This is one of the things I like about the IB.

You take 6 courses (one in each subject group) plus Theory of Knowledge (think epistemology) and an Extended Essay (a research paper in one of your six subjects). At the end of Grade 12, you take exams--everyone in the world sits the same exam for the same course. Grades for exams are scaled 1-7 (7 being the highest) and ToK + Extended Essay are graded A-E (A being the highest) and can give you a maximum of 3 points. So, your score is very easy to compare to all of the other students who took these challenging courses and exams.

For the record, universities will tell you that 1 is the right choice. Our students tell us that first year of university is a breeze compared to the IB, so it sets them up really well.