Creativity, Action, Service

Creativity, Action, Service (CAS) is concerned with the education of the whole person. Through CAS you will be able to develop your interest in activities which lie outside the traditional academic curriculum. With the advice and support of a CAS adviser you will be encouraged to try new and challenging activities. It requires a commitment of 150 hours over the two years. You will keep a detailed journal of your activities recording not only your activity, but also what challenges you faced, and what you have learnt through your experiences.

Creative activities might include dance, theatre, art, music, website design, school magazine, photography, pottery, needlework, initiating and planning service projects.

Action might be participation in team or individual sports such as hockey, squash, rowing, golf, sailing, tennis, athletics, or aerobics, expeditions, camping activities or international projects. These activities should be focused on achieving a personal goal. Service activities may count as action if they are physical, such as environmental work or sports clubs in primary schools, or for the disabled or disadvantaged.

Service might be undertaken at the school or local community level, or at a national or international level. Service is doing something for others and with others and is often the most rewarding part of CAS. It might be, for example, teaching young children to swim or play a musical instrument, sports coaching, an environmental programme or raising funds for Amnesty International, charity placements, schools, youth work, old people, hospital visiting, environmental work or even first aid qualifications.

It is also hoped that completing CAS alongside the academic demands of the IBD will enable you to develop skills in time management and creating a work-life balance, beneficial in later life as well as offering a counterbalance to your academic study.

Theory of Knowledge

Theory of Knowledge is integral to the International Baccalaureate Diploma and is compulsory for all students. It is designed to help you develop as a thinker, encouraging you to raise questions about the things you learn, to explore ideas and to judge for yourself what you want to believe. It encourages critical thinking about knowledge itself. Activities and discussions are designed to help you discover and express your views as well as learning to listen and learn from others.

Extended Essay

Extended Essay is an in-depth study of a focused topic chosen from one of the areas of your study. It provides you with the opportunity to show knowledge understanding and enthusiasm for a topic of your own choice. With individual support from a teacher with a specialist in that subject you will produce a 4000 word essay that draws on your research and incorporates your own findings and analysis. This is seen by universities as an excellent preparation for the level of independent research required in under-graduate studies.

The Extended Essay is externally assessed and the mark merged with the Theory of Knowledge to give a maximum total of three points.

Find out more
Here are the IBD subject groups…

1 English
2 Modern Languages
3 Social Sciences
4 Experimental Sciences
5 Mathematics
6 Arts and Electives
Core Subjects
Introduction