Curriculum

Pierce IB DP curriculum is designed to offer high quality academic content and education with the teaching and learning standards of the IBO. Its aim is to develop internationally minded students able to develop the attributes of the school’s learner profile and to carry out Pierce and IB missions thereby providing an excellent preparation for students’ life as global citizens of the 21st century.

The curriculum consists of the required components and the official courses of the Diploma Program as well as promotes and reflects the educational aims and objectives of Pierce-ACG.

IB DP Curriculum

The IB DP curriculum is made up of six subject groups together with a core made up of three separate elements.

The six subject groups are:

1. Studies in language and literature
2. Language acquisition
3. Individuals and societies
4. Sciences
5. Mathematics
6. The arts

Three or four subjects are studied at higher level – 240 hours (HL – spanning over 2 years)
Two or three subjects are studied at standard level – 150 hours (SL – spanning over 2 years)

Students can select to study an additional language, individuals and societies, or sciences course, instead of a course in the arts.

The three core elements are:

Theory of knowledge (TOK), in which students reflect on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know. TOK engages students in critical thinking and exploration of the nature of knowledge across disciplines encouraging an appreciation of other cultural perspectives.
Creativity, activity, service (CAS), in which students complete a project related to those three concepts. CAS encourages students to be involved in artistic pursuits, sports and community service work as well as fosters students’ awareness and appreciation of life outside the academic context.
The Extended Essay (EE), which is an independent, scholarly and self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper.

All three elements of the DP core are compulsory and are central to the philosophy of the diploma program.

For further information please click here

Pierce IB DP Booklist

The following list includes the primary textbooks and resources selected by Pierce IB DP teachers to support the offered courses. They are not exclusive for the completion of each course and they are supplemented with the official IB DP guides and additional resources provided throughout the two years of the DP.

The students are informed in detail about all necessary books and material particularly in each course by their teachers.

Pierce IB DP Curriculum

The Pierce IB DP Curriculum offers the following course selections in the six subject groups:

Studies in Language and Literature
Modern Greek – Literature A (HL / SL)
English – Language and Literature A (HL/SL)

Language Acquisition
English – Language B (HL / SL)

Individuals and Societies
History (HL / SL)
Economics (HL / SL)
Psychology (HL / SL)
Business and Management (HL / SL)

Sciences
Biology (HL / SL)
Chemistry (HL / SL)
Physics (HL / SL)
Computer Science (HL / SL)

Mathematics
Analysis and Approaches (HL/SL)
Applications and Interpretation (HL/SL)

The Arts
Visual Arts (HL / SL)
Theatre (HL / SL)

Course selection is subject to the academic guidance of the Pierce University Counselor and the final approval of the IB DP Coordinator. Course selection will be finalized by the end of 10th grade (A’ Lyceum) each year.

Course selection is prioritized to ensure that every student can fulfill entry requirements at the most challenging universities so that students are competitive at the highest level and selective of less competitive schools whose course standards are more flexible.