THE DIPLOMA Programme, is designed for highly motivated secondary school students age 16 to 19, it is a demanding pre-university course of study that leads to examinations. It has earned a reputation for rigorous assessment, giving IB diploma holder access to the world’s leading universities. The Diploma Programme’s grading system is criterion-referenced, which means that each student’s performance is measured against well-defined levels of achievement. These are consistent from one examination session to the next and are applied equally to all schools.