Jon-Sevenoaks doesn't always do so well at GCSE because the students are pushed to take more subjects and they also partake in examinations higher than a GCSE level in subjects such as maths or french. This lowers overall scores and so the school has withdrawn from the league tables this year.

Henrietta Hickling, Kent, UK

The conversion between IB points and A levels misses the point. Yes, in points terms, a score of 35 on the IB equals 4.5 As at A levels; however it also equals 3 Bs and 3 Cs. Universities don't give offers based on A level points as it's the quality, not the quantity, of grades that matter.

Will Brambley, London, UK

I was one of the students to get 45 points this year. I find the association of the top score with academic potential limited. I was rejected from Oxford to read medicine, and went on to get 45 points. This only shows knowing the system, rather than academic potential, will get you 45.

Luis, Oporto, Portugal

In 2004, I got 39 and was accepted by Warwick to do Accounting & Finance. The offer at that moment was 36 points.My friend got LSE offer for 40 points and it was fair.In my opinion, I though the IB is more difficult than A-Levels. For the IB, students have to choose 6 subjects in two year study

Jerry, Birmingham, UK

I passed my IB exams in 1988. I still have to explain what it is and how it works. I attended an interview for a Degree course two years ago, the admissions team were very unfamiliar with IB, to the point that I had to explain my marks to them. Not what In expected from a well respected university.

S, Hampshire, UK

I teach Mathematics to children doing IB and other systems. I think they are far worse prepared in Maths with the IB system.

Lisa, Paris,

For the sake of accuracy, it is possible to take 4 HL subjects, not just 3 as Tommy Gill mentions in the article.

@Jon: The conversion may be debatable but Sevenoaks normally has about 80 students joining its 6th form. Such students constituted the majority of its 45-point scorers this year!

Latifah, Sevenoaks, UK

For the sake of accuracy, I'd like to point out that it is possible to take 4 HL subjects, not just 3 as Tommy Gill says in the article.

@Jon: The IB may be overrated but Sevenoaks has about 80 students who join its 6th form. Such students constituted the majority of Sevenoaks' 45-point scorers.

Latifah, Sevenoaks, UK

The comparison in this article of a 43/45 IB offer to normal AAA Oxbridge offers is, to use Dr. Bowkett's words, "absolute rubbish." Christ's offer a large number of AAAA+ Distinction AEA offers which would be very similar in difficulty to a 43/45 IB offer and means it does not undervalue the IB.

Charles, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

My daughter attained a score of 37 points in her IB Diploma two years ago. It soon became abundantly clear that some of the Undergraduate Admissions officers had little or no idea of anything concerning the IB qualification, Some offers even bordered on the farcical when compared to A Levels.

Mike Smith, Chelmsford, Essex

Hannah King, you raise a very important point:
Offering the IB program won't guarantee good provision. Insist on seeing a school's previous DETAILED IB exam scores - before signing up. If the IB's new, check the school's pre-IB record. The IB's fantastic, but ONLY if run well. Shop carefully

Yetta, Surrey, England

I find it very interesting that IB faces serious questioning in the UK as it does here in the US. While it's true that here IB does count in a big way in the admissions process, it is frustratingly not recognized in terms of university credits as the AP program is. Makes you wonder if it's worth it.

Natalie, Seattle, Washington, US

I got 38 points in my IB Diploma this year. My Cam offer was 41 points with 7,7,6 in Higher subjects. This is considered to be a "normal" Oxbridge offer, however even my teachers agree that 41 points is much more difficult to attain than 3 A's at A-level. Their offers are ridiculous & clearly unfair

Chetan Halai, Kent, UK

The UCAS rankings overstate the difficulty of the IB. At GCSE Sevenoaks ranks approximately 40th in the country. Then THE SAME students go on to IB and Sevenoaks all of a sudden jumps to be the top school in the country. What rubbish. IB is not as hard as people say.

Jon, London, UK

The Ucas equivalents are a nonsense, but not unforgivably so. If you were asked to add together three As at A level, three As at AS, and add in something for the Theory of Knowledge paper, you'd rack up a lot of points. But 7s at HL are what really count for Oxbridge.

Alan Ryan, Oxford, UK

However I believe that IB stands you in good stead for uni, eg the extended essay should prove useful when writing academic essays. Also I believe that the offers I received were fair, although i did not apply to Oxbridge. I got 34 and I am going to Edinburgh to do French & German, which is great!

Hannah King, Harrogate, UK

What this article fails to address is that IB students can get very high points scores but still fail to meet university offers. For example, a student might have been asked for 7 7 7 at HL and 40 points and achieve 44 points but 'only' 776 at HL and so fail to meet the offer!

Barbara Hibbert, Harrogagte, North Yorkshire

Revising the night before for A-levels? In my day A-levels were a long and painful slog, and revision started in earnest the January before the June exams.

Helene, Strasbourg, France

My school ran the IB for the first time for the 2008 exams and I have recently heard that there is a 80% chance of failure in the first year. Despite the majority of us doing well, many were disappointed with the results they got and will not go to the uni of their choice.

Hannah King, Harrogate, UK