Copenhagen International School (CIS)
Senior School Profile
Director: Walter Plotkin CEEB Code: 721040
Principal: Dr. Caroline Brokvam IB Code: 00004
IB DP Coordinator: Mary Donnellan UCAS Code: 47548
College Counselor: Kristina Dodier Email kristinadodier@cis.dk
Curriculum: MYP, IB Diploma Exams: IB, SAT, SATII, PSAT
Accreditations: IBO, CIS, NEASC www.cis.dk
Copenhagen International School (CIS) was founded in 1963 as a private non-profit institution to serve the international community of Copenhagen. CIS is recognized by the Danish Ministry of Education and governed by an 11 member school Board, offering an education of excellent quality, with English as the principle language of instruction. The school provides a complete educational program for more than 800 students aged 3 to 18, from Pre-K through to the IB Diploma in Grade 12.
CIS Senior School offers a rigorous preparatory University program to our more than 250 students. Grade 9 and Grade 10 students follow the MYP Program. All 11th and 12th grade students take IB DP courses taught by teachers who are specialists in their field.
Admission to CIS is based on the previous school record, a personal interview, admissions testing and the school’s ability to offer a program suitable to the applicant’s educational needs ensuring they can meet the IB Diploma’s high academic standards.
In 2013 88% of the graduating class passed the IB Diploma Program.
The CIS student body comes from over 70 countries, with the largest representations from the United States (20%), United Kingdom (13%) and Denmark (20%). More than 25% of the student body carry dual passports. The majority of the CIS Parent Community represents private industry in Denmark and 15% the Foreign Diplomatic Corps and Global NGOs.
The CIS Senior School faculty consists of 48 members from 13 countries. More than 60% of the faculty at the Senior School holds advanced degrees in teaching and their field of specialization.
CIS was a founding member of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program and has offered the program since 1968. CIS is accredited by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IB), The Council of International Schools (CIS) and The New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC).
CIS is a member of The North European Council of International Schools (NECIS) and takes part in their sports program. We offer Varsity and Junior Varsity teams in soccer, tennis, swimming, volleyball, basketball and other sports for international school teams. Students have the opportunity to travel as CIS delegations for Model United Nations (MUN) and International Schools Theater Association (ISTA).
The CIS calendar covers 39 weeks divided into two Semesters, August through December and January through June. High School students attend both 80 minute periods and 40 minute periods. The average class size is 18 students.
Graduation Requirement
A CIS diploma is granted to all students who have earned 22 credits or more. Distribution of credits needs to be earned in the following areas
Subject Credit Subject Credit Subject Credit Subject Credit
English 4 Mathematics 3 Lab Science 3 Electives 4
Foreign Language 3 Social Studies 3 Physical Education 2
The fourth credit in English must be completed in Grade 12.
Standardized Achievement Testing (SAT)
The CIS’s Campus is an official testing site for the College Board’s SAT. Students can sit SAT tests throughout the year according to the College Board regulations and requirements. CIS students applying for US Colleges and Universities pursue the SAT testing.
SAT Results 2008 - 2011
Year Number of Students Reading Mean Writing Mean Math Mean
2012 28 569 561 589
2011 12 583 577 559
2010 16 661 652 637
2009 14 611 625 607
2008 4 642 620 592
The International Baccalaureate (IB)
The Senior School Program of studies leads to a High School Diploma and/or an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma (DP) at the end of the final year. At the end of Grade 10 students are awarded the Copenhagen International School IB Middle Years Diploma (MYP). This diploma is an IB certified culmination of the IB Middle Years program covering grades 6-10. In grades 11 and 12, all courses are offered as International Baccalaureate (IB DP) subjects. Participation in Creativity, Action and Service (CAS) is required for all grades in the Senior School, and this program ensures that creativity, action and service activities are part of school life.
IB Grades & Assessment
The standards of IB assessment are the same worldwide. An international Board of IB Chief Examiners is responsible for the conduct of the examinations, the setting of papers and the marking and moderating of grades. Each of the subjects is graded on a scale of 1 (minimum) to 7 (maximum). The award of the IB Diploma requires a minimum of total score of 24, based on the principle that a grade 4 represents a passing level in each six subjects. The total mark for excellent performance in the six subjects results in a grade 7 for each, or a total score of 42 points. The Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge provide together up to an additional 3 points which can take a student to the maximum of 45 points.
CIS Grading System
Cumulated Grade Point Averages (GPA) are calculated on a scale of 4. GPA is determined from all grades earned at CIS.
Grading System Grade 9 & 10 IB MYP
Achievement Grade Grade Points
Typical (un-weighted) Grade Distribution for Grade 10
A+ 7 Outstanding 4.30 11%
A 6 Excellent 4.00 27%
B+ 5 Good 3.70 35%
B 4 Satisfactory 3.30 21%
C+ 3 Mediocre 2.70 6%
D 2 Very poor 1.30 0%
F 1 Failure 1.00 0%
Grading System Grade 11 & 12 IB Diploma
Achievement Grade
Grade Points
Typical (un-weighted) Grade Distribution for grade 12
A+ 7 Outstanding 4.30 6%
A 6/7 Excellent 4.00 10%
A- 6 Good 4.00 17%
B+ 5/6 Good 3.70 12%
B 5 Good 3.30 16%
B- 4/5 Good 3.00 9%
C+ 4 Satisfactory 2.70 13%
C 3/4 Satisfactory 2.30 5%
C- 3 Mediocre 2.00 2%
D+ 2/3 Mediocre 1.70 2%
D 2 Poor 1.30 2%
D- 1/2 Very Poor 1.00 0%
On the transcripts all IB Diploma classes will be weighted by 1.0 points. This weighting will be reflected in a student’s GPAs on their school transcript. In grades 9 and 10 there is no weighting, except for the extended mathematics class, where a weighting of 0.5 is used. In Grade 9 the grading is based upon the curriculum exit criteria for grade 10. This means that in some Grade 9 classes (some Language B classes, P.E. and some math classes) it is not possible for a student to attain the highest grade of a 7. For these classes the GPA transcript grade is based upon the maximum possible grade for that particular class. Both weighted and un-weighted grades appear on the transcript. CIS does not rank students. Small class size, the high rate of student turnover in international schools, and the wide variety of marking systems from which our students come, would make a formal ranking inaccurate.
CIS IB Diploma Results 2008 – 2012 Year Number of CIS
IB Diploma Candidates Number of CIS IB
Diplomas awarded CIS Pass rate
(%) World Pass
rate (%) CIS mean number of points per student
IB World Mean points
CIS Max number of points per student
2013 43 38 88 78,54 33 29,81 42
2012 46 43 93 78,48 33 29,77 44
2011 42 40 95 77,99 35 29,61 45
2010 45 42 93 78,06 33 29,55 43
2009 44 40 91 78,71 35 29,51 44
2008 41 35 85 79,02 33 29,57 40
Class of 2013 University Offers
Of the matriculating student body 80% enters University and College upon graduation. The majority of CIS students matriculate in universities in the Us and the UK. The list of Universities and Colleges indicates from where the CIS Class of 2013 has received offers from.
United Kingdom United States Canada Denmark Other
London School of Economics Princeton University Carleton University Copenhagen Business School IE University, Spain
University of Stirling Cornell University Ottawa University University of Aarhus NYU, Abu Dhabi
Cambridge University University of Oregon University of Toronto Parson’s University, Paris
NYU London Johnson & Wales University University of British Columbia
Durham University University of Central Florida York University
Glasgow University Drexel University Thompson Rivers University
Kent University Clark University McGill University
Newcastle University Northeastern University University of Bradford University of Colorado, Boulder
University of Greenwich Lynn University
SOAS, University of London Loyola University
Goldsmiths College University of Chapman
University of California, Santa Cruz University of California, San Diego
University of the Pacific University of Indiana, Bloomington
Florida International University University of California
SCAD University of Georgia
Syracuse University
International Baccalaureate Program IB / Diploma Program DP
Copenhagen International School (CIS) offers the following DP subjects
Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4 Group 5 Group 6
English Literature HL/SL Danish B HL/SL Economics HL/SL Biology HL/SL Mathematics HL Music HL/SL
English Language and Literature HL/SL French B HL/SL History HL/SL Chemistry HL/SL Mathematics SL Art HL/SL
Danish Literature HL/SL German B HL/SL S and C Anthropology HL/SL Physics HL/SL Math Studies Drama HL/SL
School Supported Self Taught Literature SL German ab initio Geography HL/SL Computer Science HL/SL OR a second subject from Group 1 - 4 Spanish B HL/SL
Externally tutored/Mother Tongue language SL
Six subjects must be studied to achieve the full Diploma, one from each of the groups. A Group 6 subject can be replaced with a subject from Group 1 – 4. Three subjects must be taken at Higher Level (HL); the remaining three are taken at Standard Level (SL). Students wishing to achieve the Diploma must take a course in Theory of Knowledge, write a 4,000 word Extended Essay and fulfill the CAS (Creativity, Action, Service) requirements.
