My TARA
What is the IB Diploma Programme?
The Diploma Programme (DP) is a two-year commitment in which students’ study six subjects, one from each of the designated subject groups. The programme is overseen by the International Baccalaureate (IB), an external organisation that ensures that the delivery of the programme meets global standards, and all teachers delivering DP content must be specifically trained and authorised by the IB to ensure high-quality instruction.
What are the benefits of an IB DP Education?
The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme offers a world-class education that nurtures well-rounded, globally minded students. Through a balanced and rigorous curriculum, students develop strong academic skills, critical thinking, and a deep understanding of how knowledge is constructed across disciplines. The program’s core components, Theory of Knowledge (TOK), the Extended Essay (EE), and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) foster independence, strong research skills, and personal growth. Recognised by leading universities worldwide, as well as being highly valued by Australian universities, the IB DP prepares students not only for academic success but also for life beyond school, encouraging them to become compassionate, reflective, and engaged global citizens.
🔗Click here to find out what the research says about how students benefit from a DP education.
Empowering Globally Minded Thinkers
Subjects like Global Politics, Philosophy, and Psychology offer students more than academic knowledge, they provide a foundation for understanding the world and their place within it. These courses challenge students to think critically, engage ethically, and explore diverse perspectives across cultures and societies. They encourage students to engage in real world issues and develop the skills to navigate complex global issues, ready to engage with global challenges and drive positive change.
Whether analysing political decision-making, exploring philosophical questions, or examining psychological theories, students are equipped to become thoughtful, compassionate, and informed global citizens.
What is the DP Core?
The DP Core is one of the most valuable components of the programme. By design, it supports students to be balanced in their senior years, as well as providing them with opportunities to engage in real-world issues, make meaningful community connections and have agency in their learning.
The Extended Essay is great preparation for university. It is a requirement for all DP students and one of the most valuable components of the programme. Students get to deep dive into an area of interest, having student agency and autonomy, while being carefully supported through the process.
Students are provided with a personal supervisor, who guides them in their chosen field of research. In addition, in their EE lessons they will be taught how to generate a research question, how to engage in rigorous research and what it means to be an ethical researcher.
The Theory of Knowledge (ToK) course is unique to the IB Diploma Programme. It is a formal class, where students explore questions about knowledge and the process of knowing. ToK emphasises comparisons and connections between areas of knowledge and encourages students to become more aware of their own perspectives and the perspectives of others.
ToK provides an opportunity for students to reflect on the nature, scope and limitations of knowledge and the process of knowing. The course underpins and helps to unite the subjects that students encounter in the rest of their DP studies. It engages students in explicit reflection on how knowledge is arrived at in different disciplines and areas of knowledge, on what these areas have in common and the differences between them.
Students write a 1,600 word essay from a list of prescribed topics by the IB and engage in a ToK exhibition. The exhibition requires students individually to select 3 objects that connect to one of 35 prompts provided by the IB and write an accompanying written commentary on each object.
ToK knowledge questions encourage students to challenge their existing knowledge and provides opportunities for critical thinking skill development.
Example questions include:
- How can we decide between the judgments of experts if they disagree with each other?
- What ethical constraints should there be on the pursuit of knowledge?
- What counts as a good justification for a claim?
CAS is one of the key elements in the Diploma Programme that supports students to strive to be balanced and can lead to self-discovery in three areas, creativity, activity and service. It aligns exceptionally well with the Tara values of Opportunity, Affirmation, Service and Integrity. CAS helps students develop life skills like resilience, confidence, compassion and problem-solving, skills valued by professional life and beyond formal education.
Students engage with a range of experiences, which can be a one-off event, or a series of experiences. As well as this, students complete a month-long project, which may be completed with other Diploma students, or with non-DP peers. A CAS project is a collaborative, well-considered series of sequential CAS experiences, engaging students in one or more of the CAS strands of creativity, activity, and service. The primary purpose of the CAS project is to ensure participation in sustained collaboration. A CAS project involves collaboration between a group of students or with members of the wider community. Meaningful engagement with community can help boost personal wellbeing as well as putting faith into action.
Tara has plenty of opportunities within the school, through cocurricular and sporting activities and students are also welcome to select experiences that they are involved in from outside of school, such as piano lessons or netball coaching.
Students select their own experiences and are provided with formal opportunities to reflect and document their learning. They work to demonstrate their engagement against seven outcomes:
- Undertake new challenges
- Plan and initiate activities
- Work collaboratively with others
- Show perseverance and commitment
- Engage with issues of global importance
- Consider ethical implications
- Develop new skills
Group 1 - Studies in Language and Literature
- English Literature
- English Language and Literature
Group 2 - Language Acquisition
- Japanese
- Spanish
- French
- Mandarin
Group 3 - Individuals and Societies
- Global Politics
- History
- Psychology
- Business Management
- Economics
- Philosophy
- Digital Societies
Group 4 - Sciences
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Physics
- Sports, Exercise & Health Science
- Computer Science
Group 5 - Mathematics
- Analysis and Approaches
- Applications & Interpretations
Group 6 - The Arts
- Visual Arts
- Film
(Another subject from Group 3 or 4, or an additional language)
Want to know more about the courses offered? Visit the IB official page to read more 🔗DP curriculum - International Baccalaureate®
Interested in a different subject not currently listed, or want to find out more about the IB DP at Tara contact the IB Diploma Programme Coordinator, Natalie Fairfax at 📧nfairfax@tara.nsw.edu.au
IB Diploma Programme (DP) is a globally recognised curriculum emphasising breadth, depth, and international-mindedness, while the HSC is a state-based qualification tailored for NSW students.
