Students in grades 11 and 12 have a choice of following the GED or the IB Diploma program. Both programmes run for two years.
General Education Deploma (GED)
The General Education Diploma (GED) program spans grades 11 & 12. It is overseen by the Ministry of Education in Oman and provides students with a broad range of subjects which gives them access to Universities in the Sultanate and beyond.
Course Structure & Certification
Students must study 8 subjects, 5 of them compulsory and 3 optional, and successfully pass all 8 subjects in order to obtain the General Education Diploma Certificate.
Courses are internally assessed throughout Grade 11 while in Grade 12 there are external Ministry exams in January-February for semester 1 and in May- June for the second semester. The breakdown of marks varies by course but is typically 30-40% for the Internal Exam, 60-70% for the remaining assessment components.
The GED is endorsed by the Omani Ministry of education. Successful completion gives students the right to submit applications through unified admission system and apply for internal and external scholarships.
To succeed in the GED students will be expected to do a good deal of independent study.
IB Diploma Programme (DP)
The IB DP has a hard-earned reputation for quality, high standards, and pedagogical leadership reinforces its commitment to intercultural understanding and respect as an essential part of life in the 21st century. The Diploma has gained recognition and respect from the world’s leading universities.
Al Sahwa offers a wide range of subjects to match the aspirations of our students so that they can navigate the many pathways of university admissions. While outcomes are important, we believe that the right subject choice is what makes a strong university applicant and our careers counsellor will help in selecting good matches between students, career aspirations and universities.
Mandatory Conditions for Subject Selection
Students will pick one option from each group 1 – 6. It is possible to substitute group 6 for a subject from groups 3 – 4. Students are advised to maintain a healthy selection of cross-disciplinary subjects, this is at the heart of the IB philosophy and part of what makes the Diploma Programme well respected by higher education providers.
All IB Diploma students must complete DP Core which comprises of:
- A course in the Theory of Knowledge (TOK)
- A 4,000-word Extended Essay in a subject of their choice
- A Creativity, Activity & Service (CAS) programme
