Introduction
I studied with the CBSE board. if you are a parent and you are reading here. You must have also studied in the CBSE board or State Board. Now being a parent, you must be facing a situation that you have to choose from CBSE, ICSE, IB, and IGCSE board.
Twenty years ago, there was no other board except CBSE or state board. Now we are going through a situation where we have to choose out of IB, CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE, and State board. Hence a question arises that which board is going to be better for our kids. Let me compare the IB and CBSE based on my experience.
I am teaching the CBSE board students for the last 10 years and also taught IB board and IGCSE board students for the last 5 years. And I have taught more than 300 students in the last 10 years from CBSE, IB, and IGCSE boards. I have taken one-to-one classes with the student and also group classes. Therefore I can share my experience of different exam boards with authority.
Table of Contents
Comparison of CBSE and International Baccalaureate (IB)
IB Curriculum Vs CBSE Curriculum
CBSE is the central board run by the Central Government of India. It has a prescribed curriculum and books are prepared by NCERT.CBSE conducts the exam for 10th class and 12th class students. For other standards, schools are free to conduct the exams however they have to follow the guidelines of CBSE.CBSE follows the marks system.
IB board has a prescribed curriculum. It does not have any prescribed books. There are some books available that cover the IB syllabus, generally teachers use their notes to cover the IB syllabus. IB board provides the guideline for IB schools to carry out or teach the syllabus.
CBSE focuses more on memorizing concepts however a little bit of application of concepts also exists to some extent. CBSE syllabus follows a fixed exam pattern. And by mastering the exam pattern, students can succeed in CBSE exams however in the IB board they have more focus on applying the theoretical concept to real-world problems that allow students to brainstorm their minds.
IB focuses more on the application of concepts. Therefore learning outcome is better in the IB board. IB board teacher provides a lot of assignments. These assignments are usually the application of the concept in real World problems however this is completely missing in the CBSE board. In CBSE board there is hardly any focus on application-based learning.
I have seen the students that they like to do IB assignments because it doesn’t involve mugging up things. All they need to do is that they have to apply classroom learning.
Is IB better than CBSE to study abroad?
If you want to study abroad after schooling it will be very easy in college if you have studied in the IB board. Because it follows the western education system but if you have done schooling from CBSE then it will be a bit difficult to get accommodated in the college system of US and UK universities however it is not impossible. Many students study from CBSE Board up to 12th class and they still do very well in college.
Many universities in the US and UK allow IB students for direct admissions however this is not available for CBSE students.
Is CBSE better than IB to succeed in competitive exams
On the other hand, the CBSE syllabus prepares the child for competitive exams such as IIT JEE and NEET however this is not possible in the IB system. If you want to crack the competitive exam after schooling, you should follow CBSE. But if you want to study abroad then IB is the best choice.
Here I would like to mention that IB schools are very expensive in comparison to CBSE. IB School charges almost three times the fee in comparison to CBSE School if you can afford that kind of a fee and you want to go abroad after schooling to study IB is the best choice.
Here CBSE has an advantage over IB that you can do schooling at less fee and still can go abroad for college education and at the same time, you can also try your hand in competitive exams like IIT JEE and NEET.
Is IB harder than CBSE?
IB Grading system is more rigorous and it focuses on the understanding of concepts and application of the concepts however in CBSE you can memorize things and still can get good marks.
I’ve observed that some of the experiments and assignments IB students do in the 6th or 8th class; In CBSE we did such assignments in the 11th or 12th class. Hence you can get an idea that the IB board requires a greater capacity and caliber.
I should mention here that the IB syllabus is not easy if you want to do well you have to work hard. To do assignments, students have to do hard work and require continuous involvement in studies. Doing a lot of assignments helps students to prepare for college.
Learning outcome of IB and CBSE
Let me add one important point. The student studied from IB school will always have better language skills in comparison to CBSE students. There is a huge focus on writing skills with the IB board. IB board also focuses on the originality of work however in a CBSE students can get away with copy paste work in assignments.
Western universities in countries like the US and UK also focus on the originality of work because of this IB student it can easily adjust in colleges in the UK or US. Same time for CBSE students, it would be a bit difficult to accommodate that system. It doesn’t mean that CBSE students do not excel in US and UK colleges. We have so many examples where CBSE students have done well.
Also Read: Best Teachers on Youtube
What classes are IB and CBSE applicable to?
CBSE:
1. It is applicable from Nursery to Class-XII (age 4-17) and conducts two board examinations for classes 10th and 12th.
2. It also covers the curriculum for pre-school (age 3-5 years).
IB:
1. All classes that fall under the age group of 3-19 are covered in this board.
2. They offer 3 programs. Primary Years Program(Age 3-11), Middle Years Program(Age 11-16), and Diploma Program(Age 16-19).
Also Read: best math teacher on youtube
What subjects are included in Class 10 in CBSE and IB?
Subjects in Class 10 CBSE:
1. Total compulsory subjects: 5
2. The compulsory subjects: Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, English, and 1 other language.
3. Options for other languages: Hindi, Sanskrit, French, Computer, German, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Marathi, Malayalam, Manipuri, Oriya, Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Limbhu, Bhutia, Arabic, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Nepali, Tibetian, Mizo, Bodo and Tangkhul.
4. Additional subject: Any of the languages mentioned up or Information Education, Home Science or Physical Education.
Subjects in Grade 10 IB:
1. Number of subjects: 6.
2. Five compulsory subjects: 1st language, 2nd language, Arts, Physical Education, and Technology.
3. Options for the 6th subject: Humanities (Geography and History), Science (Biology, Chemistry & Physics), and Mathematics (Number, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Statistics, Discrete Mathematics, and Arithmetic).
What subjects are included in Class 12 in IB and CBSE?
Subjects in CBSE in Class 12
1. Compulsory: English
2. Students can choose different subjects which are grouped together.
3. Medical Group: English, Biology, Physics, Chemistry and one optional subject.
4. Non-Medical Group: English, Maths, Physics, Chemistry, and one optional subject.
5. Commerce Group: English, Accountancy, Business Studies, Economics, theory and Practice of Management and one optional subject.
6. Arts Group: English, Political Science/Psychology, History/Economics, Geography/Math/Home Science/Sociology/Computer App./Hindi/Sanskrit, etc. in the offered combination by the school and one optional subject.
7. Optional subjects: Physical Education, Fine arts, Music Vocal/Instrumental/Classical/dance, Information Practices, etc.
Subjects in Grade 12 IB
1. Compulsory subjects: First Language (English), Theory of Knowledge, Creativity, Action and Service, Extended Essay
2. A student has to choose one subject from each of the following groups:
a) Second Language (French, Hindi, Sanskrit, etc.)
b) Individuals and Societies (History, Economics, and Civics, etc.)
c) Sciences (Botany, Zoology, Physics, Chemistry, and Environmental Systems).
d) Mathematics and Computer Science.
e) Electives (it can be either Visual Arts or any subject from the above three options).
Also Read: 21 free coding websites for kids
IB Grading System
IB board follows a 1 to 8 grading system. Students are graded based on their ability to understand the concepts of the curriculum.
| Achievement Level | Level Descriptor | Task-specific criteria descriptor |
| 0 | The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below. | The student does not reach a standard described by any of the descriptors below. |
| 1-2 | The student is able to: identify some of the elements of the authentic real-life situation apply mathematical strategies to find a solution to the authentic real-life situation, with limited success. | The student is able to: identify some of the elements of the real-life-based questions. apply mathematical concepts of the number systems to find a solution to real-life questions with limited success. |
| 3-4 | The student is able to: identify the relevant elements of the authentic real-life situation apply mathematical strategies to reach a solution to the authentic real-life situation. state, but not always correctly, whether the solution makes sense in the context of the authentic real-life situation. | The student is able to: identify some of the elements of the real life-based questions. apply mathematical concepts of the number system to reach a solution to the authentic real-life situation. justify the solutions, but not always correctly |
| 5-6 | The student is able to: identify the relevant elements of the authentic real-life situation. select adequate mathematical strategies to model the authentic real-life situation. apply the selected mathematical strategies to reach a valid solution to the authentic real-life situation describe the degree of accuracy of the solution. state correctly whether the solution makes sense in the context of the authentic real-life situation | The student is able to: identify the relevant elements of the real-life-based questions. select adequate concepts of the number system to model the authentic real-life situation. apply the selected mathematical strategies to reach a valid solution. describe the degree of accuracy of the solution justify the solutions and give reasoning |
| 7-8 | The student is able to: identify the relevant elements of the authentic real-life situation. select adequate mathematical strategies to model the authentic real-life situation. apply the selected mathematical strategies to reach a correct solution to the authentic real-life situation. explain the degree of accuracy of the solution. describe correctly whether the solution makes sense in the context of the authentic real-life situation | The student is able to: identify the relevant elements of the real-life-based questions. select adequate concepts of the number system to model the authentic real-life situation. apply the selected mathematical strategies to reach a correct solution. explain the degree of accuracy of the solution. describe the solutions and give reasoning |
IB VS CBSE Which is better?
CBSE Syllabus prepares students for engineering and medical exams. It also gives more attention to mathematics and science in comparison to languages.
IB focuses on holistic learning, intercultural awareness, and enhancement of communication skills. More focus is given to languages, arts, and humanities.
Its main focus is on ‘how to learn rather than ‘what to learn. IB Students have a slight benefit in exams like CAT, SAT, and GRE because of their better analytical skills.
Let me summarize the advantage and disadvantages of the IB and CBSE boards.
Benefits of IB Board
- IB World School focuses on strong academic, social, and emotional characteristics.
- Balanced Educational Approach
- Knowledge oriented approach to Education
- The examinations test student’s knowledge and not their memory and speed.
- Internationally Recognized Education Board.
- Researched based curriculum
- Gateway programme to some of the best Universities in the world
Disadvantages
- Not designed for pursuing higher studies in Indian universities
- Very less number of school in India
- School fee is very high
Advantages of CBSE Board
- CBSE affiliated schools are a lot more in compression to IB Schools. Therefore parents have the option to choose out of good schools.
- Trains children well for competitive exams
- Allows Hindi and English as a medium of instruction
Disadvantages
- Textbook based answering patterns
- Focus on memory and speed
- Grading Pattern
- Limited concept of Research
Conclusion
I would say that if your child will do college education from abroad and you can afford the IB school, then IB school should be the first option. If your child wants to go for competitive exams after schooling, CBSE is the best choice.
Also Read: benefits to universities and colleges of accepting IB Students
