Celebrating Success in International Baccalaureate
What a fantastic year for the International Baccalaureate at Takapuna Grammar School. Despite all the disruption and uncertainty, our 2022 cohort achieved incredible results. 29% of our students achieved 40+ points out of a total of 45, which is a feat normally accomplished by around 10% of IB students worldwide. These students were invited to a Top Scholars Award ceremony held in Christchurch on Saturday 11 February to celebrate the success of New Zealand IB students who have excelled.
Victoria (Tori) Johnson, who achieved a perfect score of 45 points, was one of the attendants of this event. She shared with us what she had learnt from completing the IB Programme: “I would say that the biggest thing I learned from doing IB is the value of having a bit of grit and being resilient when it comes to pursuing what you want - whether or not that is academic results. That, and how important it is to have people that you can rely on to support you when things aren't going your way, as will inevitably happen.” Victoria has received a scholarship to attend the University of Glasgow to study Cellular and Molecular Biology with Plant Science. In the future, she hopes to become a research scientist and work on improving agricultural practices to cope with climate change and food insecurity.
Lucy Smith, who achieved a score of 41, is particularly pleased with how studying IB set her up for her chosen University studies: “One of my favourite parts of the programme was creating and conducting various scientific investigations into topics of my choice. I liked being able to explore topics that interested me, namely sports science, as it made the research and write-up process more enjoyable. Due to the small class sizes, we formed great friendships and helped each other throughout the two years. Now, I am studying for a Bachelor of Sport and Recreation at AUT. I am already grateful for my knowledge of academic writing and research skills that I learnt throughout IB.”
Head of IB 2022 Jack Chapman, Tori Johnson, Lucy Smith & Principal Mary Nixon.
The other TGS recipients of the Top Scholar Award are Neve Mann Benn (44), Phyllis Lan (42), Michaella Kim (42), Anais Kuoch (41), Angel Jacobson (41) and Hailey Chen (41).
As well as congratulating the TGS IB class of 2022 for their hard work and great results, it is imperative to acknowledge the dedication of the International Baccalaureate faculty. They have worked very hard and gone above and beyond to support our students.
We are looking forward to continuing with the successes of the IB Programme as we celebrate 10 years of IB at Takapuna Grammar School.
To learn more about our International Baccalaureate programme here at Takapuna Grammar School, click here.