Cambridge Pre U
Cambridge Pre U
Does anyone have any experience with the Pre U programme? I have an interview with a school that offers the IB and Pre U. Any thoughts regarding the currIculum? Much appreciated!
Response
IB DIP and Cambridge Pre U (CPU) are very similar. CPU is essentially honors A* as CPU uses a linear progression compared to A* modular approach. CPU has a global perspectives and research project which are equivalent to CAS/TOK and EE in the DIP. Students read for 3 subjects in CPU and 3-4 subjects in DIP. DIP has a broader range of courses, whereas CPU is very focused on the classics (there is no environmental systems or other hybrid courses or specialty courses in CPU)
The IB DIP is more a broad liberal arts approach and CPU maintains specialization found in A*. This is the main difference, DIP is more prescribed, students have to study the whole program curriculum within the sphere. With CPU students have more freedom and dont have to study entire categories of subjects at all. Essentially this means that within CPU arts and classics students can avoid maths and science entirely and STEM students can ignore the arts entirely. CPU allows more focus, a student can read in biology, chemistry and physics and get the diploma, you cant do that in DIP, a student would have to choose subjects to read for from different categories in the sphere. DIP forces everyone to be a generalist, CPU allows for highly focused specialists.
This is why your IS has these programs, CPU is a for the student who knows exactly what they want to do. They want to study business at Uni and then go abroad to get an MBA, they could read for Business Management, Economics, and Philosophy complete the portfolio and project and get the CPU diploma. They dont have to do anything else. The DIP is for the student who doesnt exactly know what they want to do or would benefit from a more broad liberal arts approach, they can still focus on certain subjects without sacrificing from others.
This same business student would have to study subjects from each area in DIP. They could still read for economics, and business management at HL (Higher level 240 hours), they could do this instead of an arts course in DIP, but they would have to study another subject at HL from outside business (Individuals and Society) such as Literature/LA. That would give them 3 HL courses, but the literature course is outside their career focus. They would then have to also study a course in science (also outside their career focus) and maths as well as language all at SL (Standard Level, 150 hours). Thats a lot of time spent on subject matter that from the student/parent perspective isnt relevant to what they want to do.
The IB DIP is more a broad liberal arts approach and CPU maintains specialization found in A*. This is the main difference, DIP is more prescribed, students have to study the whole program curriculum within the sphere. With CPU students have more freedom and dont have to study entire categories of subjects at all. Essentially this means that within CPU arts and classics students can avoid maths and science entirely and STEM students can ignore the arts entirely. CPU allows more focus, a student can read in biology, chemistry and physics and get the diploma, you cant do that in DIP, a student would have to choose subjects to read for from different categories in the sphere. DIP forces everyone to be a generalist, CPU allows for highly focused specialists.
This is why your IS has these programs, CPU is a for the student who knows exactly what they want to do. They want to study business at Uni and then go abroad to get an MBA, they could read for Business Management, Economics, and Philosophy complete the portfolio and project and get the CPU diploma. They dont have to do anything else. The DIP is for the student who doesnt exactly know what they want to do or would benefit from a more broad liberal arts approach, they can still focus on certain subjects without sacrificing from others.
This same business student would have to study subjects from each area in DIP. They could still read for economics, and business management at HL (Higher level 240 hours), they could do this instead of an arts course in DIP, but they would have to study another subject at HL from outside business (Individuals and Society) such as Literature/LA. That would give them 3 HL courses, but the literature course is outside their career focus. They would then have to also study a course in science (also outside their career focus) and maths as well as language all at SL (Standard Level, 150 hours). Thats a lot of time spent on subject matter that from the student/parent perspective isnt relevant to what they want to do.
Re: Cambridge Pre U
@PsyGuy
Thanks for the explanation. I am an experienced IT within the IB, but had never heard of CPU until two days ago. Is this something new? or have I been out of the loop? Also, do you think it will grow and spread to more ISs?
Thanks for the explanation. I am an experienced IT within the IB, but had never heard of CPU until two days ago. Is this something new? or have I been out of the loop? Also, do you think it will grow and spread to more ISs?
Reply
@Jse217
Well the prospectus was written in 2004, the administration protocol in 2005 followed by instrumentation design, the experimental field testing began in 2006, with the published roll out in 2008. So 8 years at a minimum. It had a really slow growth rate, A* just have huge market share. It got adopted by some of the big name DSs in the UK and thats when it started seeing real growth. Its very uncommon outside the UK, and its really only licensed to BSO ISs within IE, which in itself is a recent program from 2014, so a couple years in IE. IGCSE is linear like CPU is as opposed to the modular approach of GCSEs/A*, so theres less differences between IGCSE and CPU and IGCSE has more flexibility.
Depends on whose ana1ysis of the data you look at. There are a number of factors and differing scenarios in that question. I see CPU growing at BSs that have mixed student populations and dual school leaving certificates. CPU is easier to get into (cheaper), has a lot of flexibility and has authenticity compared to BSs that are printing their own diplomas. Its going to provide opportunity for those lower tier ISs to provide a recognized school leaving certificate without having the level of prescription you find with IGCSE and A* levels or with IB, but all of that is based on predictive models that are marketing based. Cambridge Examinations would like all that to be true but at certain point its just hope and luck. I dont see CPU beating out A* at the 1st/elite tier BSs anytime soon. The biggest factor is going to be: 1) Uni acceptance and preference. If CPU gives a students a better bid top Unis in the UK things can change fast. 2) International recognition, specially in the US, especially in terms of advanced credits. If those two things happen CPU will see significant growth relatively quickly. CPU is essentially a UKNC in a box, you can license the entire program, cost and convenience are attractive factors to young ISs.
Well the prospectus was written in 2004, the administration protocol in 2005 followed by instrumentation design, the experimental field testing began in 2006, with the published roll out in 2008. So 8 years at a minimum. It had a really slow growth rate, A* just have huge market share. It got adopted by some of the big name DSs in the UK and thats when it started seeing real growth. Its very uncommon outside the UK, and its really only licensed to BSO ISs within IE, which in itself is a recent program from 2014, so a couple years in IE. IGCSE is linear like CPU is as opposed to the modular approach of GCSEs/A*, so theres less differences between IGCSE and CPU and IGCSE has more flexibility.
Depends on whose ana1ysis of the data you look at. There are a number of factors and differing scenarios in that question. I see CPU growing at BSs that have mixed student populations and dual school leaving certificates. CPU is easier to get into (cheaper), has a lot of flexibility and has authenticity compared to BSs that are printing their own diplomas. Its going to provide opportunity for those lower tier ISs to provide a recognized school leaving certificate without having the level of prescription you find with IGCSE and A* levels or with IB, but all of that is based on predictive models that are marketing based. Cambridge Examinations would like all that to be true but at certain point its just hope and luck. I dont see CPU beating out A* at the 1st/elite tier BSs anytime soon. The biggest factor is going to be: 1) Uni acceptance and preference. If CPU gives a students a better bid top Unis in the UK things can change fast. 2) International recognition, specially in the US, especially in terms of advanced credits. If those two things happen CPU will see significant growth relatively quickly. CPU is essentially a UKNC in a box, you can license the entire program, cost and convenience are attractive factors to young ISs.