Diploma Programme (Grade 11 – 12)

Our aim as a school is to create a whole individual within a strong academic and Islamic framework, to prepare our students to voyage out beyond the comfortable, with courage and confidence.  We value critical thinking and strive to build self-belief for all our students.

Al Zahra College’s emphasis is as much about creating strong, unwavering members of society as academic success.  We equip young adolescents not only to win places at leading universities, but to flourish there.  The qualities we look to instil in all our students are a sense of global mindedness, respect and individuality, the willingness to lead through service and also the importance of striving for excellence at all times. 

An International University Preparation Programme

In the years since its founding, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme has be­come recognised as the best university preparation programme available for students aged 16+ and is the leading, in­ternationally recognised qualification for university entrance. The hallmark of academic excellence worldwide, it is a holistic programme that supports students in developing their skills of information processing, analysis and application; critical thinking and creative problem solving; collaboration and communication; social and emotional wellbeing; and experiential learning through creativity, activity and service. 

Students who satisfy the demands of the programme have demonstrated strong engagement in learning, both in terms of the mastery of sub­ject content and in the development of skills that will support them as lifelong learners, as they successfully navigate life in a digital age. IB students are bilingual or multilingual and are encouraged to view the world through an internationally minded lens as they learn to embrace cultural diversity by developing a better understanding and appreciation of their own culture, other cultures and our collective humanity.

Al Zahra College only offers the IB Diploma in which several subjects across each KLA are offered, enabling students to create a personalised programme that fully reflects their interests and language skills, and which provides the ideal basis for their future international studies, career and life pathways. 

The Curriculum

The International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) curriculum sets out the requirements for study of the DP (Refer to the DP Brochures in English and Arabic).

The curriculum model arranges the six academic areas around the core requirements. Central to its philosophy is the IB Learner Profile, which is communicated through Approaches to Teaching and Learning. Find out more about the DP.

The curriculum is made up of the DP core and six subject groups. 

Made up of the three required components, the DP core aims to broaden students’ educational experience and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills.

The three core elements are:

• Theory of knowledge, in which students reflect on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know.
• The extended essay, which is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper.
• Creativity, activity, service, in which students complete a project related to those three concepts.

The six subject groups are:

• Studies in language and literature
• Language acquisition
• Individuals and societies
• Sciences
• Mathematics
• The arts

There are different courses within each subject group.

Choosing subjects in the Diploma Programme

Students choose courses from the following subject groups: studies in language and literature; language acquisition; individuals and societies; sciences; mathematics; and the arts.

Students may opt to study an additional sciences, individuals and societies, or languages course, instead of a course in the arts.

Students will take some subjects at higher level (HL) and some at standard level (SL).  HL and SL courses differ in scope but are measured according to the same grade descriptors, with students expected to demonstrate a greater body of knowledge, understanding and skills at higher level.

Each student takes at least three (but not more than four) subjects at higher level, and the remaining at standard level.

Standard level subjects take up 150 teaching hours. Higher level comprises 240 teaching hours.

For more information about the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) at AZC, please see AZC’s IBDP Curriculum Handbook

Hear from the DP Community

“Alumni of the Diploma Programme attend top-ranking universities studies find.” 

(https://ibo.org/globalassets/publications/ib-research/dp/ chinasummaryinenglishweb.pdf) 

“Diploma Programme students not only do well academically while in high school, but also go on to perform well at the university level.” 

(https://ibo.org/globalassets/publications/ib-research/dp/dp-student-enrollment- outcomes-us-brief-en.pdf)