Students from the Blue Mountains were among those who received impressive scores in the International Baccalaureate (IB) at St Paul’s Grammar School, Penrith, released on January 4.
Create a free account to read this article
or signup to continue reading
Susan Graham of Glenbrook received an IB score of 44, the ATAR equivalent of 99.85.
Blaxland’s Jenny Haldey received an IB score 38 (ATAR 96.75) and Abby Bennett, also from Blaxland, received an IB score of 33 (ATAR 90.90).
Sarah Bakker, from Mountain Lagoon near Bilpin, was Dux at St Paul’s Grammar School, achieving a perfect IB score of 45 (ATAR 99.95). She been interviewed to study law at Cambridge University and will hear if she has been successful next week.
Principal Ian Wake congratulated the students, families and staff, saying the “outstanding results reinforce St Paul’s strong academic reputation and demonstrate the incredible value of holistic education”.
“We are very proud of each and every one of our students and acknowledge their significant efforts over the course of their studies. They remain in our prayers as they commence a new and exciting stage of life.”
IB Diploma program co-ordinator Antony Mayrhofer said the results “reflect the students’ commitment to their studies over the past two years”.
“The dedication of their teachers, whose vast IB experience in the classroom, as IB examiners and in IB curriculum development is unequalled in Australia, must also be appreciated as contributing significantly to these excellent results.
“When considered together with this cohort’s HSC results, the academic achievement of our Year 12 Class of 2017 is one that reflects a deep culture of excellence in teaching and learning at the school.”
The International Baccalaureate is a globally recognised program that can open doors for students to study at overseas universities.
Students enrolled in the program are required to study a second language, at least one humanities or maths subject, a unit on the philosophy of knowledge, and spend a year working on a 4000-word essay on a topic of their choice.
A total of 2418 students in Australia and 338 in New Zealand sat for the IB examinations, including 547 in New South Wales.
St Paul’s Grammar School has been offering IB programs since 1990. In Year 11 and 12, students choose between the IB Diploma and HSC. Fifty five students attempted the IB in 2017, or 70 per cent of the Year 12 class.
