Assessments in IB

IB Exam Registration for May 2026 Exams

The International Baccalaureate Program (IB) offers students the opportunity to take college-level courses and exams in high school, with the potential to earn college credit and/or placement in courses at many colleges and universities in the US and around the world. The IB Exams administered in May are standardized exams designed to measure how well students have mastered the content and skills of a specific IB curriculum course. 

IB Exam Registration Instructions

In order for the IB Coordinators to submit an exam order for students, all students must register for IB exams online in Total Registration. Exams will only be ordered once students have completed both steps below.

IB Exam Registration:

• All students must register for IB exams online. Each student needs their own individual registration.
• Total Registration is used each year to pay for IB exams. Students should use the same account and login information for all exams, including their AP exams.  If students already have a TR account, they should look for the “Have you previously registered? Login here.” link on the TR home page.
  • Students should make payments via the online purchase system within TotalRegistration. 
  • If a student does not have a TR account, they must create an account. It is important for accounts to be created with the student’s email account. There is a separate place for parents to record their email address so they may receive notifications.
  • Link to the TR website:  https://user.totalregistration.net/IB/110922

Cost of IB Exams

• For 2026 Testing, the International Baccalaureate (IB) charges $133.00 for each exam. In addition, students will pay a one-time administrative fee each year to offset the cost of testing materials, substitutes, etc. All high schools in Forsyth County charge a one-time fee of $30.00 regardless of how many exams a student takes.

Late Registration & Cancellation of Exams

• A late fee of  $43 is charged after November 1^st, 2026. This fee is charged by the International Baccalaureate (IB) and cannot be canceled by the school.
• For late registrations after January 1^st, 2026, students will be assessed a $162 late registration fee on/after January 15^th . This fee is charged by the International Baccalaureate (IB) and cannot be canceled by the school.
• Cancellations after November 15th will not be refunded in full.  The $30 administrative fee is non-refundable.

No changes or adjustments to ANY exam order will be processed after January 15^th, 2026

 

 

Assessment in IB Curriculum

To support and improve student learning at South Forsyth High School, teachers uses diagnostic, formative, and summative assessments. In the International Baccalaureate Programme at SFHS, assessments are criterion-referenced according to specific criteria published by IB. Groups/subjects are provided resources like guides, rubrics, and mark bands that measure and inform student success from previous years to show its strengths and weaknesses. Teachers meet collaboratively as a whole and within content areas to review and update school and classroom policies yearly. In addition to the guidelines provided by IB, teachers differentiate assessments according to the needs of their students so that students with various learning styles are able to be successful within this highly rigorous program.

Methods of Assessment:

The South Forsyth High School IB program implements a variety of assessment strategies to measure student success. Diagnostic methods include tests and assessments which have been developed for each IB course, and assessments developed by individual teachers and content groups (in school or county-wide) are used to measure previously acquired knowledge.

Formative assessments may include: class discussions, field work, essays, projects, investigation workbooks, multimedia presentations, tickets out the door, reflections/journals, etc. Summative presentations similar to those in the IB are:  historical investigations, individual oral commentaries, and research papers, among others that are subject specific. A variety of assessment strategies are used to reduce disadvantages, allowing a range of opportunities for students to be successful as displayed in our Special Academic Needs Policy. While these are just a few examples of the types of assessments, they are not limited to just the DP programme. Similar assessments are used in lower grades to prepare students for the IB programme. Teachers collaborate in vertical planning sessions to create assessments appropriate for their student’s achievement level(s). This helps scaffold the students’ skills toward those expected in the programme and within our policies.

How are IB Courses assessed?

The Diploma Program courses each have two types of assessments that are used to determine the final score award in the subject: Internal Assessments and External Assessments.  Internal Assessments (or IA's) are given in the classrooms and are based upon the skills and content of that subject area.  So, for example, in a Language B IB class, one Internal Assessment is an Oral converation in language.  For a Sciencels the IA would be a lab experiment designed and conducted by the student.  For a History class, it would be a history research paper.  Each subject has a unique, and the IA counts toward the final grade award the student will earn for the class from IB. 

The other assessment type is the External Assessments or Exams/Papers.  The easiest way to think of the External Assessments is to think of them as the cummulative sit down exams they take at the end of the IB Course.  This is completed yearly at South High in May and is composed of 2 or 3 different Papers (or exams) and depends on the subject. 

Every IB course weights the Internal & External Assessment components in slightly different ways. Below are the IB courses and their specific weights for each component that are offered at South High.