Congratulations to WAB’s Class of 2019, who continued our school’s tradition of excellence in education and scoring well above world averages on the IB Diploma Programme exams.

Since implementing the DP, WAB students have surpassed the global average in the DP exams, which more than 166,000 students took this May. Across all subject areas, WAB students excelled. Some highlights include:

• WAB’s subject score increased this year to 5.42, compared to the 4.76 global average.
• The number of students who earned 40 or more points this year increased to 19.4% up from 12.6% last school year.
• This year, the average WAB score stayed consistent at 34 compared to a 29.63 world average.
• More students than ever earned bonus points in Theory of Knowledge & Extended Essay, key parts of the Core of the Diploma Programme
• 29 students earned a bilingual diploma, which speaks to the diversity of the student cohort

While the overall IB exam scores are a great indicator of how our students perform academically, we can take a closer look at some other details of the results, as well as narratives, that illustrate the special impact WAB faculty and programs have on supporting our students’ success.

WAB offers a truly inclusive IB Diploma Programme and invites all students to take part. In 2019, WAB students posted scores significantly above world average across all six DP subject areas, including courses such as Higher Level Physics, Higher Level Visual Arts, Standard Level Design, Higher and Standard Level Mathematics, Higher Level Psychology, and Higher Level English Language and Literature.

Success in such a diverse range of subjects and the Core of the DP illustrates the breadth of expertise and support among the WAB faculty. Our team of High School counselors plays a unique and necessary role in not only advising students on their academic or career pathways, but also supports their course-selection decision and helps personally tailor each student’s academic journey in a way that will help them achieve their maximum potential.

“Big numbers on exam results and big-name universities are not the focus for us or for our students,” Counselor Natasha Tavares said. “Many students performed exceptionally well and are attending these schools, but it has always been about the success of each individual student. Our teachers and administration work together to create the best experience for each individual student by supporting them to identify specialized programs and pathways that will get them where they want to go.”

One of those students was Tina Sang. Tina had a passion for English and knew from Grade 10 she wanted to go attend Oxford to continue studying the language and humanities. She credits the support and inclusion of the people around her at WAB in helping her achieve her academic goals.

“Everyone was not only willing to help, but elated to share the entire journey with me,” Tina said. “In my senior year, my teachers evolved from being simple academic mentors to compassionate friends and even family. A valuable trait in all the counselors is their willingness to listen and work with what you give them. They helped me proofread personal statement drafts (all ten!), gave me advice for interviews, and most importantly - great company to talk to and joke around with. Without their constant attention and accessibility, I would not have improved as quickly as I did, especially in Grade 12.”

For WAB graduate Jason Hu, the focus of his WAB experience was the learning journey, not a specific destination. Jason scored a 44 out of 45 on his exams and is attending the University of California-Los Angeles this year, but his priority was always a holistic experience.

“WAB has helped me develop and grow as a student as a member of the community,” Jason said of his nine years at WAB. “I really enjoyed going to WAB for elementary school because the curriculum was extremely well designed to allow students to learn and have fun. I liked WAB because the teachers were approachable and that my friends made it an awesome high school experience.”

Jason’s counselor has reciprocal memories of his time in the High School. She was impressed by Jason’s commitment to specific, specialized programs that piqued his interests and worked with him to make choices that would help him thrive.

Remembering Jason as a hard-working, resilient student who was full of questions and pushed himself to explore, Natasha said, “He could have gone on to do or study anything.”

“After our World of Work internship program, I wasn’t surprised when the company offered him a summer job,” High School Counselor and World of Work Coordinator Michelle Chow-Liu said.

Jason plans to graduate from UCLA in three years with a bachelor’s in cognitive science and, true to his diverse range of interests, is still deciding in which subject to minor: linguistics, philosophy, or digital media.

Stories like this are outstanding but not unique at WAB. Each year, our graduates gain acceptance to specialized courses and top university programs around the globe. While we are proud of our Class of 2019 graduates for continuing a decades-long tradition of out-performing the world average in the IB DP Exams, we are prouder to celebrate the people our graduates become and the difference they will make in the world.