IBDP or A Level? Your Choices in Thailand

One of the most common questions when it comes to choosing an international secondary school in Thailand is whether to study the IBDP or A Levels. To help you make that decision, we've rounded up the schools offering the two curricula and looked at the programmes offered, their performance and cost.

By Carli Allan

Updated:

10th Aug 2022

Is your child heading towards the college years? Are you looking for the best curriculum to prepare your teenager for a top university or career path? A large number of international schools in Thailand offer either the IB Diploma Programme (IBDP) or A Levels to students aged 16-19 years. Both are two-year programmes that are widely recognised by universities and employers – and when it comes to the question of which qualification you should choose, there is no straight answer.

Conventional thinking says all-rounders (with strong organisational skills) tend to prefer the IBDP, while those with a clearly defined academic passion and preference for science, or the arts, or languages or the humanities tend to favour the A Level.

To read more about A Levels click here, and for the IBDP click here.

Click here to understand the differences between the IBDP and A Levels.

There are 19 international schools in Thailand offering the IBDP, including five that are full IB schools and also follow the IB Primary Years (PYP) and Middle Years Programmes (MYP).

There are more than 35 international and private schools offering GCE Advanced Level or International A Levels in Thailand. Most recently, Brighton College Bangkok opened its sixth form in 2019 to offer A Levels, and its first cohort will sit their exams in 2021. BCIS Phuket and Wellington College International Bangkok plan to offer A Levels as they roll out senior years in the future.

Read on to find out more about where to study A Levels and the IBDP in Thailand.