Welcome To Wellington College International Shanghai Welcome-to-Wellington-booklet-2017-18 | Page 38

OVERVIEW IN THE SENIOR SCHOOL

ACADEMIC OVERVIEW

OVERVIEW IN THE SENIOR SCHOOL

The Senior School operates on a two-week cycle of lessons with each week being designated as Week A or Week B . Every day , the pupils will have five lessons , each of which is an hour long , followed by CCAs ( shortened to one hour on a Friday ). The CCAs cover academic ( prep , pastoral , enrichment and support ) alongside physical and creative activities .
The Senior School curriculum comprises three separate stages :
Key Stage 3 ( year 9 ), during which the pupils will continue to build on the solid foundation of the Prep School with a wide-ranging curriculum based on the English National Curriculum ;
Key Stage 4 ( years 10 and 11 ), pupils follow a broad range of subjects which culminate in the IGCSE examinations . Full details of the available options are set out in a separate IGCSE booklet .
Sixth Form ( years 12 and 13 ), pupils follow the International Baccalaureate ( IB ) framework by selecting six subjects which they study , in depth , leading to the IB Diploma qualification . Full details of the available options are set out in a separate IB booklet .
During year 9 , pupils will be encouraged to develop a love of learning for its own sake , the belief being that this will stand them in good stead for the IGCSE and the sixth form . In particular , intellectual curiosity , academic risk-taking and creativity will be supported and applauded by teachers at Wellington . Thus , pupils will be thoroughly prepared for IGCSE , both in the acquiring of appropriate skills for their subject choices and through obtaining the flexibility necessary to master new disciplines .
Having made their choices for IGCSE , pupils will embark on courses in a wide variety of subjects , which will include the compulsory ones of English language , English literature , mathematics and chemistry plus one other science . In addition , pupils are required to take at least one humanities subject as well as a foreign language and an enrichment subject . Most of our pupils will study ten subjects at this level , with the selection designed to keep many options open to pupils for study in higher education . Options are available within a structured framework . The objective is to give pupils a degree of choice , ensuring they maintain a broad selection of subjects and do not become overly focused in one area or close any potential future paths of study .
The IB Diploma Programme , the world ’ s foremost university entrance qualification , requires pupils to study six subjects , through a mixture of obligation and choice .
A pupil ’ s IB choices are strongly influenced by their thinking about what their chosen university degree or potential major might be . However , the IB is much more than an academic qualification , its core components – CAS ( Creativity , Action , Service ), TOK ( Theory of Knowledge ), and the extended essay – encourage independence of thought , communal responsibility , and the development of research skills .
Ambition , suppleness and self-sufficiency are qualities that are consistent in all three stages of the Senior School ’ s academic programme . In the twenty- first century , robotic attainment is no longer a guarantee of success , and pupils at Wellington Shanghai will learn that schooling is at its most effective when it is enjoyable , energetic , inquiring , mutual , and rigorous – virtues enshrined in the Wellington Aptitudes .
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