The IB Diploma Programme is widely regarded as one of the most rigorous pre-university qualifications in the world. For most families, the question is not whether their child can handle it. It is whether the school actually know them, which is a reasonable concern, particularly in larger schools. At ISS International School, we have built our IB Diploma Programme around a simple conviction: that every student, regardless of language background, academic history, or prior experience with the IB, deserves a real chance to succeed.
Linguistic Inclusivity: A Diploma That Reflects Who You Are
Language is not simply a subject. For students living and studying far from home, their mother tongue is a connection to identity, culture, and family. We take that seriously, and our results show it.
- Nearly 90% of our 2025 graduates earned a Bilingual IB Diploma, against a global average of 23%. That does not happen by chance. It comes from a long-standing commitment to making sure every student can study Language A in their strongest language, not just the languages a school finds convenient to offer.
- At ISS, Language A is not limited to a handful of options. English A, Chinese A, and Japanese A are taught in person. Through our Language A: School Supported Self Taught programme, our recent cohorts have also studied in Korean, Thai, Russian, Lao, Hindi, Bahasa Indonesia, and Vietnamese. Whatever language a student brings, we work with it.
Personal Inclusivity: Known, Supported, Never Overlooked
Throughout the entire school, every student is known by name, never by number. Teachers routinely know and support students they have never formally taught. In the ISS Community, that is just how it works: no one quietly struggles without someone noticing.
- Availability matters. The IB DP is demanding, and stress is a real part of it. Our teachers remain genuinely accessible, for academic help, for a check-in, and for the conversations that do not fall neatly into either category. That kind of access is harder to sustain at scale.
Developmental Inclusivity: Seen Beyond Your Grades
The IB Diploma Programme builds more than academic skills. Leadership is a good example. In many schools, genuine leadership opportunities are limited simply by the number of students competing for them. At ISS, students who want to take initiative find that the door is usually open.
- When students lead, whether through events, community projects, or programme committees, the confidence they develop tends to show up in their academic work too. The two are connected more often than people expect.
- Results matter here. But so does who a student is becoming. In a school this size, teachers and coordinators can actually track that, not just observe it at report time.
Academic Inclusivity: A Programme Built for Access
Coming into the IB Diploma Programme without a prior IB background can feel daunting. At ISS, it is not a disadvantage.
- Small class sizes mean teachers can be specific. Students transitioning from other curricula get the individual support they need to build foundational knowledge without falling behind. They are not left to figure it out quietly.
- For students who find parts of the full Diploma Programme difficult, we offer the IB Diploma Course, a recognised qualification that holds weight in university applications. Our aim is straightforward: as many students as possible should be able to access an IB qualification, not just those who arrive fully prepared.
A Programme Built Around the Individual
The IB Diploma Programme is one of the most respected qualifications a student can earn. At ISS International School, the way we deliver it reflects something we genuinely believe: that a student’s language, background, and starting point should open doors, not close them. Our cohort is small by design, and that shapes everything from how teachers know their students to how many students get to lead. For families weighing up where to do the Diploma, that is worth considering.
ISS International School
Learn. Grow. Belong.
