IB Chinese Program

IB Program

The Chinese Academy (TCA) is the only school in Calgary that works with the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) to provide International Baccalaureate (IB) Chinese Program for: John G. Diefenbaker, Sir Winston Churchill, Western Canada, Henry Wise Wood, and Lester B. Pearson High School. . In addition, The Chinese Academy permits any students to register for our IB Chinese courses if they are approved by an IB school within the Calgary Catholic School District or a private/charter IB school. Also, under special circumstance, we will consider any students who are attending IB Schools outside of Calgary, as long as we are offering on-line classes.

The three IB courses offered at The Chinese Academy are:

1. Chinese B – Mandarin SL (Standard)
2. Chinese B – Cantonese SL (Standard)
3. Chinese ab initio – Mandarin (Beginner)

Students can receive up to 25 language credits for their Alberta High School Diploma. For students who would like more credits for their High School Diplomas, TCA offers Chinese 10, 20, 30 (Mandarin) and Chinese 15, 25, 35 (Cantonese) on Saturdays. Students who take and pass the IB Chinese classes also receive credits for their Alberta High School Diploma.

IB Chinese Program Logistics:

1. Students who would like to take the above courses must get confirmation from their English school’s IB coordinator to take IB Chinese at TCA. Students who would like to withdraw from IB Chinese courses must also get permission from their IB coordinator.
2. The IB high schools will send their approved lists of new IB students to TCA.
3. TCA is a Saturday school and according to Alberta Education, we provide a minimum of 80 hours of instruction per 5-credit course. With the new IB Chinese curriculum which is more intense than the previous one, TCA requires students to take Grade 10 Honours Chinese in their grade 10 year, so the students may be better prepared for the IB Chinese examinations.
4. After registration is completed, TCA will schedule a placement assessment with the student via email. TCA is in charge of student placement in our school. Students will not be moved for personal or scheduling preference.
5. Students register and pay for the IB Chinese exam in their grade 12 year at their home schools. During their grade 12 year, students will take their IB Chinese exam. The Chinese Academy will cooperate with the IB coordinators to complete the IB exams assessments for students. The IB Chinese exam is separated into two parts:
   1. Internal Assessment
      1. Oral exam for Language B and for Mandarin ab initio must be completed by the end of February. After oral exams are completed, the results and comments will be sent to the students’ home schools.
   2. External Assessment
      1. Students will take their IB Chinese written exam portion: Paper 1 and Paper 2 (for Language B and for Mandarin ab initio) in May at their home schools.
6. The extended essay (EE) is one component of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program. It is required for full IB student candidates. The EE is an independent, self-directed piece of research, finishing with a 4,000-word paper in Grade 12. Our teacher supervisor will assist you through this process.

We thank the CBE, the principals, and staff of the five IB schools for their partnership and support.

IB Chinese Frequently Asked Questions