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The International Baccalaureate (IB) is a group of three educational programs, as established by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO).

These three programmes are the following:

• IB Primary Years Program (PYP) for pupils aged 3 to 12
• IB Middle Years Program (MYP) for pupils aged 11 to 16
• IB Diploma Program (DP) for pupils aged 16 to 19

The programs are modelled after educational systems from around the world, without being based on any particular one, but incorporating breadth of study at all levels. The Diploma Program started in 1968 at the International School of Geneva, the Middle Years program was introduced in 1994, and the Primary Years Program in 1997. Their rigour and high standards have ensured their wide recognition throughout the world, reputedly being looked upon favourably as a qualification by formidable tertiary institutions such as the Ivy League of American universities, and Oxbridge, amongst others.^{[citation needed]} As of 2006, the programs are currently being taught to over 500,000 students.

The International Baccalaureate Program is also a common misnomer used to refer to one of these programs (most frequently the IB Diploma Program). High schools often advertise that they offer the “International Baccalaureate Program,” in which case it is obvious that they are referring to the DP as it is the only one of the three programs intended for students of senior high school age.

The International Baccalaureate might also be confused with other Baccalaureat programs (often written without an e at the end, as in French). The best known is the French baccalauréat, the set of exams for school leavers in the French educational system, whether in France or abroad. One subset is the "option internationale du baccalauréat", the OIB (sometimes confusingly translated as the "French international baccalaureat"). The OIB is mostly the same as the French national exam, but offers the student extra bonus points for good grades in languages and History/Geography taught through a foreign language.

• International Baccalaureate Organization
• International Baccalaureate at the Open Directory Project (suggest site)
• Free IB e-Book - PDF Format, 25 pages - Guide to the IB.