Subject Group 4

IB Diploma Programme

Experimental Sciences

Biology HL
Biology deals with Life:  from molecular level to planet level; DNA to ecology and all in between: complex mollecules, cells, sun and energy, genes, human body, evolution, plants and ecology (with a field study of a marine ecosystem). It is for those who are fascinated by the complexity, beauty, synchronicity and diversity of Life. Or for those who already know that they want to pursue a related career. Hands-in practical investigations are the axis of the course. The starting view points : a necessity for us human-creatures to shift our doings towards sustainability, to recognize the intrinsic value of other-then-human creatures and to understand how we depend on them.

Chemistry HL or SL
The Chemistry course is mainly for students who will pursue more advanced chemistry or other sciences such as medicine or engineering at the College/university level. The emphasis is on search and discovery and personal experience in scientific method.

Environmental Systems & Societies SL
The Environmental Systems & Societies (ESS) course concerns the interactions and interdependence of living and non-living systems, especially the impact of human activities. An inter-disciplinary course, ESS draws students’ attention to social and cultural aspects of the human-nature relationship, and includes a section on environmental values.  In terms of IB subject group, ESS is trans-disciplinary: it can meet the Diploma requirement of Group 3 (Individuals and Societies) and/or Group 4 (Natural Sciences).

Physics HL or SL
This course is for students wishing to follow a career in science or engineering. There is a large amount of practical work with an emphasis on the use of computers for measurement and data handling.
(See the website of Chris Hamper, UWC Red Cross Nordic Physics teacher here.)

IB Learners strive to be: