ANNUAL REPORT 2021/22
We opened our doors in 1957 with 25 students; today our student body consists of 354 for the 2021/22 academic year. OSC is home to the most diverse student and teaching faculty in our host country, Sri Lanka. Our student body comprises over 40+ different nationalities. As a community, we believe in holistic education, belonging and personal identity, compassion, courage and curiosity, and aspire to achieve academic excellence.
We prioritise the well-being of our own community as well as that of the communities and environments we interact with and impact.
The largest percentage of students are American (24%), followed by SriLankan (19%), British (8%), Australian (7%), and Indian (6%). The majority of our families come from diplomatic missions, United Nations (UN) organisations, and NGOs, while the remaining families have joined us from the corporate and private sectors. Our average annual turnover of students is 25% due to families being transferred to other posts abroad.
Our students continue to gain admissions to their best fit, and to respected universities in the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, and Europe, among other countries of their choice. At OSC, we provide our students with a variety of educational experiences both within and outside the classroom.
Our students are imbued with the values of the IB Learner Profile (refer to page 10) that transcend the School’s curriculum and permeate every aspect of the programme delivery throughout the school. In time, our students learn to develop a better understanding of these values and how they contribute to being a “global citizen”.
Student Profile at OSC
| Nationality | Number of students | Percentage of students |
| American (United States) | 84 | 24 |
| Australian | 25 | 7 |
| Belgian | 6 | 2 |
| British | 27 | 8 |
| Bulgarian | 1 | 0 |
| Canadian | 17 | 5 |
| Chinese | 4 | 1 |
| Czech | 2 | 1 |
| Danish | 3 | 1 |
| Dutch | 6 | 2 |
| Estonian | 1 | 0 |
| French | 12 | 3 |
| German | 14 | 4 |
| Greek | 2 | 1 |
| Honduran | 1 | 0 |
| Indian (India) | 23 | 6 |
| Indonesian | 4 | 1 |
| Irish | 3 | 1 |
| Israeli | 2 | 1 |
| Italian (Italy) | 4 | 1 |
| Kenyan | 1 | 0 |
| Malaysian | 4 | 1 |
| Maldivian | 5 | 1 |
| Mexican | 1 | 0 |
| Nepalese | 1 | 0 |
| New Zealander | 2 | 1 |
| Norwegian (Norway) | 4 | 1 |
| Omani | 1 | 0 |
| Russian | 1 | 0 |
| Senegalese | 2 | 1 |
| Serbian | 1 | 0 |
| Singaporean | 1 | 0 |
| South African | 2 | 1 |
| South Korean | 7 | 2 |
| Spanish | 2 | 1 |
| Sri Lankan | 66 | 19 |
| Swedish (Sweden) | 5 | 1 |
| Swiss | 3 | 1 |
| Turkish | 2 | 1 |
| Uzbekistani | 1 | 0 |
| Venezuelan | 1 | 0 |
The scope of education at OSC is not limited to the academic pursuit of knowledge but also includes developing an awareness of and compassion towards social issues, global issues, and the environment. Our students thrive through our process-based approach, cultivating a deep respect for the diverse people and cultures around them, with curiosity driving their learning and an alertness to their impact on the world, stirring them to develop leadership skills.
The year 2022 marked our students’ return to the exam track after two years of COVID restrictions that prevented them from sitting for their exams. However, the May 2022 examinations were not without challenges. Due to economic and political turmoil, many of our students had to navigate through tense situations as they commuted to School to sit for their examinations. Some students were completely unable to attend school on days of intense unrest. The resilience our students showed over the past three years as they persevered and succeeded through unprecedented challenges, just like a “resilient Gecko”, was truly remarkable. We are extremely proud of our group of students who achieved impressive results despite the severe disruptions to face-to-face learning with their teachers and peers for six semesters out of the total eight semesters at OSC. We also offer a comprehensive college counselling programme for all our students, to provide guidance and support in selecting a suitable path for their lives beyond high school, wherever the path may take them.
PYP Exhibition
The PYP Exhibition is a final project that our primary school students undertake that challenges them to explore different areas of research and come up with actionable ideas to improve issues they have uncovered in their areas of interest. The areas explored last year were under the topics of animal welfare, pollution, climate change, equality, and sustainability.
With most of the decision-making in the hands of our students, they first chose what they wanted to learn about, then carefully documented their research, finally presenting their findings using a variety of components including writing, the arts, and technology. In addition, students organised community service projects, including a beach clean-up in Mt. Lavinia as a part of combating climate change and ocean pollution and participating in the Embark Adoption Day to learn about animal welfare and the plight of street dogs. Their research was turned into presentations, 3D models, and posters that highlighted what actions can be taken to improve these problems.
Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2) 2021/22
The KG-Grade 5 Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2) allows teachers to determine whether students are reading on, above, or below grade level. Teachers can use DRA2 levels to plan appropriate teaching materials. The Fall DRA2 gives our teachers a baseline for where our students are when entering their grade while the Spring DRA2 reports reading progress at the end of the academic year.
| FALL 2021 ALL PRIMARY STUDENTS KG – GRADE 5 | ||||||
| Below grade | Beginning grade | Mid grade | End of grade | Significantly above grade | ||
| All students (109) | 24% (26 students) | 49% (53 students) | 17% (19 students) | 10% (11 students) | (0 students) | 76% on or above grade level |
| SPRING 2022 ALL PRIMARY STUDENTS GRADE 1 – GRADE 5 | ||||||
| All students (113) | 5% (6 students) | 10% (11 students) | 20% (23 students) | 58% (65 students) | 7% (8 students) | 95% on or above grade level |
82% of students made progress between the Fall of 2021/22
International Schools’ Assessment (ISA)
The International Schools’ Assessment (ISA) is designed for students in Grades 3-10. The ISA writing assessment comprises two writing tasks: one Narrative/ Reflective task which involves writing a story in response to a prompt, and one Exposition/Argument task which prompts students to write out their ideas based on a proposition.
Middle Years Programme (MYP)
| MYP Subjects | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 | 2018/19 | 2017/18 | 2016/17 |
| Language and Literature | 5.7 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.5 | 5.8 |
| Language, Literature, and other | 6.3 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 6.7 | |
| French B | 5.7 | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 5.1 |
| Spanish B | 4.5 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 5.6 | 5.5 | 5.6 |
| Sinhala | 6.0 | 6.0 | 5.9 | 5.7 | ||
| Individuals and Societies | 6.2 | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.2 | 5.9 | 5.6 |
| Science | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 5.5 |
| Ext. Mathematics | 6.2 | 5.9 | 6.4 | 5.3 | 5.9 | 6.0 |
| Mathematics | 4.9 | 5.2 | 4.5 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Theatre | 6.1 | 6.3 | 6.1 | 6.3 | 6.5 | 6.0 |
| Music | 6.0 | 5.7 | 6.0 | 6.1 | 6.5 | |
| Visual Arts | 6.0 | 6.0 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 6.8 |
| Physical and Health Education | 5.5 | 5.9 | 5.6 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 5.7 |
| Design | 5.9 | 6.0 | 6.5 | 5.7 | 6.5 | 6.4 |
| Personal Project | 5.1 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 4.9 |
|
|
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MYP subject grades – Class of 2024 (Internal assessment)
OSC overall MYP average 2022 – 5.7
IB Diploma Programme 2022
The pass rate at OSC for 2022 full diploma candidates was 92%, compared to the world average of 86% in 2022.
The IB Diploma Programme
Since 1983, we have continuously offered the two-year IB Diploma Programme at OSC to Grades 11 and 12 students. All students at our school are enrolled as IB Courses candidates with almost every student opting to take the full IB Diploma. Students who complete the IB Diploma will have studied six subjects, with three of these at Higher Level, earning a minimum of 24 IB Diploma points. In addition, students must meet the IB criteria in the following core components of the Programme:
- Extended Essay (EE): A 4000 - word independent research essay that helps develop research skills, academic essay writing, and time-management skills.
- Theory of Knowledge (TOK): This course promotes critical thinking and enquiry skills, connecting knowledge developed in the six subject groups.
- Creativity, Activity, and Service (CAS): Encourages a balanced approach to extracurricular activities beyond OSC’s taught curriculum.
Whereas CAS is an essential but ungraded component of the IB Diploma, a student’s grades in TOK and the EE contribute up to three additional points to their IB Diploma points total. The maximum available points are 45, a feat achieved annually by less than 1% of students worldwide.
IB Diploma Programme 2022
| IB worldwide May 2022 | OSC May 2021 | OSC 2022 | |
| Registered IB candidates | |||
| Number of IB Diploma Programme examination candidates | 168,035 | 29 | 24 |
| Number of students attempting the IB Diploma | 88,330 | 28 | 24 |
| Percentage of students attempting the full Diploma | 53% | 97% | 100% |
| Award of the IB Diploma | |||
| Number of IB Diplomas awarded | 75,828 | 28 | 22 |
| IB Diploma pass rate | 86% | 100% | 92% |
| Number of IB Bilingual Diploma earners | 21,231 | 1 | 3 |
| Percentage of Bilingual Diploma earners | 28% | 4% | 13% |
| The distribution of IB points | |||
| IB Diploma earners with 36 points and above | 38% | 50% | 46% |
| IB Diploma earners with 40 points and above | 14% | 29% | 13% |
| Mean IB Diploma points | 32 | 35 | 33 |
| Mean grade IB | |||
| Mean grade for IB candidates | 5.1 | 5.5 | 5.2 |
| Extended Essay and TOK | |||
| Students earning EE results of A | 13.8% | 21% | 25% |
| Students earning EE results of B | 42.2% | 55% | 63% |
| Students earning TOK results of A | 9% | 28% | 4% |
| Students earning TOK results of B or higher | 43.7% | 69% | 33% |
Total Points Distribution World
| Total points |
2018
% |
2019
% |
2020
% |
2021
% |
2022
% |
| 23 or fewer | 17.82 | 18.14 | 11.51 | 8.41 | 10.96 |
| 24 to 29 | 29.87 | 30.42 | 26.59 | 20.59 | 23.08 |
| 30 to 34 | 26.56 | 26.11 | 28.05 | 26.94 | 27.96 |
| 35 to 39 | 18.12 | 17.73 | 22.86 | 25.66 | 23.64 |
| 40 to 44 | 7.33 | 7.29 | 10.61 | 16.87 | 13.62 |
| 45 | 0.31 | 0.32 | 0.39 | 1.53 | 0.74 |
IB Exam Results by Subject
| Number of candidates | Average grade | ||
| OSC | World | ||
| Language and Literature | |||
| English A: Language and Literature HL | 14 | 5.6 | 5.1 |
| English A: Language and Literature SL | 5 | 5.6 | 5.3 |
| English A: Literature HL | 3 | 5.3 | 4.7 |
| English A: Literature SL | 2 | 5.5 | 5.3 |
| Language Acquisition | |||
| French ab initio SL | 7 | 3.9 | 5 |
| French B SL | 10 | 5.5 | 5.1 |
| Spanish B SL | 4 | 5.5 | 5 |
| Individuals and Societies | |||
| Economics HL | 8 | 4.5 | 5.4 |
| Economics SL | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Env. Systems and Societies SL | 10 | 4.7 | 4.5 |
| Geography HL | 9 | 5.7 | 5.5 |
| Geography SL | 1 | 5 | 5.3 |
| History of Asia and Oceania HL | 1 | 5 | 5.3 |
| Experimental Sciences | |||
| Biology HL | 6 | 5.5 | 4.7 |
| Biology SL | 2 | 6 | 4.6 |
| Chemistry HL | 4 | 5.8 | 5 |
| Physics HL | 2 | 6 | 5.1 |
| Physics SL | 4 | 4.3 | 4.6 |
| Mathematics | |||
| Mathematics AA: HL | 3 | 5.7 | 5.2 |
| Mathematics AA: SL | 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Mathematics AI: HL | 3 | 5.3 | 4.8 |
| Mathematics AI: SL | 8 | 5 | 4.4 |
| The Arts | |||
| Music HL | 2 | 6.5 | 5 |
| Music SL | 1 | 4 | 4.7 |
| Theatre HL | 7 | 6.3 | 5 |
| Visual Arts HL | 9 | 4.4 | 4.5 |
Notable Class of 2022 Extended
Extended Essay Projects that Received Grades of A or B
| Subject | Topic | Research question |
| Psychology | Sexual violence in adolescence years and psychological manifestations | To what extent are females aged 6-18, in the United States, who have endured sexual violence, probable to develop chronic depression in adulthood? |
| English A | A study of symbols and motifs as tools to explore the concepts of race, identity, and womanhood | How does Sue Monk Kidd employ symbols and motifs in her coming-of-age novel “The Secret Lives of Bees” to explore the themes of race, identity, and womanhood? |
| Chemistry | Stability of ascorbic acid in skincare products | How does changing the mass of tocopherol in a solution with L-ascorbic acid affect the amount of L-ascorbic acid present after 24 hours of exposure to UV light? |
| Literature and performance | Adaption | To what extent does the difference in medium and context explain the directorial choices made in the 2013 film “adaptation” Snowpiercer of Le Transperceneige by Jacques Lob? |
| Theatre | Theatre’s use of costume and make-up | How the use of costume and make-up plays a role to influence the Director’s intention of the audience in the play Midsummer Night’s Dream Directed by Trea Hicks from OSC and Jerome De Silva? |
| Physics | Operational amplifiers | To what extent does the input frequency of an AC signal affect the voltage gain of a LM358N operational amplifier in a non-inverting configuration? |
| Physics | Aerodynamics, Reynolds number, lift coefficient | To what extent does varying the airfoil chord length and camber affect the reynolds number and lift coefficient. |
| English a | Use of Language in contrasting media networks | How are the effects of current events (BLM) portrayed within contrasting medias? |
| Psychology | Perception: the psychology of visual perception to create optical illusions | To what extent does the work of Bridget Riley utilise the psychology of visual perception to create optical illusions? |
| Visual Arts | An exploration into contemporary fashion taking inspiration from history | To what extent are the innovative garment designs by Andi Arnovitz, Isabelle de Borchgrave and Rimzim Dadu representative of the historical designs of each artist’s culture? |
| Geography | Patterns of visitation at beach tourist destinations in sri lanka | To what extent is Butler’s Model of Tourism applicable to the patterns of visitation in three different Sri Lankan tourist beach destinations at once? |
| Wld. Studies env/eco sustainability | Wind turbine generation and electricity consumption in Arugam bay | What is the potential for wind turbines to meet electricity demands within a small Sri Lankan tourist settlement? |
| Subject | Topic | Research question |
| Geography | Domestic abuse of females across districts in Sri Lanka | To what extent are the rates of domestic abuse across a spatial distribution in Sri Lanka, correlated to the education rates and access to sanitation facilities? |
| History | Use of chemical warfare during the second battle of Ypres (WW1) | To what extent did Germany fail to exploit their advantage when using poison gas during the second battle of Ypres in World War 1? |
| Visual Arts | Art and design | To what extent are Tharshana and Asanka de Mel innovating traditional Sri Lankan fashion through their designs while remaining true to cultural traditions? |
OSC College and University Offers 2016-2022
The UK
Aberystwyth University
Anglia Ruskin University
Bangor University (2)
Bournemouth University (2)
Brunel University (3)
Canterbury Christ Church University
Cardiff University (3)
City University, London (3)
Durham University (3)
European Business School London
Goldsmiths College, University of London (2)
Imperial College London
King’s College London (9)
Kingston University (3)
Lancaster University (2)
Leeds Beckett University
Leeds College of Art & Design
London School of Economics
London Metropolitan University
Liverpool University
Newcastle University (2)
Nottingham Trent University (3)
Queen Mary, University of London (5)
Queen’s University Belfast (2)
Swansea University (2)
Sussex University
St George’s, University of London
University of the Arts London
University of Aberdeen (3)
University of Bath (2)
University of Birmingham
University of Bradford (2)
University of Brighton (4)
University of Bristol (3)
University of Central Lancashire
University College London
University of Creative Arts
University of Dundee
University of East Anglia (2)
University of East London (4)
University of Edinburgh (8)
University of Essex (4)
University of Exeter (3)
University of Glasgow
University of Greenwich (2)
University of Hull (2)
University of Kent (8)
University of Leeds (5)
University of Leicester
University of Lincoln (2)
University of London (2)
University of Loughborough (5)
University of Manchester (11)
University of Nottingham (8)
University of Plymouth (3)
University of Portsmouth (2)
University of Reading
University of Roehampton (3)
University of Sheffield (5)
University of Southampton (5)
University of St Andrew’s (2)
University of Surrey (2)
University of Sussex (3)
University of the Arts London (2)
University of Warwick (4)
University of Westminster (3)
University of York (3)
KEY
Listed = Acceptances
Bold = Matriculated
( ) = Number of Students Accepted
THE USA
Amherst College
Arizona State University
Bard College
Bates College
Beloit College
Boston University (9)
Brown University
Carnegie Mellon University
California Polytechnic State University,
California State University Fullerton
California State University Northridge
California State University San Diego
California State University San Francisco
Carleton College
Case Western Reserve University
Claremont McKenna College
Clark University (5)
Clemson University
College of William & Mary (3)
College of Wooster
Colorado College
Columbia College
Cornell College
Denison University
DePaul University, Chicago
Drexel University (3)
Emerson College (2)
Emory & Henry College
Embry Riddle University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida International University (2)
Florida Institute of Technology (2)
Florida State University
Fordham University (7)
Georgetown University
Georgia Institute of Tech
George Washington University (3)
Goucher College
Hofstra University (2)
Ithaca College (2)
Iowa State University
James Madison University (2)
Knox College (2)
Lewis & Clark College (2)
Lynn University (3)
Macalester College
Marymount Manhattan College (2)
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Science (2)
Montgomery College
New York University (10)
North Carolina State University
Northeastern University (2)
Northwestern University (2)
Occidental College (2)
Oregon Institute of Technology
Parsons NYC
Pepperdine University
Penn State University (3)
Pratt Institute, NY (2)
Purdue University (2)
Reed College (2)
Rochester Institute of Technology
Sarah Lawrence College
Savannah College of Art and Design (2)
Stanford University
Suffolk University (2)
Syracuse University (4)
Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi
The New School, NY
The University of Iowa
The University of Wisconsin – Madison (2)
Tufts University
University of Arizona
University of California Berkeley (4)
University of California Davis (8)
University of California Irvine
University of California Los Angeles
University of California San Diego (4)
University of California Santa Cruz (2)
University of California Santa Barbara
University of Cincinnati
University of Colorado Boulder (2)
University of Chicago
University of Denver (2)
University of Idaho
University of Illinois at Urban-Campaign
University of Maryland
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Boston (4)
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
University of Massachusetts Lowell (2)
University of Miami
University of Michigan
University of New Hampshire
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania (2)
University of Pittsburgh (2)
University of Rutgers, New Brunswick
University of San Diego (4)
University of San Francisco (2)
University of South Carolina
University of South Florida
University of Southern California
University of the Pacific
University of Tampa (3)
University of Texas at Austin
University of Washington (3)
University of Wisconsin, Madison (4)
Utah State University
Vassar College
Virginia Tech (2)
Western Washington University
Wake Forest University
Washington University in St Louis
Wesleyan University
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
CANADA
Brock University
Carleton University (4)
Concordia University (5)
Dalhousie University (4)
HEC Montreal
Laurentian University
Queen’s University
Ryerson University (2)
McGill University (9)
McMaster University
Memorial University of Newfoundland (4)
Queen’s University
Saint Mary’s University
Simon Fraser University
Trent University
University of Alberta (2)
University of Calgary (2)
University of British Columbia (11)
University of Ottawa
University of Newfoundland (3)
University of Saskatchewan
University of Toronto (17)
University of Victoria (2)
University of Waterloo (2)
University of Western Ontario
Western University
York University (2)
AUSTRALIA
Australian National University
Deakin University
Monash University (1)
RMIT University
University of Melbourne (4)
University of New South Wales
University of Sydney (4)
Western Sydney University
CZECH REPUBLIC
Charles University
CHINA
New York University, Shanghai
FRANCE
American University of Paris (3)
Universite Toulouse
UTC, France
GERMANY
Jacobs University
HONG KONG
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
HUNGARY
Corvinus University of Budapest
INDIA
Christ University, Bangalore
Nirma University
NIS Allahabad (2)
Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology
Manipal University
IRELAND
University of Limerick
ITALY
Bocconi University
JAPAN
International Christian University
Tokyo International University
Temple University
Waseda University
KOREA
Yonsei University
LATVIA
Riga Stradins University
THE NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam University College
Erasmus University Rotterdam (2)
Leiden University (5)
Maastricht University, Maastricht
Technische Universiteit Eindhoven
University of Groningen (3)
University of Amsterdam (7)
University College Maastricht (2)
Utrecht University (2)
NEW ZEALAND
University of Auckland
University of Otago
THE PHILIPPINES
Ateneo de Manila
SINGAPORE
National University of Singapore
LaSalle College of the Arts
SPAIN
ESADE University
EU Business School, Barcelona
IE University
SWITZERLAND
Les Roches School of Hospitality
Turkey
Koc University
Bahçeşehir University
UAE
American University of Sharjah
New York University, Abu Dhabi
University of Birmingham, Dubai
Zayed University
