Stephen Hawking once wrote that “however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at.” That has undoubtedly turned out to be true for the Dulwich College Beijing (DCB) class of 2020. Despite the unique challenges to learning posed by the coronavirus pandemic, DCB students once again achieved outstanding results in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program. DCB students averaged 38 points out of 45, significantly above the global average of 29.9. Thirty-seven students out of the 103 full Diploma students scored over 40 points, and four even scored a perfect 45.
“Adversity made us stronger as a learning community this year and we believe that collaboration and the support of our whole community were key,” said Rachel Edwards, Head of Senior School. “No matter where our staff or families were located, we were very much together and support was in place every step of the way. We couldn’t be more proud of each and every one of our graduating students who are more than ready for their next exciting adventures.”
Jeffrey Harmon, director of university counseling, awards a graduation gift to a student
Celebrating perfect scores
DCB’s overall IB results are impressive, but even more remarkably, four students managed to score a perfect 45, placing them in the top 0.1% of candidates worldwide. The perfect score holders, Jennifer Z, Cherin Y, Vivian H, and Zhiyang H, described the excitement of results day. “When I first saw the results I thought there was something wrong with my eyes because I never expected to get a perfect score,” Cherin said.
Jennifer, Cherin, Vivian’s and Zhiyang’s achievements certainly stem from hours of hard work and dedication, but mastering the IB isn’t just about studying and revision. For Jennifer, passion is an underrated quality and one that helped her achieve her outstanding results. “The extent and quantity of the work in the program is quite exhausting,” she explained. “If you don’t genuinely care, then you won’t find the energy to power through.” For those embarking on their IB journey this coming year, Vivian offers some sage advice: “Do not sacrifice your sleep for an extra hour of revision or plain procrastination. It’s very, very important to have good sleep.”
Kieran Burgess, IB Diploma Program coordinator, working with students
It is worth noting that the students with over 40 points are typically those who maintained a balance between studies and personal passions – those who really embraced the CAS (Creation, Action, Service) aspect of the IB and devoted time to connecting with friends, family and the school community. “In my experience, scoring 40+ points doesn’t happen when it is set as a destination to aim for, but rather it comes as an organic by-product of a healthy, balanced approach to academics, arts, activity, and responsible action,” Kieran Burgess, IB Diploma Program coordinator, said. “These results are a real vindication of a healthy culture, one where a love of learning and a love for life work together, and all staff have played a part in creating this culture. This is a great model for our current and future IB Diploma students to look up to.”
Can’t stop, won’t stop learning
As these perfect scorers show, even a pandemic couldn’t stand in the way of DCB’s commitment to outstanding results. As soon as the coronavirus outbreak hit in late January, DCB was in close contact with the IB, keeping them informed of general developments in China, as well as the specific challenges the school was facing. Teaching was swiftly pivoted online, often across multiple time zones, and then the IB made the decision to cancel exams. While this relieved some of the pressure on students, it also raised questions about how final grades would be calculated.
Screenshot from one a senior school online maths class
However, DCB had measures in place, as Kieran explained. “As a school, we ensured that coursework and predicted grades were calculated no differently to any other year. This was key: we knew that our predictions were historically more accurate than the world average, and we knew that our results were consistently high. Therefore, we didn’t really need to add anything in most cases — simply to ensure the same processes were followed so the IB could trust our grades once more.”
This strategy paid off, as DCB’s results were even closer to predictions than last year, and they haven’t seen the turmoil that other schools around the world have experienced, such as the scandal over adjustments to predicted A-Level results currently gripping the UK.
Now, Kieran and the rest of the DCB team are busy preparing for the new school year. With remote learning likely to remain a fact of life for some time to come, the experiences of the 2020 spring semester have left DCB well-prepared to face whatever the 2020-2021 school year throws at them. “Our online learning offering is genuinely considered world-leading,” Kieran said. “The IB themselves chose to spotlight us, out of all IB schools in the world, in their global magazine as an example of how well we responded to the shutdowns.”
Even creative subjects such as music were moved online
Life beyond DCB
DCB’s perfect scorers and their classmates have received offers from some of the world’s top universities, including Oxford, Cambridge, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, Tsinghua, and Parsons School of Design, studying everything from film to chemical and biomolecular engineering. This year also saw DCB’s first offer of admission to the prestigious Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, which only admits 40 or fewer overseas students a year.
It’s no surprise that DCB’s international cohort would choose to scatter all around the world, but with such a wide range of universities on the horizon, DCB’s university counselors have to work particularly hard to prepare students for the higher education experience. “Our students are academically prepared for wherever they may go because the IB Diploma Program supports holistic growth,” Jeffrey Harmon, director of university counseling, explains. “But beyond academic readiness, we also want to make sure our students are socially and emotionally prepared for living on their own.”
Congratulations to the DCB Class of 2020!
That means guiding students through the application process, from preparing documents to understanding what residential options or student-run organizations a university might have, but also giving them opportunities to develop real-life skills like cooking and managing their finances. Wherever they may be off to, the creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability nurtured in students by the IB Diploma Program stand them in good stead for the road ahead.
As the class of 2020 move onto even bigger and better things, both students and teachers reflect fondly on their time at DCB. “Dulwich is a community of people and not a place,” Edward L. reflects. “Regardless of where each and every one of us ends up, we will all carry a piece of Dulwich with us through the lifelong bonds we have formed with both our mentors and peers.”
This post is paid for by Dulwich College Beijing
Photos courtesy of Dulwich College Beijing
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