Both the IB and a GCE A-levels programme are school programmes for students who wish to be well prepared to study in the UK. They are both broadly acceptable for entry to British Universities. As British universities are free to choose their own students, there are other ways to get accepted at British Universities such as the apolytirion or one of the many foundation courses offered in Greece. However, the apolytirion (though acceptable by many universities for some degree courses at a high enough grade - probably higher than 18) is not a preparatory programme for study in the UK. Foundation courses which are probably the most popular way to get admitted at British Universities are not school programmes - meaning that they are not meant to replace formal school. So we will limit this comparison to the GCE A-levels versus the IB.

The two qualifications are different in many ways. First and foremost GCE A-levels are the national English high school qualification whereas the IB is an international qualification that has no "country of origin". Being international makes it more acceptable for many countries, like Greece, who would like to offer an alternative to their national school qualification but prefer not to adopt a country-specific qualification. Second, the IB is less flexible. Students must take 6 subjects from specific groups in a two year programme. With GCE A-levels students are free to take any subject they like, when they like it, and over as long a period as they like. GCE A-levels are essentially final exams which can be taken twice a year. The IB can be taught in many languages though in the majority of cases it is taught in English. The IB has a broader international acceptance that GCE A-levels in that it may accepted to enter university in, say, Finland! In practice this is not important because, of those that do the IB in Greece, 95% aim to study either in the UK and perhaps the other 5% aim to study in the USA. Although GCE A-levels were not designed to be international qualifications they are certainly acceptable in the USA and in Ireland and, probably, in many other countries.

So which qualification is preferred in the UK?

The GCE is preferred in the UK not because it is a better programme but because it is the "home" qualification that everyone knows: students, teachers, admissions officers at universities, etc. Some argue that the IB is up and coming but bear in mind that, in the UK, the proportion of students doing the IB in 2010 was less than 1% of the total (4500 students out of a total of about 700,000). The IB is an excellent qualification and is accepted in the UK but it is not the preferred qualification.

Then why do universities also mention the IB in their entry requirements?

Because it is a good alternative qualification and it allows UK universities to portray an international image. However, all UK universities first mention GCE A-levels because, expectedly, this is what most people who read their web sites have to offer! They usually mention the IB second, third or fourth and some do not mention it all - not because they would not accept it but because there are too few students offering it. If you live in Greece this reads strange but the fact remains that the IB represents a minority among admission qualifications in UK universities. In fact, if you delve deeper into the admissions requirements of most universities you will find that most accept many national school qualifications such as the French Baccalaureate and the German Abitur. So mentioning the IB or the Abitur or the Apolitirion does not make these the preferred qualification.

Which one is harder to complete?

The IB is considerably tougher than GCE A-levels if we compare the mandatory six subjects of the IB with the (usually necessary) three subjects at GCE A-levels. The IB stipulates that students take 6 subjects. A student cannot take 4 or 5 subjects. It is no surprise that so many students taking the IB end up with relatively low grades (24-30 points). About 10-15% of Greek students taking the IB fail to reach 24 points so they end up without the diploma! GCE A-levels do not specify how many subjects a student should take. Usually students take 3 subjects but some can get admitted to university with just two GCE A-levels.

Does this make the IB a worse qualification?

Not at all. The IB is an excellent qualification but it much harder if you want to get a top grade. For those who can take all these 6 subjects and score, say, 38-40 points the IB programme is an excellent programme but this is not the case for the vast majority of students. Many end up taking 30 points or less when they would have been much better off with three A-levels at grades ABB. Scoring 30 points out of 45 (2/3 of the top score) does not look as good as scoring ABB. The flexibility of the GCE A-level system means that you can always take A*A*A* or AAAAA or whatever you like. But this does not make ABB look bad because people will compare ABB to AAA (or A*AA which is the highest practical offer to be made by Cambridge or Oxford). The IB is also penalised because universities ask IB students far more (in UCAS tariff points) than corresponding A-level students for the same place. Let me give you an example: the admission requirements for Architecture at Bath University are 38 IB points (which is 567 UCAS tariff points) or A*AA in GCE A-levels (which is 380 tariff points). Basically Bath University (indirectly) admits that it is asking for much more to accept a student via the IB than via GCE A-levels. Tariff points is a "convertor" of qualifications into a common value that UCAS adopts to make sense of the hundreds of qualifications around the world.

Is the A-level a lighter qualification?

The A-level is not a lighter qualification. Its main advantage is that it is more flexible. If you ask Cambridge students what grades they took to be admitted you will usually hear 4, 5 and even 6 As or A* at A-level. This tells you that many of the top students do more than three A-levels. However the fact remains that Cambridge asks for A*AA to admit students. It is as if consensus among universities recognises that all students should take three A-levels and therefore the standard is set at three A-levels. On the other hand all IB students must take 6 subjects. In conclusion, the fact that some students take 4 or 5 A-levels does not make those with three A-levels look bad. On the other hand a student with 30 IB points looks bad.

Why do Greek schools - that wish to offer an alternative qualification - choose the IB ?

They cannot do otherwise. The Greek ministry of education will not allow them to offer GCE A-levels or any other country specific qualification. So they have to offer the IB if they want something alternative to the apolitirion. In Greece, as more and more students decide to study in the UK, a school programme that allows this as part of the main school curriculum is undoubtedly a very convenient solution. As the Greek standard of living has risen, students who generally can afford private school can also afford to study in the UK. So private Greek schools have successfully adopted the IB as an alternative.

What are the shortcomings of the IB compared to A-levels ?

The programme is generally "heavy" and does not allow a student to focus on his/her subjects of interest. For example if you want to study medicine you are not generally interested in studying Literature or Economics or a Language but in the IB you have to. The IB is very prescriptive. Every IB student must take Mathematics (though there are heavier and lighter versions). Every IB students must take a science subject. Every IB students must take a language. On the other hand an IB student cannot take Chemistry, Biology and Physics at the same time because they belong to two groups and you cannot take three subjects from two groups! Doing GCE A-levels places no restriction on the subjects one chooses. This allows, for example, medical candidates to take Chemistry, Biology and Physics A-level if they prefer.

What are the advantages of the IB?

There are some advantages with the IB the main one being that the IB is a school programme which means that students belong to a regular class where they go to every day and this is similar to Greek school. Doing the IB, for many students, means staying with your classmates from the previous year. The IB also incorporates project work that requires some research. If students do this project on their own, this sometimes is a big if, it is a good preparation for independent study at university.

What are the advantages of the A-levels ?

GCE A-levels are more thoroughly examined than the IB. For an A-level subject students may sit as many as six examination papers. This ensures that students are given a fair mark. GCE A-level examination papers are masterpieces. They are well designed and carefully structured. GCE A-level examination board employ dedicated examiners who do nothing else but think design the examination papers. Exam papers are reviewed by a panel of teachers and script markers and the end product is a truly superb and fair. I have never seen a single mistake in a GCE paper and the produce hundreds every year. Exam scripts are all marked at the examination headquarters by a specialist team of examiners and grades are very consistent. The IB, being a more international qualification, distributes curriculum design, exam design and marking of scripts internationally and this means that questions in IB exams are not as carefully selected and exam marking is not as consistent. Students on IB programmes have realised this and often ask for remarking of their exam scripts with favourable results. Applications from remarking are so common in the IB that it reaches the point of being scandalous. The main advantage of A-levels, however, is that the average student will make it to a better university than that with the IB and the university you graduate from will be important for the rest of your life - (much more important than the school you graduate from)

Doing GCE A-levels in Greece

There are many ways a student can take A-levels in Greece. Essentially the A-level is so flexible that you can do it at a dedicated teaching centre (such as Foundation College or Doukas) or at a school as a full programme (taken at one of the foreign schools that offer it in Athens such as St Lawrence and Byron) or at home by studying on your own. You can do it along the 2nd year or 3rd year (or both) of Lykeion. You can do it after you complete Lykeion or in the summer or whenever you like. Why is it so flexible? Because GCE A-levels are essentially exams which you can take independently of school. The actual exams can be sat at the GCE teaching centres or at the GCE schools but also at the British Council in Athens. All you need to do is register for the exams and pay the examination fee. GCE A-level exams take place twice a year.

Can I take the IB independently of a school?

No, you must belong to a school that teaches it. You cannot take the IB exams independently which is a pity because this makes the IB programme quite elitist (in some other countries students may do the IB for free! theoretically a public school in Greece could adopt the IB and - being public - would not charge its students tuition fees. Of course this is not possible in Greece)

What about costs ?

The IB, being a private school programme, is rather expensive and students should budget a minimum of 20,000 euro for the two years of the IB at any Greek school (most IB programmes in Greece charge significantly more). This contrasts sharply with A-levels which, at special support teaching centres like Foundation College or Doukas, would not exceed 10,000 euro for three A-level subjects (schools teaching A-levels as their school programme would probably be as expensive as IB schools). Furthermore students can study on their own, which means zero cost, which is not possible with the IB because one must belong to a school to do the IB. So the IB means a minimum of 20,000 euro.

So, why are so many people supporting the IB ?

You mean "supporting the IB in Greece?"! In Greece, the only "formal" non-Greek programme is the IB so teachers at IB programmes will naturally support their own qualification. If you belong to one of the Greek private schools your only option is to do the IB. How do you expect your teachers or your school administration to support anything different? So the IB has become almost a monopoly in Greece. But the truth is that if you wish to study in the UK you are far better off doing A-levels. If you do not believe what you read here go and ask the question "which is the best way to enter British Universities?" to the British Council in Athens. By doing A-levels you will not only secure a better place at university (because you will get a higher grade at A-levels than you will at the IB) but you will have also saved at least 10,000 euro in the process.