All Diploma Programme students must complete the core in order to qualify for the award of a full diploma. The core contains the principle concepts that are embedded in the IB philosophy. It emphasizes the continuum nature of the education offered at IS Hilversum, linking to the PYP and MYP. The elements of the core give context to the subject areas selected by the student.

Creativity Activity and Service (CAS)

‘As a shining beacon of our values, CAS enables students to demonstrate attributes of the IB learner profile in real and practical ways, to grow as unique individuals and to recognize their role in relation to others. Students develop skills, attitudes and dispositions through a variety of individual and group experiences that provide students with opportunities to explore their interests and express their passions, personalities and perspectives. CAS complements a challenging academic programme in a holistic way, providing opportunities for self-determination, collaboration, accomplishment and enjoyment.

CAS enables students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development. A meaningful CAS programme is a journey of discovery of self and others. For many, CAS is profound and life-changing. Each individual student has a different starting point and different needs and goals. A CAS programme is, therefore, individualized according to student interests, skills, values and background.'

IB Creativity, Activity and Service Guide: March 2015

Through CAS, students will develop themselves through achievement of seven defined Learning Outcomes:

• Learning outcome 1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
• Learning outcome 2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
• Learning outcome 3: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
• Learning outcome 4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
• Learning outcome 5: Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively
• Learning outcome 6: Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance
• Learning outcome 7: Recognise and consider the ethics of choices and actions.

Students will undertake singular experiences and long-term projects with the aim of achieving the CAS Strands and Learning Outcomes in ways that are meaningful to them as individuals.

The International School Hilversum requires that all students meet the IB Diploma Programme minimum requirements for CAS Achievement. The school culture, however, stimulates students to achieve above and beyond these requirements.

Students should be aware of the minimum requirements (which can be found in the CAS Guide available on Managebac), and adhere to the set checkpoints (available on the ManageBac calendar). Furthermore, we expect that the students reflect meaningfully on their CAS achievements and learning experiences. There are also some procedural notes to consider:

• Students must fill in their CAS Experience / Project information on their ManageBac CAS portfolio before undertaking the activity.
• CAS Experiences / Projects will only be approved by the CAS Coordinator if the entry on the CAS portfolio is completely filled-in:
• The CAS Experience / Project should have a relevant CAS strand(s) (Creativity, Activity, Service) selected; a service Experience/Project should be specified as direct, indirect, research, or advocacy.
• The CAS Experience / Project should have a stated approach (school-based, community-based, individual, ongoing).
• The CAS Experience / Project should have a supervisor, with contact information.
• The CAS Experience / Project should have a clear description, and clear goals that the student is aiming to achieve.
• Long-term CAS Experiences and CAS Projects will require the student to have filled in the ‘Investigation’ and ‘Preparation’ sections of the 5 Stages Document.
• Students will reflect on their CAS Experience / Project in a timely manner.
• Students will consult with the CAS Coordinator and their CAS Adviser with any questions about the viability of a CAS Experience / Project before undertaking the activity.

CAS Requirements

Minimum Requirements
The minimum requirements in CAS for students to be eligible to receive their IB Diploma are:

• Evidence of achievement of each of the seven learning outcomes.
• Evidence of 18 months of CAS learning, formally beginning at the start of the student’s DP1 (Grade 11) year.
• Evidence of a reasonable balance between the three CAS Strands (Creativity, Activity, Service).
• Evidence of one CAS Project which is:
• At least one month in length
• Has an identified larger outcome/product
• Will have Multiple Learning Outcomes
• And shows collaboration with at least one other CAS learner (fellow DP student).
• Evidence of use of the Five Stages Document for long-term CAS experiences and CAS projects.
• Evidence of three formal documented interviews, as well as evidence of contact on ManageBac with the CAS Coordinator and CAS Advisor.
• Evidence of meaningful reflection which shows how learning outcomes were achieved, and how the CAS experience or CAS project was meaningful for the student.

Theory of Knowledge (TOK)

The subject Theory of Knowledge is a unique subject, taught in the IB Diploma Programme. It belongs to the core as it connects all other subjects by focusing on the central question: ‘How do you know?’ The answer to this question is of course different in different subjects. In TOK those are called ‘Areas of Knowledge’ (AOK in short). They include: mathematics, the natural sciences, the human sciences, history, art, ethics, religious knowledge systems and indigenous knowledge systems. After all, knowledge generated in the field of mathematics is a different kind of knowledge than knowledge in the field of history or in the field of ethics. In TOK, students learn to explore these different Areas of Knowledge using concepts such as truth, certainty, proof, evidence, bias, culture, and belief. Truth for a writer who just wrote a novel is not the same as truth for a mathematician who wants to prove a theorem. A devout Christian speaking about the existence of God will have a different understanding of certainty than a historian analysing ancient Inca ruins in Peru.

To get to grips with these Areas of Knowledge, students also get to look at what the IB calls: Ways of Knowing (WOK in short). These are the tools that help them further unpack the knowledge generated in different fields. The WOK include: language, reason, emotion, sense perception, faith, imagination, memory and intuition. At first sight it might seem as if faith mainly plays a role in religious knowledge and imagination in art, but every doctor will know that faith also plays an important role in medicine and every engineer will understand the importance of imagination in the field of science.

The students will have two important TOK assessments of which the grades count towards their diploma. One is the TOK presentation given at the end of DP1. For the presentation students choose their own topic. The other is an essay, which is written as a response to one of the essay questions given by the IB every year. The TOK essay is written in DP2.

Analysing the question ‘how do you know?’ in different AOK using the different WOK makes students more aware of different perspectives. One of the best outcomes of this process is that not only does it allow students reflect upon knowledge outside the syllabus in different subject fields, but also lets them critically reflect upon their own beliefs and truths. TOK requires open mindedness from the students and the ability to critically reflect upon their own knowledge framework. In doing so the subject takes a much broader approach than traditional ‘epistemology’ or ‘philosophy of science’. This is because it also looks at fields such as indigenous and personal knowledge and takes intuition, emotion and faith as ways of knowing seriously. One of the aims of this subject is for students to develop an interest in the diversity and richness of cultural perspectives and an awareness of personal and ideological assumptions. That is the beauty of TOK!

The Extended Essay

The extended essay is the third of the core elements of the Diploma Programme. It involves an in-depth study of a focused topic chosen from one of the student’s six subjects. It is intended to promote academic research and writing skills, providing students with an opportunity to engage in personal research in a topic of their own choice, whilst under the guidance of a supervisor (an appropriately qualified member of staff within the school). This leads to a major piece of formally presented, structured writing, in which ideas and findings are communicated in a reasoned and coherent manner, appropriate to the subject chosen. The essay must not be longer than 4000 words. It is mandatory that all students undertake three reflection sessions with their supervisor, which includes a short, concluding interview or Viva Voce, with their supervisor following the completion of the extended essay. The essay is externally marked by the IB.

The extended essay process begins from the end of November in DP1 until the first day of DP2, with the majority of the research and write-up completed in DP1. Students have approximately one month after the extended essay introductory presentation to start thinking and researching their subject area and topic. During this time, teachers talk about the extended essay in their classes and discuss options with students. In December students submit a form with a request for a subject. The form is processed and supervisors allocated to students according to topics and availability. Students and supervisors meet as soon as possible after this to plan the strategy for completing the first draft of the essay by June.

There are various checkpoints between December and the final deadline during the first week back in DP2. These are uploaded into Managebac with descriptors as to what must be achieved by each date. Supervisors and students use Managebac to communicate with each other and students are encouraged to upload their latest versions into the EE section of Managebac. Progress is marked by the use of the ‘flags’, green, showing on track and red, a sign that targets are not being met. The EE Coordinator/DP1 supervisor then investigates these with the students involved. There are also regular DP1 assemblies where hints and tips about writing the essay are discussed.

During report meetings at the end of the year, the student’s progress to the exam year is dependent not only on their grades, but also in their progress with the core of the Diploma. Students hand in a first full draft of their extended essay in June. They receive feedback on this before the summer holidays. Their performance thus far in the extended essay is discussed during the end of year report meeting and can help to determine their progress into the second year of the programme. The final version should be uploaded to Managbac during the first week of DP2. The student will meet with their supervisor for the VIVA VOCE, a meeting to discuss the EE process and check for academic integrity. This will take place before the end of October. Once this is complete, the essay will be uploaded to the IB for marking. Marks will contribute bonus points to the final diploma outcome.

A maximum of three additional points will be awarded to students for their performance in the core. A student will not be awarded a Diploma if they fail to satisfactorily complete all or part of the core programme. The matrix below explains the bonus point system of the core.