 4 blocks a week (including a double lesson), students taking Systems Transformation will benefit from an intensive, action-focused course, with opportunities to take learning outside of the classroom, working with community partners, service providers, or Systems Transformation students on other campuses (including UWC Atlantic).

The course is facilitated through two types of project: teacher-guided projects, and an extended Independent Engagement Project which will be student-driven, but teacher supported. Classes will be structured around taught content, shared experiences and inquiry, including collaborative and individual projects, deep dives to promote specific skill development, structured peer feedback sessions, and dialogue with mentors and thought partners.

Classes will build key skills for changemaking, including design and systems thinking, leadership, and project management, with opportunities to connect to the UWC mission (for example, to service learning, peacebuilding, sustainable development and intercultural understanding).

This pilot course has been developed as an alternative assessment pathway for the IB. This means that, while Systems Transformation students will be graded using the same 1–7 system, and work towards the same IB diploma qualification (should they choose), with the same requirements, they won’t be assessed through traditional exam models. Instead, assessments on this course will include comparative case studies, a portfolio, systems mapping, and an individual engagement project. Assessment is designed to be:

• Balanced: the assessment model reduces the number of formal assessment components from six to four. Students will demonstrate skills and transdisciplinary understanding through a process portfolio, written interim reports, case study comparative analysis, and a systems mapping task. 50% is assessed externally by IB examiners; 50% is assessed by UWCSEA teachers, and moderated by the IB.
• Authentic: Teacher-led projects, and the individual engagement project, will tackle pressing, real-world issues, with students designing interventions or artefacts for authentic audiences. This could include community partners, external experts, UWC alumni, or service providers.
• Iterative: Ongoing, formative assessment, including peer review and targeted self-reflection, is a key feature of the project-based approach on this course. Students will revisit, re-evaluate, and refine their approach, in a manner.

This course may be for students who:

• are committed to enacting the UWC mission, looking for opportunities to initiate change and develop leadership skills
• are looking to balance and broaden their assessment experiences
• enjoy collaborative, real-world focused learning, tackling authentic problems
• opt to take the full IB diploma, or choose to take individual IB courses. Systems Transformation can be taken as a stand-alone IB course option: it does not have to be taken only as a part of a full IB diploma
• want more flexibility in their subject options, beyond the traditional IB Diploma requirements

This course may not be for students who:

• are not able to demonstrate initiative, commitment, and engagement with the UWC mission from their experiences in the Grade 9–10 learning programme
• are looking for an ‘easier’ diploma option
• prefer more traditional, exam-focused modes of learning
• have specific course requirements for university which do not align with the IB diploma model as a whole (eg. Medicine in Germany, requiring 3 HL sciences), and/ or who want to pursue course combinations not possible within this pilot model
• have not demonstrated secure Approaches to Learning (ATLs) in Grades 9–10

Example Diploma packages

The IB understands that students selecting this course—highly committed and engaged, with strong approaches to learning—will not be representative of the global cohort of IB students, and examiners do not expect the same distribution of grades as they might see in other subjects. The IB regularly runs pilot courses, and we know from our experience that students are not at all disadvantaged by being part of a small cohort. 

IB assessment includes a range of methods to ensure comparable challenge and rigour across its courses, including moderation, pairs analysis, ongoing assessment research, and an Enquiry Upon Results service for candidates.

No, the level of difficulty in this (dual award) course—to achieve a 7 or any other grade overall—will be no more difficult than in other (single) subjects. Assessment objectives and marking criteria have been co-written with the IB to ensure consistency and appropriate challenge. Grade boundaries are set by the IB’s Principal Examiner for the subject, and there are established processes (e.g. pairs analysis) whereby the IB considers performance across subjects, to ensure comparable levels of difficulty. Though in this case two identical grades will be awarded by the IB, the level of knowledge, skills, and understanding needed to reach a 7 will be the same as in a single grade course.

With 4 blocks a week (including one double block), this is an intensive course; one which will immerse you in a 'hands-on', project-based approach from the start.  As our very first cohort - of a course the IB plans to roll-out globally from 2030—you'll be a unique and probably tight-knit group!  

We've planned your timetable so that you'll have opportunities to work together with your peers at Dover, for special sessions, visiting presentations, and off-campus research.  You'll also have the extended time in your double block to connect with partners and collaborate on more in-depth work.

Your teacher will utilise case studies, real-world issues, and expert perspectives, to guide you through the project-design process; supported by shared reading, such as Becoming a Changemaker by Alex Budak (a faculty member at UC Berkley, who we've consulted in designing this course).

In Grade 11, you'll complete your first coursework components, helping to balance your workload. As you move through the course and become more expert, you'll continue reflecting on your approaches, noticing your biases, assumptions, and reactions to setbacks (with real-world issues, there'll be plenty of these!)

In Grade 12 you'll have a chance to develop your own Independent Engagement Project in an area of personal interest, with the option to connect this the topic of your Extended Essay, taking it from the written page into the real world.

As Grade 12 teaching concludes, and exam revision begins, you'll be wrapping up your coursework, and able to focus on your remaining subjects, including your three Higher Level courses.

Universities the world over highly value the breadth and rigour of the IB diploma, and the quality holistic education represented by the UWCSEA High School diploma. Diploma students opting to take Systems Transformation will receive the same IB qualification, and an overall score out of 45 points, which is well understood by universities in a very wide range of countries and systems (see more at the IB University Recognition website).

Beyond this, university requirements for IB course selections will depend on the institutions and courses students are applying for (more details on our Transitions website, IB Subjects Prerequisites Matrix).

UWCSEA and the IB have been engaging with universities over the last year to share our work on Systems Transformation, to ensure that they understand the content and rigour of this new option. Both the ability to dive deeply into an area of particular interest and the opportunity to develop skills as part of a real-world engagement have been highlighted as valuable opportunities afforded by the course.

We encourage students to make their initial subject selections for Grade 11 by reflecting on their interests and strengths; the kinds of learning they enjoy, and the experiences they want to have in the learning programme as a whole. After submitting their subject options form, all students will meet 1:1 with a University Advisor to review their choices through the lens of keeping doors open for the countries and courses they are considering. Information is provided to families via the Transitions Site, where the IB Subject Prerequisite Matrix provides general guidance about required and recommended subjects and levels for popular courses in popular countries. Parents are also welcome to bring their questions to one of the upcoming regular engagement sessions with University Advisors. Cup of College runs on East Campus and UAC Conversations runs on Dover Campus, more details and how to register are found in the eBrief.

That’s ok! We don’t expect students to have a clear idea in Grade 10 or what they want to do after school. One of the strengths of the IB diploma is its breadth, and much of that is maintained in this pilot model, which will still require students to choose, in addition to Systems Transformation, three higher level subjects and one standard level subject, from across a range of subject groups. As well as broadening students’ knowledge and skills, the baccalaureate model allows for flexibility and students’ developing curiosity, leaving many options open for future study. Students should be guided by their strengths and interest in making subject choices, and should consider requirements of specific country systems where they might want to apply (e.g., evidence of language proficiency).

The new course will be launched as part of our Grade 10–11 transition process in November 2023, involving assemblies, coffee mornings, and additional information sessions (details are published separately for each campus). From November, information on all aspects of our Grade 11–12 learning programme will be available on our transition sites. For students there will be some demonstration lessons in Week 2 after the December break, where they can get a better idea about the project based nature of the course.

Our aim is that all students are able to make informed decisions about their learning programme when they submit their subject option form in February 2024. However, we know that sometimes thinking shifts in the subsequent months, or even in the first few weeks of a new course: for this reason, we support students in making changes to their subject package up until the October break of Grade 11—after which point transitions can become much more challenging. These changes are always dependent on the possibilities of the timetable, and on space being available in the new subject classes.