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Dear ParentsWe have been asked by some parents for more information about the IEB to inform their decision aroundwhether this is the right system for their children.Here is a summary of answers to some of the most important questions we have been asked.THE IEBYour child’s future:  It is not the time to compromise!What is the IEB?The IEB stands for the Independent Examinations Board.  It is NOT a different curriculum, but a different andindependent method of assessing pupils. The IEB believes that it is in the assessment of the curriculum that thetrue worth and value of the curriculum as an educating tool can be exploited, hence the IEB motto: Assess-ment Matters.“The way in which a question is asked will either encourage the opening up of young minds to see new ideasand possibilities, or it will focus the mind narrowly onto the facts taught and presumably learnt during the year.The approach in assessment can either offer learners an opportunity to express their own opinions and showthat they have used sound thinking skills and a reliable knowledge base to come to their conclusions, or at theother end of the scale, it will encourage the re-gurgitation of learnt opinions.” Anne Oberholzer, CEO IEB.Why the IEB?At Elkanah House we believe in whole-child education that ensures that children fulfill their greatest individualpotential. Our ultimate goal is to set them up for future success in their lives after school, whether they chooseto work, or study further.  The IEB gives schools • more autonomy to direct learning in meaningful ways; • assessment methods that integrate multiple skills so that learners develop deeper thinking andproblem solving skills; • advanced programmes in Mathematics and English: • teacher empowerment through subject conferences and clusters, and peer group interaction toensure best practice. • a well run and professional final examination process with integrity.The specific assessments and related services delivered and administered by the IEB to schools are, • The National Senior Certificate (Gr 12) • Advanced Programme Mathematics (Gr 12) • Advanced Programme English (Gr12) • Core skills tests in Gr 6 and Gr 9 • The Australian Council of Educational Research international benchmarking tests in Mathemat-ics, Science and English from Gr 3 to Gr 10. • Other subject specific assessments at other levelsThe IEB is recognised by South Africa’s top educational brains as being a superior system, and as in all decisionsrelated to the welfare of your children, we cannot compromise, and have chosen the best education systemavailable to us in South Africa.

Is the IEB a different qualification?No, pupils writing their Grade 12 final exams still attain a National Senior Certificate (NSC). However, theyattain this through a different examination, administered and marked by the IEB. Is the IEB harder?No. In fact, for many learners, memorizing and recalling facts is much harder than a system which imbedssubject knowledge through exploration and multiple learning styles. The IEB is not harder if you are taught inthe IEB way.The IEB examination is moderated by Umalusi, the organisation that oversees all Grade 12 exam-inations, to ensure that both sets of exams are equitable, i.e. that they are at the same standard and that one isnot harder than the other.Would it be better for a less academic child to ratherchoose a non-IEB school?The IEB caters well to children of almost all academic abilities, and does not prejudice less academic chil-dren.  To the contrary, the teaching process often engages children in a more interesting way so that they con-nect more deeply with a subject.  When children are interested in a subject, can explore it deeply and are ableto give their perspectives on it, rather than just recalling facts, they are far more likely to do well in it.  This is important to us because Elkanah House is an inclusive school; we do not screen our applicants onacademic merit.  We want our students to fulfill their individual potential by learning to work with people of allcapabilities and walks of life.  That is the reality of their future and it prepares them well.Will students get better matric results at a non-IEB school?No, IEB students have learnt to master the IEB methods well through our teaching practices.  By the time theywrite their final exams they are as well prepared as any other student sitting the government examinations. “I have no doubt that the IEB is the better educational system.  Students have to be engaged with more chal-lenging questions and they develop their thinking.  But students don’t do worse on the IEB.The Umalusi mod-erator ensures that the exams are equitable.  All of my research from working at the Oprah Winfrey Leader-ship Academy where we switched to the IEB demonstrated that students rose to the challenge of the IEB anddid just as well in their exams.  Our group of schools chose the IEB because it allows us more autonomy toenrich the curriculum and really offer a good education.”  Head of Academics at a National Chain of Schools.Are IEB students disadvantaged in their University applications?No, definitely not.  IEB students, who work hard will definitely earn as many ‘points’ as an equivalent child at anon-IEB school. In fact, they may actually be advantaged in their application process:All universities make students write a National Benchmarking Test (NBT)*, which is weighted heavily in theirentrance criteria.  IEB students achieve far better results in the NBT because they are so well prepared to thinkat a university level.  As universities are placing far higher weightings on NBTs, particularly in high demand facul-ties, IEB students are at a distinct advantage to obtain the university entrance of their choice.To give you an example of university entrance criteria:

* The NBTs were implemented by universities in South Africa as a standardised test to measure a university applicant’s ability totransfer understanding of Academic Literacy, Quantitative Literacy, and Mathematics to the demands of tertiary coursework.Do IEB students do better at University?Yes. A study carried out in 2007 at the University of Cape Town (UCT) which looked at the success rate ofIEB students over a 3-year period noted that 25% of graduates at UCT came from IEB schools, a far higherpro-rated percentage. In the same study, it was determined that over a 3-year period 98% of IEB learnersgraduated or were accepted for further study. Given that most universities experience over a 50% dropout incertain faculties, this research clearly demonstrates the relative quality of IEB educational methods.   “Schools have indicated to the IEB that parents choose IEB schools because of the IEB school leaving examinationwhich encourages the production of students, well-prepared for the rigors of tertiary study”, Anne Oberholzer, CEOIEB.Our past pupils often attest to how much the IEB approach has helped them at tertiary level, specifically howit has prepared them for academic writing and the advantages they have in having already been exposed topractical science, biology and fieldwork.Does the IEB give my child any advantage for international universities?Universities around the globe benchmark each international school exit assessment method in order to de-termine the value of the marks.  The IEB is understood to be South Africa’s most internationally comparableeducation system. Most international universities insist on independent assessment tests, and as such the IEBcontinues to successfully market itself overseas and collaborates with overseas agencies, e.g. the AustralianCouncil of Educational Research, on benchmarking, as well as commissioning benchmarking studies with over-seas agencies, e.g. the UK NARIC.  “It should be noted that an IEB National Senior Certificate is not sufficient to exempt South African applicants fromthe additional entrance examinations required by most overseas universities.This is not because a South AfricanIEB matric represents any form of substandard education, but simply because of the necessity of a benchmarkingmechanism by which to evaluate top candidates from around the world. Bearing in mind the international level ofcompetition which applicants to, for example, an American Ivy League university face, one should recognise that soundacademic knowledge is but the foundation for success on such a level of competition. In addition, the successful ap-plicant needs to possess the intellectual dexterity which is the mark of the exceptional student, and which allows foreasy transition to a largely unfamiliar educational system, and for the development of knowledge in an internationalsetting.” Adele Rossouw, a former IEB learner, accepted into 5 overseas institutions, and who chose Yale.IEB candidates have readily been accepted into overseas universities in a number of countries including theUSA, UK and Australia, and have successfully completed their studies. In addition, in August 2010, the IEB

received the following information from Derek Macleod, the International Officer for Middle East and Africafor the University of Edinburgh: “Following a long conversation with colleagues of mine in our Admissions team froour College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, we’ve finally been given notification that the IEB NSC has beenapproved for entry to our course in that College, as well as already being accepted for entry into our other Colleges inHumanities and Social Sciences, and Science and Engineering. This development is the first change in some time toour entry requirements for our Medicine (MBChB) course as up until now, only A-levels, Scottish Highers, the IB andIrish Leaving Certificates were accepted for this course.”Which Schools do the IEB in South Africa?A full list is available on the IEB website, however locally St Cyprians, Somerset College and Bridge House areIEB Schools. In Gauteng, most of the independent schools such as Roedean, St Andrews, St Johns, St Stithiansare IEB schools. Many of the well known schools in KZN and the Eastern Cape, such as Kingswood College, StAndrews, DSG, Michaelhouse and Hilton College are IEB schools. It is of particular note that the large nation-al school groups such as Curro, Reddam and schools in the Advtech Group, such as Crawford College, haveopted for the IEB too.Some non-IEB schools may say that they are teaching “in the IEB way’, but that is not possible because IEBteachers have exclusive access to national subject conferences and regional cluster meetings and benefit fromcontinued idea sharing and professional development.We have elected not to write the government assessed National Senior Certificate because we need to com-pare ourselves to the best in the country – and the IEB schools are among some of the best in terms of theiracademic standards and the ability of their students.