Sixth Form

The IB Diploma Programme offers a liberal arts international curriculum respected by leading universities across the globe. See http://www.ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/.

The curriculum is made up of a program core and subjects distributed among six subject groups, which include an array of courses to choose from. The groups are as follows:

• Group 1: Studies in language and literature
• Group 2: Language acquisition
• Group 3: Individuals & societies
• Group 4: Sciences
• Group 5: Mathematics
• Group 6 : The Arts

Students choose one subject from each of the groups described above. Students may opt to study an additional sciences, individuals and societies, or languages course, instead of a course in the arts. 

Ecole Jeannine Manuel also offers the Bilingual IB Diploma (more information here).

At least three, and not more than four subjects selected are taken at higher level (HL) and the others at standard level (SL).

The Diploma Program core aims to broaden students’ educational experience and challenge them to apply their knowledge and skills; it includes:

• Theory of knowledge, in which students reflect on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know.
• The extended essay, which is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper.
• Creativity, activity, service (CAS), in which students complete a project related to one of those three concepts.

The subjects below will be available for September 2024. Please contact us to find out more about subject combinations, including for the Bilingual IB.

• Studies in language and literature
  • Language A – literature : English
  • Language A – language and literature : English
  • Language A – language and literature : Français
• Language acquisition
  • Language B (SL only) : Français SL
  • Language B (SL only) : Spanish SL
• Individuals and societies
  • Business management (SL only)
  • Economics
  • Geography
  • History
• Sciences
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Environmental systems and societies (SL only)
  • Physics
• Mathematics
  • Mathematics Analysis and Approaches (HL only)
  • Mathematics Applications & Interpretations (SL only)
• The arts
  • Visual arts

The French International Baccalaureate (BFI) is an academically-enhanced version of the French baccalaureate. It is a bilingual and bicultural exam taken by less than 1% of French baccalaureate candidates worldwide.

The curriculum of the BFI follows that of the French baccalaureate except for specific modules that are taught in English and require demanding written and oral examinations in English.

The BFI is not simply an option added to the standard Baccalaureate; the English-language modules replace their equivalent in the French Baccalaureate and weigh significantly in students’ overall exam results. For more information on exam and curriculum content, please consult the Ministry of Education’s official website here.

As an American International Section, the BFI curriculum and exam content is determined by French and US official education organisms. Students are graded based on the marks they obtain in their exams, which are graded out of 20. Exams follow a weighted system: some subjects weigh more than others in students’ overall grades. To pass the BFI, students must obtain a minimum global average of 10/20.

More information on the American International Section of the BFI can be found on this link.

In addition to core subjects, students are able to take the following subjects as Speciality Subjects for September 2024:

• Histoire géographie, géopolitique et sciences politiques (HGGSP)
• Humanités, littérature et philosophie (HLP)
• Mathématiques
• Physique-chimie (PC)
• Sciences de la vie et de la terre (SVT)
• Sciences économiques et sociales (SES)

In the years after they leave us, many of our students will be applying for jobs that do not yet exist and solving problems that have yet to arise. Our ambitious bilingual curriculum equips them with the skills they need to succeed and thrive anywhere in the world.

The global higher education market available to students who are truly bilingual is vast, complex and ever-changing. They can pursue higher education across the world and most will choose to combine the best of several higher education systems: for our pupils, the possibilities can easily seem as endless as they are exciting.

Our team of experienced college counsellors and university advisors help our students and their families decipher the options available to them and support them throughout the application process. In addition to the individual counselling sessions each student receives, they also have access to our varied programme of conferences, speaker events, workshops, psychometric testing, and admissions test and interview preparation. Our counselling programme is tailored to help each student define their aspirations and recognise their strengths, thereby making them the lead actor of their own future.

While formal counselling begins in Year 10, students start preparing for life after school long before that. Whether they are in the classroom, on the sports pitch or out volunteering, our students are developing skills in critical thinking, collaborative work, creative problem-solving, altruism and resilience – all of which they will need to flourish in the future.