International Baccalaureate (IB) History Diploma

Applications Open: 3rd November 2025

Applications Close: 27th February 2026

Application Details: At Hartsdown Academy we run the International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme https://www.ibo.org/programmes/career-related-programme/ . Prospective students need to choose 1 Vocational Course (BTEC or OCR) and 2 IB Diploma Courses.

Entry Requirements: 5 x Grade 4-9 including Maths & English. A good attendance and behaviour record is also essential.

How to Apply: - Please apply via KentChoices

IB HIstory at Hartsdown equips students with lifelong learning into the past applied to the present and crucial skills to apply to all areas of work. For this to happen, History at Hartsdown delves deeper into rights and protest, exploring diversity around the world such as Asia, Africa and America – to truly understand where we lie in the world.

It will offer opportunities to create investigations, embed empathy and develop the reasons behind why things happen and the impact it has had such as the Cold War, the rise of dictators and rights of people around the world.

Beyond the factual and conceptual knowledge, History at Hartsdown gives pupils the foundations by which all of their subjects are built on, without such foundations, students would struggle to access the real world effectively. History at Hartsdown lies at the heart of what makes us active, diverse and global citizens ready to tackle the world.

The IBDP subject of History is constructed for students to explore the history of the world around them, identifying particular concepts to enable students to challenge misconceptions within our own society.

Standard Level - 2 exams and a 2000 word IA essay

• IB History is a highly valued course. History has skills that are rooted in the workplace; the ability to make judgements and decisions, reflect and improve and to work collaboratively with others. The ways in which History builds an ability to question, argue and counterargue make it a very good preparation for courses in law, politics, philosophy and business. It can also support science applications as it shows the ability to argue critically at length in an essay format.

• S7 - 28
• S6 - 24
• S5 - 16
• S4 - 12
• S3 - 6
• S2 - 0
• S1 - 0

Higher Level

• H7 - 56
• H6 - 48
• H5 - 32
• H4 - 24
• H3 - 12
• H2 - 0
• H1 - 0

IB History can also open up opportunities for different careers such as;

• Secondary school teacher
• Journalist
• Civil Service administrator
• Solicitor
• Archivist
• Curator
• Heritage manager
• Banking and insurance
• Academic librarian