I’m going to assume that you mean IP Y4 pre-A-level to IB? If IP Y4 pre-IB to IB, there is no additional difficulty and they may eventually do well.
It’s complicated, but from three kinds of limited sample (it’s hard to generalise, the sample is so small) I think it is doable. I will describe these, and you can decide which case is closest to IP Y4 (not doing so well).
1. In our first IB batch at ACS(I), we took in students with no pre-IB experience from mainstream schools. Some of those were particularly bad at O-levels but had high-level non-academic skills (e.g. debating, team sports). We took them in because holistic thinking is important, and we wanted to look beyond mere academic qualifications. Generally, they did well—some of those students now have PhDs, are lawyers, doctors etc.
2. In the same batch, some were from IPs in schools that would direct them onward to A-levels. They switched, and did well. I remember one particular gentleman from RI, a musician, who is now a practising doctor. It took him a while to ‘acclimatise’, though. RI can be a difficult developmental environment for some — see Thor (2016), a thorough piece of research from a school leader at RI.
3. I also know of students in the last 5 years or so in IP schools like SCGS, who switch to IB rather than go on to their appointed A-level courses. These are rare, since now the system seldom grants exemptions for switching to another IP school. Some cases switch out of the system into a local international school instead to do IB. They also do well.
How come they do well after doing less well/badly? For the gentlemen, it may be increased maturity; they go through a hard time generally because they are less mature than the ladies and more prone to impulsive behaviour/thinking. Switching out of an intensely competitive all-male environment to a more collaborative mixed environment can help (in some cases, though, it can be a distraction). For the ladies, they pick up really quickly because they tend to be more holistic, social learners. They may form ‘girl networks’ that are much more helpful than the equivalent ‘boy networks’ and they are also generally more adept at sussing out the useful relative to the useless material (whether from teachers or peers).
Hope that helps! Sorry I can’t give a very detailed analysis; I used to give 1-hour talks on the matter, and it’s a lot of stuff to go through!
