Two years of depth, not just breadth

The DP is a demanding, internationally recognised curriculum for the final two years of secondary school — six subjects, three core components, and one habit we try to instil above all: thinking for yourself, rigorously.

6

subjects, one from each group

3+3

Higher Level / Standard Level

3

Core components: TOK · EE · CAS

Equipollente

recognised diploma worldwide

CHOOSING A DIRECTION

Three paths, one flexible structure

Students don’t pick six subjects at random — most settle into one of three broad orientations, built around the subjects they’re most drawn to.

• Scientific — two science courses, or Arts, plus Mathematics: Analysis & Approaches at Higher Level.
• Humanistic — two Individuals & Societies courses, or Arts, with Psychology or History at Higher Level.
• Linguistic — one extra Language Acquisition course, plus a second Language & Literature course, at Higher Level.

THE SIX GROUPS

Every DP student takes one subject from each group

3 Higher Level  ·  3 Standard Level

Compulsory subjects: Italian, English, and Mathematics.

Course activation is subject to review by the school based on the number of students enrolled.

BEYOND THE SIX SUBJECTS

The Core: what ties a DP education together

Every diploma candidate also completes three core components — the part of the DP that doesn’t fit inside a single subject, because it isn’t about one.

HOW IT’S EVALUATED

Assessment runs on two tracks

Most of the final grade comes from external exams, marked outside the school — but a meaningful share is assessed internally, on work exams can’t capture.

External — Final examinations

Examinations form the basis of assessment for most courses — typically 2 or 3 written papers per subject, sat at the end of the two years:

• Essays
• Structured problems
• Short-response questions
• Data-response questions
• Text-response questions
• Case-study questions
• Multiple-choice questions

Internal — Coursework, marked in-house

Work that is assigned, supervised, and internally assessed by DIS teachers throughout the course — moderated externally for consistency:

• Oral assignments
• Laboratory work
• Investigations
• Artistic performances

IN PRACTICE

Science, done by doing

Sciences

Inquiry-based learning drives every science course — the emphasis is on developing genuine research, problem-solving, and experimental skills, not memorising outcomes.

• 1 hr / week of dedicated laboratory work
• EOES — students take part in the European Olympiad of Experimental Sciences

Collaborative Sciences Project

A compulsory, interdisciplinary project built around a real-world issue — the emphasis is on the experience of collaborative problem-solving, not the polish of the final product. It’s internally assessed, graded for every member of the group, and closes with a shared presentation. This year’s cohort ran their field research at Lago delle Lame.

WHERE THE DP LEADS

University & College Counseling

The school offers a College Counseling service that helps students navigate the complexities behind the choice of the right path following the diploma. Our college counselor organizes meetings with the class as well as one-to-one interviews to guide families throughout the process of admission.

DP graduates from DIS have gone on to a wide range of universities across Italy and abroad — a small, representative sample:

SHAPING PASSIONATE LEARNERS