We live out of the US. My Ss attend a school that offers three levels to graduation a normal American Diploma; IB Diploma and IB Certificate. Because my son did not fit in to all the criteria for the IB Diploma, he has taken certificate. He is taking 4 HL courses, plus 2 regular school courses. They are in depth, a lot of work, and has been said by previous posters, taught him how to research, write and orally present knoweledge acquired in the classes. Upon completion of his external exams, he will be eligble for up to 24 credits towards his degree at the university he may be attending. For anyone who is interested in the link the IBO website
http://www.ibo.org/