The Extended Essay (EE) is a 4,000 word research paper and allows for the independent investigation, analysis and evaluation of an area of personal interest. The EE is designed to develop skills which other programs of study do not; these include the ability to find and critique information, and reflect on the process to develop critical thinking and organizational skills which can then be transferred to paper and thesis writing at the tertiary level and a skill to take into a career.

This is the first opportunity for students to delve into academic research.  Students select a subject from those being studied on their individual Diploma, and together with their supervisor they develop a research question which leads to an in-depth research journey in order to answer that research question. Additional skills which will develop on this journey are selection, analysis and evaluation of appropriate evidence which enables them to answer the research question with minimal guidance. 

Theory of Knowledge (ToK) is unlike any other course you have taken at school. While it is a requirement for the IB Diploma, it's a course designed to benefit everyone with its focus on real issues and what we can know about them.   Many people find the course a bit strange at first. While you likely are accustomed to learning concepts and skills at school, you might not be as accustomed to the questioning involved in ToK.  For example, while you might learn in Chemistry what the hybridization of the C=C double bond in ethene is, in ToK you might question "How can we know that a theory like hybridization in chemistry is true and will not be supplanted by a new theory in a few years?". In short, TOK asks the kind of tough, open-ended questions that require a lot of reflection and analysis because they don’t have simple answers and you can’t look them up in a book or just ask your teacher.  It is this kind of questioning and thinking that is required in the world beyond school. 

 TOK seeks to answer two questions:

• How do we know?
• Why does this matter?

And, it focuses on the following skills that help us to navigate and make sense of our world:

• Being comfortable with ambiguity, uncertainty and questions with multiple plausible answers,
• Developing an awareness of your own perspectives and reflecting critically on your beliefs and assumptions,
• Fostering open-mindedness and develop intercultural understanding,
• Seeing and making connections between academic disciplines by exploring underlying concepts and by identifying similarities and differences in the methods of inquiry,
• Prompting you to consider your values, responsibilities and ethics.

Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) is at the heart of the IB program, and focuses on the holistic
development of our students and is life-changing! At AISK, the CAS program reflects a merger of
our core values with the IB Learner Profile and empowers students to

• develop and fulfill their social responsibility,
• develop a healthy lifestyle
• explore their imagination and innovativeness.

Students are encouraged to develop their interests and passions in this sphere of the program and it is often described as the most engaging part of school life. Students participate in all three strands:

• Creativity allows students to produce or perform an original piece,
• Activity requires participation in a sport or exercise program and
• Service facilitates caring for those most in need and/or the environment.

Students also design a CAS project where they make  connections to their academic courses and reflect on global issues before identifying and selecting an authentic need. Interestingly, the CAS project promotes the development of life long skills including collaboration, problem-solving and decision-making. CAS is also carefully interwoven with the other core components of the program, the Extended Essay (EE) and Theory of Knowledge (TOK), as it encourages and develops research skills while enabling students to question their own assumptions of their knowledge of the world. CAS is a requirement for the award of the IB Diploma and to fulfill AISK graduation requirements.

Overall, CAS allows for students to enjoy the experience of the IB program as it complements their academic studies while developing their personal and interpersonal skills.