AP vs IB vs AICE – Which One is Best?

Since you clicked on the title, it’s likely you already know what “AP vs IB vs AICE” is referring to.  But just in case:

• AP – Advanced Placement
• IB  – International Baccalaureate
• AICE – Advanced International Certificate of Education (This is also often referred to as the Cambridge curriculum)

All three of the above are major high school academic programs, with advanced coursework.  All of them are considered to be college preparatory and may even replace college classes if students do well in them.  But they are each a little bit different.

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Advanced Placement (AP)

The AP program actually began in the 1950s, when policymakers were concerned that American students were not well enough prepared for college – and that they may not be able to compete with the Soviet Union later on.  Initial exams were offered in 1954 in 10 subjects, four of which were languages.  In 1955, the College Board officially took over administration of AP courses. The program has only grown since that time, adding more classes and more students each decade, until it has grown to be the best known of the three advanced academic programs.  In the class of 2022, 1.2 million seniors took more than 4 million exams.

One of the best parts of the AP program is its flexibility.  Students don’t need to commit to taking a certain number of classes, and may select to take specific AP courses that are of interest. As of today, there are 40 different AP classes offered, though it’s rare that any high school offers all of them.  Amid some criticism that the classes are not truly college-level, the College Board has been revising the curriculum, making it both more in-depth, and focusing more on critical thinking and analysis.  At the end of the school year, students take AP exams, scored from 1-5, which are usually a mix of multiple choice and essay questions.

They have introduced Seminar and Research courses as part of a Capstone program (which includes taking four other AP courses) in recent years, in order to compete with the IB program.  The Capstone program’s goal is to bring more overall cohesion to the AP program and ensure that the curriculum will have been rigorous enough to really prepare students for college.

Obviously, preparation for college is one of the biggest benefits to AP courses, whether students participate in the Capstone program or not.  Students who take the AP exams and score at least a 3 on them will qualify for credits at most colleges in the US, though it is becoming increasingly common for colleges to only give credits for a minimum of a 4.

 International Baccalaureate (IB)

The IB program began in 1968 after leading educators had worked together for several years to develop the philosophy, structure, and content that would foster well-rounded, globally-minded students. After six years as a successful pilot program, the IB diploma was introduced in 1975. The program may be slightly lesser known than the AP program, and less available, as well.  The IB program is recognized internationally, and last year, almost 180,000 students received their IB Diploma, which means they’ve completed a very rigorous course of study.

Unlike the AP program in which students can pick and choose which courses they would like to take, the IB diploma framework includes required courses in six areas of study, during a student’s junior and senior years of high school.  IB students also take a Theory of Knowledge course, must write a 4,000-word Extended Essay, and complete 150 combined Creativity, Action, and Service hours.  They must include at least three “higher level courses” in their studies (students can choose to take standard or higher level in each course. Students will often say that the “standard” IB classes are a bit easier than AP classes, but that the “high-level” IB courses are harder than AP courses).  And finally, to earn their IB diploma, they must score at least 24 points on their IB exams (scale is 1 to 7).  Students can choose to take courses outside of IB along the way, including AP classes, as long as they complete the IB requirements.  At some high schools, students are allowed to pick and choose between AP and IB courses, without being required to complete the IB diploma.

The IB external assessments are known to be especially rigorous, and require much more writing than AP exams do – they are essay-based.  This fits with their goal of developing students to use critical thinking to solve complex problems.  Additionally, graduates of IB programs are expected to be prepared to engage with people in an increasingly globalized world.

Like the AP program, students may receive college credit for their IB classes. For admission, some colleges will weight IB classes as being more rigorous than AP classes, but that’s not universal.  Some colleges will also grant as many as 30 credits to students who graduated with an IB diploma.  Others will grant college credit similar to AP classes – a score of 4 on an IB exam earns a student college credit for the corresponding course.

 Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE)

The AICE program is offered through the University of Cambridge and is only recently beginning to be better known here in parts of the US.  Though the University of Cambridge formed the ‘Local Examinations Syndicate’ over 160 years ago to raise standards in education by administering exams, the current format really only came after creating a new structure back in 1998.  The curriculum is international in philosophy and approach, meant to develop an “informed curiosity and a lasting passion for learning.”  As it is just beginning to be better known in the US, the Common App only relatively recently began to include it in its drop down credit menu.

The AICE program shares characteristics of both the AP and the IB programs.  Students can take just one AICE course, and then take either A or AS level exams. The AS courses are one year long and one credit and the A level courses are considered more rigorous and are two years long, and count for two credits.  Students may also choose to pursue an AICE diploma, which entails completing at least two credits in each of three broad areas, a credit in Research and then earning 14 total AICE credits in total.  To be able to receive the diploma, students must also pass seven exams in four content areas.  Because the AICE diploma is considered to be less academically demanding than AP or IB, it is generally completed during ninth and tenth grade.  At some schools, it is used as the precursor to the IB diploma (thought there is also a pre-IB curriculum).   Students who complete the AICE diploma should finish with strong subject matter knowledge and research skills.

AICE program credits from the AICE exams are not as widely accepted by colleges as AP and IB are, especially at more competitive colleges.  This is slowly beginning to change for students that complete A-level courses and exams.  And while they do demonstrate rigor for a college applicant when taken during the early years of high school, currently colleges may not consider them to be as rigorous as AP or IB courses on the high school transcript.

 Summary

All of these programs provide ongoing training and support for teachers, though teachers are not required to attend or be certified.  To teach at a designated IB school however, teachers do need to be accredited by the IB program.

As always, students need to consider their academic and college goals.  High schools often weight AP, IB, and AICE classes all the same.  So, if students are simply working hard to earn a high GPA, excelling in any of these may help.  If students are looking for classes to challenge themselves, any of these will support that goal as well.  If a student wishes to receive college credit, again, any of these courses may help them to achieve that goal, if they are able to score well enough on the end-of-course exams.  If the goal is to attend a highly competitive college, then students need to focus on AP or IB classes, with an IB diploma considered to be the most academically challenging course of study, if it’s available to them.

Recognize that an IB high-level course may have a significantly higher workload and time commitment than an AICE course.  But also know that there are differences in workload and time commitment among all academic subjects and it can even vary between teachers and high schools.  Talk to your own  school’s counselor to help decide which option would make the most sense based on your student’s goals.

If college credit is the strict goal, check out these websites to find out how much credit colleges will award for various classes:

• AP Credit:  https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/getting-credit-placement/search-policies/course/3
• IB Credit: https://blogs.ibo.org/2018/05/05/getting-ib-credit-at-university/
• AICE Credit: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/recognition-search/

For some students, Dual Enrollment, not discussed here, may make the most sense.  You may want to read Advanced Placement vs Dual Enrollment  to help you as you make that decision.  As a general rule, the programs discussed above are going to be more universally accepted for college credit than DE credits are.  But again, it depends on your student’s college goals.  All of these programs should provide your teen with academic growth to help set them up for future success!