Singapore: IB Results 2020 - Revealed!

Students at international schools in Singapore received their International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) and Career-related Programme (IBCP) results this week during one of the most extraordinary times in education. 

Exams were cancelled but the IB results for the 2019-20 academic year are published as normal, and students at local and international schools in Singapore have scored an average 34.52 – well above the global average of 29.90. Again.

Although this year’s students did not sit the IB exams, they still receive a grade for each of their registered subjects based on teachers’ recommendations that take into account their coursework marks and their predicted grade.

A total of 174,355 students worldwide took the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme (DP) or Career-related Programme (CP) this year. The number of students receiving their results in Singapore this year is 1,663, marking a small increase on last year’s cohort.

The 2020 cohort achieved a global average score of 29.90 points in the IBDP, staying consistent with the past three years’ scores ranging from 29.62 to 29.95. This year, the Singapore average DP score of 34.52 surpassed the global average of 29.90, with a pass rate of 93.62%. This is also very close to last year’s Singapore average of 34.48 points.

The minimum point requirement for the award of the Diploma is 23 points with the highest award being 45 points.

The two-year IBDP programme is currently offered at 28 local and international schools in Singapore; the IBCP is offered at just two schools. In Singapore, the IBDP is taken at the following international schools in May: Canadian International School, Chatsworth International School (Bukit Timah Campus), Dover Court International School, GEMS World Academy, GESS, GIIS SMART Campus, Hillside World Academy, ISS International School Singapore (High School), Nexus, NPS International School, Overseas Family School, Stamford American International School, Tanglin Trust School, United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA), Dover and East Campuses.

Read more:
Where to Study the IB in Singapore?
IB Results: What to Do if You Don’t Get The Points?

Please refer back to this feature for more results as they come in.

Of the schools that have published results so far…

Nexus International School, Singapore

• Average score: 32.9
• Highest score: 43

Nexus International School, Singapore has supplied WhichSchoolAdvisor with a complete roundup of its results, using the standard IB reporting framework as per the above table. This shows that the cohort of 29 students achieved an average score of 32.9; the highest score was 43 and 83% of students achieved 30-plus points.

Overseas Family School

• Average score: 33.9
• Highest score: 45

Students at the non-selective Overseas Family School achieved an average score of 33.9, which is just a point higher than last year's score. There was one top-scoring student with a 45, Anon Muroi, who has been studying at OFS since Grade 1; 13% of students scored 40 points or more. 

26% of the diplomas awarded (including that for top-scoring Anon Muroi) were the IB Bilingual Diploma, which is a strong reflection on the school's Mother Tongue/foreign language programmes.

Tanglin Trust School

• Average score: 38.2
• Highest score: 45
• No. students who achieved bilingual diploma: 5

Tanglin Trust School, which is typically among the top three international schools has an average score of 38.2 points out of 45. This is consistent with Tanglin’s average scores over the past four years and well above the world average (29.90 this year). 

Thirteen students scored 42 points or more, 59% of the cohort scored 38 points or more, and 98% of students scored 32 points or more.

Allan Forbes, head of Tanglin's senior school, said: "“In an unprecedented, tumultuous year for the IB, we’re pleased that this year’s overall results at Tanglin are on a par with our historical achievements. Once again, our students' scores show breadth of achievement across an academically diverse cohort, as well as some outstanding individual performances.” 

GIIS SMART Campus

• Average score: 36
• Highest score: 45
• No. students scored 40 points and above: 28%
• No. students scored 35 points and above: 62.2%

GIIS SMART Campus' average score of 36 is one point less than the 2018 average of 37 points, which is still well above the global average. There were two World Toppers with a top score of 45, Shivani Welling and Ananya Maheshwari, while Niharika Goyal, Tanishq Sharma and Shloka Srivastava scored 44. 28% of students scored 40 grade points and above, and 62.2 % students scored 35 grade points and above.

SMART Campus principal Melissa Maria said that the performances were outstanding considering the unprecedented circumstances under which the students were assessed.

“We are proud that our 2020 class has emerged with flying colours and overcome all the challenges that were thrown at them.

“This is a reflection of the quality of teaching, learning opportunities and the diligence of our teachers. Not to forget, the cooperation and guidance of our parents who have been a strong pillar of support.”

Dover Court International School

• Average score: 37
• Pass rate: 100%

For the 2019/20 academic school year, Dover Court IB students achieved an average score of 37 points with a 100% pass rate.

Craig Bull, Dover Court head of secondary, said "We are extremely pleased with our IB results this year. An average score of 35 and 100% of the IBDP students achieving the diploma is an excellent achievement, especially when you consider a value added score over 5 points, this demonstrates how DCIS continues to add value to our students’ education."

Dover Court principal Chris Short said "I am delighted that this year’s results are so good. They reflect the hard work our students and staff have put in over the last 2 years. These results allow our students to go onto their first choice universities around the World."

UWCSEA (Dover campus)

• Average score: 37.3
• Pass rate: 99.4%
• Size of cohort: 330
• No. students scored 40-45 points: 35%
• No. students scored 35-39 points: 35%
• No. students scored 30-34 points: 26%
• No. students scored 24-29 points: 3.9%
• No. students scored less than 24 points: 0%

UWCSEA (East campus)

• Average score: 36.2
• Pass rate: 98.8%
• Size of cohort: 241
• No. students scored 40-45 points: 27%
• No. students scored 35-39 points: 38%
• No. students scored 30-34 points: 24%
• No. students scored 24-29 points: 9.9%
• No. students scored less than 24 points: 0.4%

Students at the UWCSEA Dover and UWCSEA East campuses scored well above the global average, with average scores of 37.3 and 36.2 respectively. The school had a cohort of 571 students across the two campuses.

NPS International School

• Average score: 37.9
• Highest score: 45
• No. students scored 40-45 points: 37%
• No. students scored 35-39 points: 79%

NPS International School celebrated another high average score of 37.9, and one student, Vansh Nath, achieved the highest mark of 45. Three more students scored 44 – Neha Gupta, Vikram Suresh and Saayli Paithankar.

Dulwich College (Singapore)

• Average score: 37
• Pass rate: 100%

At Dulwich College (Singapore), the average score was 37, and there was a 100% pass rate. In the cohort, one in three students obtained an average of 40 points, and 100% of students obtained their first choice of university for 2020.

Canadian International School (Lakeside)

• Average score: 35
• Pass rate: 98.5%

Canadian International School have announced that this year's average score was 35, and the pass rate was 98.5%; 35.4% of the cohort passed with the bilingual diploma. 

ISS International School Singapore 

• Average score: 32.4
• Pass rate: 96.4%

ISS International School Singapore students celebrated an average score of 32.4 and a pass rate of 96.4%. The top score was 42 points and 72.5% of students achieved a Bilingual Diploma – nearly three times the global average – which highlighted the international and language diversity of the school's student body/

"We are extremely proud of the hard work and commitment to the Core elements of the Diploma Programme, Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay, which are evident in the results. 68% of students achieving a grade A or B in the Extended Essay is double the global average of 34%.

"Furthermore, 91% of our students achieved an A-C grade in Theory of Knowledge, once again significantly above the global average. These two core aspects of the Diploma Programme are what makes the IB Diploma a unique challenge for our young adults and provides a particularly strong foundation as they move on to further study."

International schools (Nov 2019 exams)

Students at some of Singapore’s local and international schools sat the IB exam in November 2019 and received their results in January 2020. 

Read a complete round-up of the January 2020 IB results here.

Background to this year's results

In common with all international exam boards, the IBO cancelled the examinations that were due to take place in May 2020, and results have been awarded on the basis of historical assessment data, results from previous exams, individual school data, subject data as well as comparative data from schools that had already uploaded assessed work prior to the closure of many schools globally due to the pandemic.

Schools were required to submit the coursework for all candidates and the IBO arranged that work usually marked by teachers, where the norm is for samples to be moderated, would instead be externally marked. A large portion of the final IB grade usually comes from work done in the IB classroom and through internal assessments in addition to the examinations normally taken at the end of the two year Diploma Programme.

The IBO has stated that if candidates wish to, they can retake a subject in any future examination session and at any IB World School offering the DP or CP. Schools can also request re-marks of students’ work in the May 2020 session as is normal practice.

The 2020 IB Cohort

With the closure of schools around the world and the cancellation of exams, this year’s IB students completed the two-year Diploma Programme in far from normal circumstances. There has been a huge question mark over whether this year’s cohort would get a ‘fair deal’ – but results so far suggest that students in Singapore have performed above the global average.

Paula Wilcock, chief assessment officer for the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO) said:

“No one was prepared for what was going to change the world and the difficult decision to cancel the May 2020 examinations was unprecedented, but it was a decision made based on the safety and wellbeing of our students. This is a landmark year. Not only have students been dealing with the pressures of their final year of study for the DP or CP before they take their next step into their future, but they have been forced to adapt to a totally different world at the same time.

“I would encourage students to reflect on their experiences as an IB learner and to remember to look at the full extent of their progress. Where they started in DP 1 or CP 1 is a vastly different place to where they find themselves now and everything they have achieved in those two years represents hundreds of hours of grit, determination, growth and achievement.

“They are graduating into a global community of learners that they will belong to forever and the journey they have all undertaken together is not solely defined by the results. The skills they have developed through their IB journey (critical thinking, communication skills etc.), and their capability to embody the IB learner profile, will carry them through into their futures with the ability to tackle the challenges of the future with the ability to think critically, and respond creatively and with much needed compassion.”

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