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Canadian International School Offering IB Diploma and Curriculum and IGCSE Program

The High School Program

CIS High School offers a balanced and comprehensive education through the IGCSE and IB programs, preparing students for college and beyond. The IGCSE emphasizes subject mastery with a mix of coursework and exams, while the IB Diploma combines academic rigor with experiential learning through CAS, Theory of Knowledge, and the Extended Essay. Students develop independence, leadership, and global perspectives, leaving CIS with the skills and character for success in higher education and life.

International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE)

CIS offers the International General Certificate of Secondary Educaton (IGCSE) to Grade 9 and 10 students. This two-year program helps focus students to be successful and provides an excellent foundation for their progression to the IB Diploma. Students formally develop their service experience as well through the Duke of Edinburgh IAYP program that challenges students to apply what they learn in real-world settings and contribute to the world around them.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP)

The IB Diploma Program, the pinnacle of our high school journey, challenges 11th and 12th graders with a globally recognized pre-university curriculum. As an internationally accredited school (NEASC), CIS also offers the rigorous CIS Diploma for students applying to colleges not requiring the IB. Both diplomas are widely accepted by universities worldwide.

College Guidance

CIS’s College Guidance Program prepares students for top universities worldwide, starting before 9th grade with personalized course planning and portfolio development. Our expert counselors help students showcase their unique strengths through projects, internships, and service, securing over $50,000 in scholarships annually. Industry speakers and internships provide real-world insights, shaping students’ career paths in diverse fields like tech, healthcare, and law.

The High School Program

High school is a time to broaden horizons while at the same time begin to plan for the next stage of college and university. Our IGCSE and IB programs provide the balance of breadth and depth that allow students a range of experiences as they develop into well-rounded learners. We believe that students can learn as much outside the classroom as inside through the IAYP (International Award for Young People) program in grades 9 and 10, through the CAS program in grades 11 and 12, and through Experiential Learning throughout each year. Students leave CIS with a strong conceptual understanding, well-developed competencies, and character traits that will lead to success.

While the IGCSE program is predominantly exam-based, we expect teachers to use a variety of effective instructional strategies that engage students in their own learning. Cambridge IGCSE assessment takes place at the end of the two-year course and includes written and oral, coursework and practical assessments. Students earn internationally recognized grades from A* to G, which have clear guidelines to explain the standard of achievement. Students select their courses at the beginning of Grade 9 and are expected to sit for IGCSE exams in the month of May in Grade 10.

As students move into IBDP, they are asked to select 6 subjects from our option blocks to fulfil their IB Diploma requirements of a First Language, Second Language, Social Science, Sciences, Math, and Arts. Along with this, IBDP students need to complete a Theory of Knowledge course, an Extended Essay, and the CAS program. With the exceptions of some of the arts programs, each IB Course has exams at the end of the two years and internal assessment over the two years of the program.

Students are leaders in their own learning, exploring knowledge and reflecting on their context within a specific situation and within the world as a whole. This is a time of independence, leadership, and service. CIS prepares students for success in post-secondary education and life as an adult. All IB candidates and their parents are required to undergo intensive curriculum explanation sessions with the IB Coordinators and the guidance counsellor in order to make informed and educated choices when making course selections.

Expanding Horizons 

Along with the qualifications gained from CIE (IGCSEs) and the IBO, we also offer Experiential Learning opportunities for all students. In grades 9 and 10, students are enrolled in the IAYP program. In conjunction with weekly clubs and after school activities, this provides students with opportunities for service work and to develop athletic, leadership, collaborative, and teamwork skills.

The same is true for IB in grades 11 and 12, where CAS (Creativity/Activity/Service) is an essential component of the program. Within the IBDP, our students take part in an IB Retreat where they learn all about the program, its structure, and what to expect for the next two years, as well as team-building, and leadership exercises. During the first year of IBDP, our students also go on a CAS excursion where they will get the chance to work on a week-long project in India or overseas.

Throughout the four years of high school, students engage in Experiential Learning days. These are off-schedule days where a wide variety of real-world learning opportunities are provided for students to choose from.

High School and Beyond

CIS students do well in their IGCSE results and IB results, the latter of which are consistently above the worldwide average for Diploma points achieved. CIS prepares students for success in post-secondary education and life as an adult.

Throughout high school, our guidance counselling team meets with students and parents, leading them through the process of completing college applications that take place at the start of the final year. Students gain acceptance to their universities of choice and begin their post-secondary experiences with strong conceptual understanding, well-developed competencies, and the character traits that will lead to success. Representatives from hundreds of universities and colleges worldwide visit CIS every year, looking to attract our students to their institutions. CIS graduates have attended top colleges and universities throughout the world with Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, India, Korea, Singapore, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, and France drawing many of our students every year.