Warsaw Montessori High School

May 2025 Exam Session at Warsaw Montessori High School

May is the time of high school final exams in both – Polish curriculum and in International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP). Our IB DP graduates take their final exams for three and a half weeks – from April 28 to May 21 – sitting 61 exams in total. This is a time full of challenges, but it leads not only to the longest vacations in their lives, but above all, it allows for plans and dreams of young adults to come true. 

Most of our high school graduates, after facing the exam papers for over three weeks, will go on a well-deserved break. They will do it, however, only to pack again shortly thereafter – this time not for a vacation, but to study abroad. This year our graduates are applying to Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland, although some of them have decided to continue their education in Poland. Increasingly, IB Diploma Programme graduates decide to study in Poland, taking advantage of world-class academics, modern infrastructure and excellent fields of study.

The greatest advantage of the IB DP is not only that it is a gateway to universities all over the world (including Poland), but what it offers to adolescents entering adulthood – academic knowledge, acquiring skills and shaping their personalities. These features of the IB Diploma Programme resonate particularly well at Warsaw Montessori High School, where we enhance the IB Learner Profile with the Montessori pedagogical philosophy. We particularly emphasise students’ independence and responsibility for their own development.

This year, 18 Warsaw Montessori High School graduates are taking the IB DP final exams. Each students sits a different set of exams reflecting the subjects they selected – their interests, passions and future plans. This diversity of our graduates is our pride and our distinguishing feature.

What are the differences between the Polish Matura Exam and the IB DP Final Exams?

The exam session at the end of the IB Diploma Programme is more demanding than the Polish Matura Exam. In IB DP each student takes written exams in all six subjects chosen at the beginning of the programme. Each of the three subjects at the higher level usually includes three exam papers, and at the standard level – two. Simple calculations show that each student completing the IB Diploma Programme takes a dozen or so written exams, while the Polish Matura includes five compulsory exams – three written and two oral – which can be expanded to include two additional subjects.

Such a large number of exams posts a challenge. However, it allows candidates to divide their final exams preparations into smaller parts and limits the risk. If exam questions or one of the exam papers turn out to be more demanding, one can always make up during another paper from the same subject, but taken on a different day. 

In addition, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme is not just about the May final exams session. Many components contributing to the final grade are taken and submitted earlier. This applies, for example, to individual oral exams in languages, which are taken several months before the written exams. Moreover, for each of the subjects taken students prepare the so-called Internal Assessment – ​​papers assessed at the school and constituting 20-25% of the final grade. The Internal Assessment may take the form of a research report, an oral exam or an exhibition of works of art – all depending on the subjects chosen. 

This structure of the IB DP emphasises the position and role of the student – ​​each and every one creates their own academic path and, consequently, their own set of components and exams. Success in this programme is particularly supported at Warsaw Montessori High School, where a small number of students combined with a very wide range of subjects and experienced teachers allow for an individual approach to students, their learning, intellectual and emotional development. 

The IB DP final exams are just the final step on a long journey from a school to an academic environment, but also from childhood to adulthood. This journey is both interesting and safe at our school – we are an intimate, inclusive community that provides a sense of security and is based on key values: respect, fair play and empathy.

What subjects are most often chosen by students?

In the IB Diploma Programme, each student creates their own academic path. Since the language of instruction is English, this subject is the most popular. It is worth noting that our students can choose between English as a foreign language (English B offered only at higher level) and as a native one (English A) – a subject that involves the analysis and interpretation of literature and culture from the English-speaking world. 

Certain combinations of subjects related to specific fields of study are very popular. For example: biology with chemistry, usually needed to get into medicine, pharmacy and related sciences; geography or history with economics, useful for studying social sciences and humanities, international relations or law; economics and advanced mathematics, paving the way to economics, finance, and business management studies; advanced mathematics and physics, necessary as an introduction to engineering and polytechnic studies.

In addition to these classic subjest sets, the IB DP offers the opportunity to explore and deepen what really interests a person or what constitutes an unconventional combination well-received at prestigious universities. For example: geography with visual arts preparing for urban planning or architecture;

advanced mathematics with psychology, allowing to study cognitive science; biology or chemistry with physics, opening the door to bioengineering. At Warsaw Montessori High School, we always encourage to study languages ​​– in addition to Polish and English, we offer French, German and Spanish. Languages, both in combination with social sciences (e.g. history or psychology) or experimental sciences, seem to be at the forefront of studies, where communicating fluently with other people and understanding the language models underlying artificial intelligence may be key competences of the near future.

When are the final exam results released?

The results of the IB DP final exams – both written exams and previously submitted components – are sent to IB World Schools on July 5. A day later, they are available to students through a designated online portal. Most importantly, students apply for studies much earlier – usually a few months before the final exams session. IB DP students are accepted by universities based on the so-called predicted grades. Based on the applications submitted, universities inform candidates whether they will be accepted once they obtain IB Diploma or what specific results are required to get into their dream academic programme. Therefore, when students are sitting the exams, they know exactly what result they need to achieve to continue with their further education.

Additionally, throughout the IB DP, the school supports students in selecting and applying to universities. At the last stage of this process, the IB DP coordinator sends to the IBO – the institution certifying the programme – information about the universities and courses to which the graduates are applying. Then, on July 5, the results are automatically sent by the IBO to the universities. Graduates can enjoy their vacations further – they do not have to worry about any paperwork or bureaucracy. Universities, having received the results of the IB DP final exams, confirm their acceptance to studies with a short message, whereas young adults can focus on relaxing and packing their bags for the next stage in their lives.