Approximately 1,640 students from Singapore took the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma examinations in November 2015. Students received their results last week on 5 January. 97.7 percent from Singapore passed and scored an average of 38.5 points, which is significantly higher than the global average of 30.98. In addition, 48 of the total 81 perfect scores in the world came from Singapore.

As compared to the 14,000 or so students taking Singapore’s A-levels every year, IB diploma, though gaining interest, is still less common in Singapore. A total of approximately 2,000 students take the IB exam every year, with the majority doing so in November, while another 400 students would sit for it in May. This qualification is offered mainly at the international schools and a handful of Singapore institutions, such as Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and School of the Arts (SOTA).

However, the ones that are offering IB are producing very strong results. For example, 444 students from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) took the IB exam last November. Last week, the school announced an almost perfect pass rate (99.8%), an average score of 41.3 and 84.2% of the cohort obtained 40 points or higher. In fact, 41 of their students attained the perfect score of 45.

Therefore UK institutions that are keen to attract top students from Singapore should definitely keep these IB schools in mind.