The British School of Costa Rica

As a guarantee to the Parents of the quality of its academic programmes and in order to fulfil its aim of offering an excellent education, it was decided from the beginning to offer the IGCSE and IB programmes in the Secondary School. 

Hence the curricula offered in the Upper Secondary levels have been developed by some of the most competent educational experts in the world at the University of Cambridge and the International Baccalaureate Curriculum and Assessment Office.

The quality of education provided by   the School may be judged by considering the results obtained by our students in the corresponding IGCSE and IB examinations which are prepared, marked and graded by these external and impartial examiners.  Please refer to the end of this section where some results obtained by our students are highlighted (best individual IB and IGCSE results in the world; IGCSE 85% pass rate and best overall IB results in the Latin American region).In the Primary School, the International Primary Curriculum, developed by Fieldwork Education U.K., has been incorporated recently with great success. It fulfils the requirements of both the “British” and Dutch National Curricula.  In Senior 4 and 5 (9/10th Grades), all students follow an integrated British/Costa Rican programme based on the IGCSE examination syllabi.  Since the Costa Rican Ministry of Education now recognises the IB Certification in 4 subjects plus “Estudios Sociales” and “Civica” as equivalent to the National “Bachillerato”, we now offer the IB programme in 11th and 12th grades to all students.

1. INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE DIPLOMA and CERTIFICATES (Senior 6-7)

It is now widely accepted that the IB Diploma programme is the best pre-University preparation that a student could possibly obtain.  The Diploma requirements are recognised universally as being equivalent to three British "A-levels" or the American High School Diploma plus AP programs or the French "Baccalaureate", etc.  The Diploma gains its equivalence to British A-levels (and AP programs) by providing "depth of study" in 3 subjects taken at Higher Level.  It gains its equivalence to a High School Diploma and other nations' baccalaureate programmes by providing "breadth of study" in 3 additional subjects taken at Standard Level.  For the Diploma, in addition to this rigorous, academic programme of 6 subjects, the student is also required to: i) complete a course of study in the Theory of Knowledge (TOK); ii) present a 4000+ word essay based on individual research and iii) participate actively in a programme of Creativity, Action and Service (CAS). As a result of its high academic standards and the TOK and research/essay components, the International Baccalaureate has gained the respect of University Admission Officers who recognise that the student has already proved their ability to work at the University level.  Students who gain the Diploma can expect Universities to offer them Advanced Placement equivalents, Course Credits and special consideration at the time of admission.  If a student does not want to receive the I.B. Diploma, (s)he can enter the examinations for individual subjects and receive a “Certificate of IB Results”.  The I.B. academic curriculum is divided into six subject Groups, from each of which the student must select at least one subject.

HL = Higher Level, SL = Standard Level.  HL/SL means both levels are available for the student to choose one.  From the pairs marked * or ** only ONE subject can be taken.    N.B. The programme “Mathematics Studies” (SL only) is NOT recommended for students going on to university to study any subject where Maths is involved e.g. any Science, Economics, etc.

To obtain the Diploma, candidates must:  a) maintain a good average (55%) in three Higher Level AND three Standard Level subjects based on final examinations (approx. 80%) and course-work (approx. 20%); b) submit an acceptable extended essay (4,000 words+) based on original research; c) complete the TOK course and d) complete the C.A.S. programme.  The examination papers are produced, marked and graded by the IB Curriculum and Assessment Office in Cardiff, U.K.  The final Diploma or Certificates are awarded by the International Baccalaureate Office in Geneva.  (See -  “La Filosofía del BI” en español)

2. IGCSE Examinations and ICE Certificate (Senior 4 - 5)

The International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge International Examinations organisation (CIE) has international credibility as an educational qualification; for example, our students have gained admission to Community Colleges and small Universities in the USA and Hong Kong on their IGCSE results alone.  The examination papers are produced, marked and graded by CIE who also award the final Certificates.  In U.K., the IGCSE Certificates are accepted as equivalent to the GCSE "School-leaving" certification for 16 year-olds and, for those continuing in further education, as a preliminary requirement for matriculation at British (and therefore European) Universities.  IGCSE certificates are widely recognised by Universities in the United States and Canada.
Throughout 9th and 10th grades, all students follow courses that prepare them for the IGCSE examinations in at least eight different academic subjects.  The following subjects are available:

 GROUP                   Subject Choices: (Capital letters=Obligatory; lower case=elective)

 1.  Languages          ENGLISH as a 1st Lang. or 2nd. Language
                               plus SPANISH as a 1st Lang. or Foreign Lang.
                               French as a Foreign Language
                               Mandarin Chinese as a Foreign Language

 2.  Humanities          LITERATURE (Spanish or English)
                               History and/or Geography
                               or History and/or Economics

 3.  Science               COORDINATED SCIENCE  (Biology/Chemistry/Physics as 2 subjects)

 4.  Mathematics        MATHEMATICS   
      (Additional Maths also available in 2nd year if “Mathematics” completed in 1st)

 5.  Arts and Electives  Art/Design or Information Technology or French or 3rd Humanity

ADDITIONAL 9/10th Subjects   Student's mother tongue as a 1st Language (Home Study required)

In almost all subjects, candidates may study for and enter the examination(s) at the level of either "extended curriculum" or "core curriculum" (similar to the Higher and Standard Levels of the I.B.).  Students who pass in seven different subjects, including two Languages and Art or IT can receive the ICE certificate with a "pass", "merit" or "distinction".   In almost all cases, to be accepted for an IB Higher Level course later, students must have passed the corresponding IGCSE subjects with a good grade on the extended curriculum.

TOEFL and SAT Tests  (USA)  -  Although our programmes of study co-incidentally prepare students for the TOEFL and SAT I and II tests required by Universities in the USA, nevertheless supplementary material is available in the Library for students to acquaint themselves with and practice the techniques required by these tests.

RESULTS OBTAINED BY OUR STUDENTS … Maximum score in IB Diploma = 45 points

University of Costa Rica Admission Examinations Students placed  : 1st in 1995, 1997 and 2001;   3rd in 1994;  4th in 2003,  5th in 1996 and 1998, 9th in 2000 and 2007 and 11th in 2005.

Placement and Scholarships to leading Universities:
   1998    Anthony Varilly  -  partial scholarship to Harvard
             Catherine Darke  -  obtained a place at Trinity College, Cambridge
             Rhys Wolff  -  full scholarship to the University of Toronto, Canada
   2000    Alfonso Gomez  - obtained a place at University College, London
   2001    Patrick Varilly  - scholarship to MIT
   2003    Marisol Valerio  - full scholarship to UBC, Canada
 * Both Anthony Varilly (‘98) and Alfonso Gomez (‘00) continued as post-graduate
students at the University of Cambridge, England

International  Baccalaureate Diploma :

1998   Best overall results in the Latin American Region (IBLA):
       6 students with 40 points or higher, average 35 points in the Diploma programme.
       Best Individual result in the World - 45 points plus maximum points for 7th subject
1999   3 students 40 points or higher. Average 33.4 points. All students passed Diploma
2001   2 students with 40 points or higher. Average 33 points in the Diploma programme.
       Best Individual result in the World - 45 points plus maximum points for 7th subject
2002   3 students with 40 points or higher. Average 35 points in the Diploma programme.
2003   Best individual result in Latin America with a maximum score of 45 points.
       3 students with 40 points or higher.  Average 34 points in the Diploma programme.
2004   1 student with 40 points or higher.  Average 30 points in the Diploma programme.
2005   All 34 students passed the Diploma. Average 33 points. 1 student with 41 points
2006   All 34 Diploma students passed. Average 32 points. 1 student with 41 points
2007   All 36 Diploma students passed. Average 32 points. 1 student with 42 points
2008   45 out of 46 students obtained the Diploma.  Average 30 points (same group of students produced lower than average IGCSE results in 2006 … see below).

IGCSE:  Our pass rate is the % students passing at least 5 subjects with at least a “C” grade.

UK Statistics - Pass rate = 47.2% but includes Maths and English

 1996     Best Individual result in the World (6 A* and 3 A grades)
 2002     Pass rate = 90%  All subjects A* - C grades  = 84%
 2003     Pass rate = 87%  All subjects A* - C grades  = 82%
 2004     Pass rate = 85%  All subjects A* - C grades  = 80%   
 2005     Pass rate = 89%  All subjects A* - C grades  = 83% 
 2006     Pass rate = 81%  All subjects A* - C grades  = 80%
 2007     Pass rate = 86%  All subjects A* - C grades  = 83%
 2008     Pass rate = 90%  All subjects A* - C grades  = 87%
         34% of all results at A* or A grades. Best results were
         i) 8 A* (maximum score),  ii) 7 A* and A and  iii) 6*A, A, B.