I Wish I'd Studied The IB: The Curriculum for World Peace

Main ideas, concepts, and lessons

• Problem with “national” curricula: The video opens with the idea that students often wonder why they study specific content because curricula are chosen by national governments and shaped by national priorities and ideologies (e.g., England’s GCSE/A-level perspectives).

• Origins of the IB as a peace project:

  • After World War II, a group of globally minded diplomats, educators, and parents gathered in Geneva to create an education system with a broader international lens.
  • Their motivation: education should contribute to world peace, not just exam performance.
  • A core belief: bringing students together from “warring countries” can build understanding and global perspectives to help prevent future conflict.

• UWC as a key precursor to the IB:

  • The video emphasizes the role of United World Colleges (UWC) as an “utopian vision” of intercultural education.
  • UWC places financially diverse students from many countries together to develop intercultural competence and an international orientation.
  • The first UWC was founded by Kurt Hahn, a Jewish educator who fled Nazi Germany. He believed Europe’s youth were spiritually apathetic (“Ohne mich” / “Without me— I don’t care”).

Kurt Hahn’s first UWC school and its peace-minded approach

• Hahn believed graduates should remember school days as spent in a “physically and spiritually healthy environment,” tied to natural beauty.
• He bought an abandoned castle in Wales (previously owned by William Randolph Hearst) to launch an international educational project.
• Hahn chose a former military officer as a director—selected for expertise in uniting hostile territories and establishing peace.
• The project became UWC Atlantic, named for its Atlantic ocean setting; students were trained (including lifeguard-style training) to save lives in storms.
• The first class reportedly included 56 boys from across Europe and North America.

Why the IB curriculum had to be invented

The video argues that if students from different countries are in the same school, it becomes a logistical and educational problem to teach completely different national curricula. This “structural dilemma” is presented as a major incentive for creating an international curriculum—the International Baccalaureate (IB).

How the IB is structured (Diploma Programme focus)

The presenter focuses primarily on the IB Diploma Programme for ages 16–18 (often compared to a higher qualification such as A-levels). The video also notes IB includes additional tracks beyond the Diploma, including elementary and high-school systems and a career program.

IB Diploma Programme: academic + non-academic components

Six subject areas (with requirements)

Students study six subjects total, typically drawn from these categories:

• Language (usually the student’s native language)
• Second language
• Humanities
• Sciences
• Arts (with a note that art can sometimes be replaced by another science)

Level choice and scoring

• Most students take 3 subjects at Higher Level (HL) and 3 at Standard Level (SL).
• Subjects are scored from 1 to 7.
• Scoring overview:
  • 6 subjects can yield up to 7 points each (potentially up to 42).
  • Additional required components add extra points.

Three required “core” courses (non-subject requirements)

• CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) Presented as similar to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (with camping removed/absent). Over about 18 months, students must complete and document:

  • Creativity (creative activities)
  • Activity (sports/physical activity)
  • Service (community service/volunteering)

Key consequence: if CAS isn’t completed, students fail the IB even with strong academic grades.

• Extended Essay A roughly 4000-word independent research paper on a topic chosen by the student, designed to mimic university-style research and dissertation skills.

• TOK (Theory of Knowledge) Described as an applied epistemology course focused on the nature of knowledge:

  • where knowledge comes from
  • how knowledge is transmitted
  • differences between “types” of knowledge (e.g., math vs history)
  • becoming responsible knowledge “carriers”

The video notes some students find TOK unhelpful or like a “night class,” but the presenter is interested in hearing firsthand experiences.

Instructional/list-style elements (IB requirements and consequences)

To complete the IB Diploma Programme, students generally:

1. Take six subjects across required categories:
   • language (native)
   • second language
   • humanities
   • sciences
   • arts (or sometimes a science alternative)
2. Choose subject levels, typically 3 HL + 3 SL.
3. Complete the IB core:
   • CAS for ~18 months (document creativity + activity + service)
     • must pass (failure to complete → fail IB)
   • Extended Essay (~4000 words)
     • independent research on a chosen topic
   • TOK
     • a course about the nature of knowledge

Scoring described in the video:

• Each core component is worth 1 point
• Subjects can score up to 7 each
• An “ideal” score is estimated as 45 points (42 from subjects + 3 core points)

Does IB “work”? Evidence and critique presented in the video

• The presenter describes IB’s claimed effectiveness as “mind-blowing,” but criticizes relying on IB’s own website due to potential bias.
• A central cited evidence base:
  • A literature review by Dixon and Perry (2018) reviewing 58 peer-reviewed critiques/analyses.
  • In most indicators, IB students reportedly outperform A-level students in:
    • university entry likelihood
    • retention
    • success at university

Limitations in educational research

The video argues that educational research has limitations because many factors affect student success outside the curriculum, including:

• family income
• local opportunities
• access to cultural resources
• tutoring availability

Confounding concern: prior achievement

• A key concern is that many studies may not adequately control for students’ starting academic level.
• Example given:
  • Green and Vignolies / Vignols (2012) reportedly found IB students got better university grades than A-level students, controlling for variables like parents’ occupations—but still not prior achievement.

A study highlighted as controlling for prior achievement

• Saavedra (2014) in the U.S. with 15,000+ students
• The video claims it controlled for parental income, performance, gender, ethnicity, and other factors.
• Reported result: IB increases high school graduation chances by ~20% and students had higher academic achievements.

Student experience vs outcomes

• Students often reportedly hate IB while taking it:
  • stressful
  • overwhelming
  • dislike the process
• Yet after reaching higher education, many reportedly feel grateful, believing IB better prepares them for university workloads.

Evidence for “global thinking” outcomes is harder

• The video argues empathy, collaboration, and similar skills are difficult to measure because education tends to value what can be measured.
• Still, it references anecdotal and indirect evidence, such as:
  • teachers/students believing IB leads to study abroad and greater international mobility
  • CAS being linked to later volunteering (though some view CAS as “tick-box”)
  • teacher changes toward interdisciplinarity and multiple assessment styles
• Some reported concerns:
  • perceived Western bias (e.g., teacher feedback from Hong Kong studies)
  • workload and insufficient support/training for teachers

Final evaluation and debate about suitability

• The presenter concludes they “love IB” because of:
  • ambition
  • strictness/intensity
  • an attempt to build international consciousness at that age
  • a belief it better replaces early specialization
• However, they question whether it’s for everyone:
  • students with a more technical/practical mindset might struggle with the heavy workload and conceptual demands
  • they argue education should offer pathways suited to different types of ambition and intelligence

New IB initiative mentioned: Pathways to Systemic Change / The Path of Systems

• The presenter says UWC Atlantic and IB co-developed a new part of IB called “Pathways to Systemic Change” (also described as “The Path of Systems”).
• She claims students gain freedom of action and responsibility in addressing issues and learn to think in systems to change the world.

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Speakers / sources featured (as named in the subtitles)

Speakers (people appearing as narrators/interviewees)

• Jade (the video creator/presenter; “If you don’t know who I am, hello, my name is Jade.”)
• Ollie Packer (current managing director of the International Baccalaureate; interviewed)
• Alec Peterson (described as a main creator of the IB; credited as the author of Schools Across Borders and hired to create the first IB version)
• Kurt Hahn (founder of the first UWC; described as an influential educator)
• William Randolph Hearst (mentioned as the former owner of the castle in Wales)

Sources / institutions / organizations

• International Baccalaureate (IB) (including the IB Diploma Programme and related initiatives)
• United World Colleges (UWC) (including UWC Atlantic)
• World Education Forum (event where the presenter met Ollie Packer)
• Geneva (location referenced for the founding gathering)
• Dixon and Perry (2018) (authors of a critical literature review on IB)
• Green and Vignolies / Vignols (2012) (study mentioned regarding university grades)
• Saavedra (2014) (U.S. study mentioned about IB effectiveness when controlling for prior achievement)
• “Schools Across Borders” by Alec Peterson (book used for the IB founding history)