IB FAQ: 25 most-asked questions

The Middle Years Programme (MYP) is for students aged about 11-16 (years 1-5). The Diploma Programme (DP) is a two-year pre-university programme for ages roughly 16-19. The MYP builds skills and leads to an MYP Certificate; the DP is the academically intensive qualification used for university entry.

You take six subjects, one from each of the six subject groups, with three at Higher Level (HL) and three at Standard Level (SL), plus the three core elements: Theory of Knowledge (TOK), the Extended Essay (EE) and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS).

Each of the six DP subjects is graded 1-7, giving up to 42 points. Up to 3 more points come from the combined TOK and Extended Essay, for a maximum of 45 points.

You need at least 24 points overall, plus satisfactory completion of CAS and meeting conditions on TOK, the EE and minimum grades across HL and SL subjects, with no failing conditions triggered.

Higher Level subjects are studied in more depth and over more teaching hours (typically ~240) than Standard Level (~150). You take three HL and three SL subjects; universities often set HL subject requirements.

TOK is a core course about how we know what we know. It is assessed through a TOK exhibition and a prescribed-title essay, and contributes (with the Extended Essay) up to 3 points.

The Extended Essay is an independent, ~4,000-word research piece in a chosen subject, supervised by a teacher. With TOK it contributes up to 3 of the 45 points.

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is the experiential core. It is not graded with points but must be satisfactorily completed; failing to complete CAS prevents award of the Diploma.

Yes. Not completing CAS, or an elementary/very poor TOK and EE combination, can trigger a failing condition even with enough subject points - the core is not optional.

The DP runs two examination sessions a year: May (mainly Northern Hemisphere schools, results around July) and November (mainly Southern Hemisphere schools, results around January). Your school registers you for one session.

May session results are released to candidates around early July; November session results around early January. Exact release dates are set by the IB each year.

Yes. DP candidates can retake subjects in a later session (May or November) to improve grades, usually for up to a limited number of additional sessions; this is arranged through your school.

You receive your best grade for retaken subjects, but the IB record shows that the subject was retaken. Check university policies, as some consider this.

Yes - your school can request enquiry upon results (remarks, return of components, re-moderation) within the IB's deadlines after results day.

Internal assessment is coursework (e.g. lab work, orals, investigations, exhibitions) marked by your teachers against IB criteria and then moderated by the IB. It typically counts for around 20-30% of a DP subject.

Predicted grades are your teachers' forecast of your final grade in each subject, submitted to the IB and used by universities for conditional offers before final results.

Yes. The IB Diploma is widely recognised by universities worldwide, often with specific point and HL-subject requirements; many systems map IB points to their own entry tariffs.

They differ rather than rank simply. The IB is broader (six subjects plus the core) and emphasises breadth, research and skills; A-levels are deeper in fewer subjects. "Harder" depends on the student and goals.

The Diploma passes at 24. A score in the high 30s to 40+ is strong and competitive for selective universities, but requirements vary widely by course and country.

The International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), based in Geneva, sets and assesses the programmes. You participate only through an authorised IB World School. ibmocks.com is independent and not affiliated with the IB.

The IB Diploma is awarded at 24 points or more out of 45, but the points alone are not enough. The award is conditional on no grade 1 in any subject, no more than two grade 2s overall, no more than three grade 3s or below, at least 12 points across the three HL subjects, at least 9 points across the three SL subjects, no E in TOK or the Extended Essay, and a satisfactorily completed CAS programme.

No. TOK, the Extended Essay and CAS are the three core elements of the Diploma Programme. A candidate without satisfactory CAS, or with an E in either TOK or the Extended Essay, triggers a failing condition that blocks the diploma even with enough subject points. Candidates who do not complete the core can still receive subject certificates, but not the full IB Diploma.

Universities issue offers against named HL subjects at named grades far more than against the SL profile. Engineering courses typically require HL Mathematics AA at grade 6 or 7 plus HL Physics; medicine asks for HL Biology and HL Chemistry; economics asks for HL Mathematics. The SL profile rounds out the diploma but rarely sets the gate; the HL profile usually does.

The IB Certificate (sometimes called a Course Results certificate) is issued for individual subjects when a candidate does not complete the full Diploma Programme - for example by taking only a few IB subjects alongside another curriculum, or by failing one of the diploma conditions. The IB Diploma is the full pre-university qualification with all six subjects, the core, and the failing-conditions matrix cleared.

Yes. The MYP is not a prerequisite for the DP, and students enter the DP from many systems (MYP, IGCSE, CBSE, ICSE, US high school, A-Levels start-points). A within-school MYP-to-DP transition is the most common and smoothest. Cross-school transitions are decided by the receiving DP school, which confirms subject prerequisites and the HL/SL choices it can support.

The November session is the Southern Hemisphere examination cycle. Written exams sit indicatively from late October through mid-November, and results are released around early January of the following year. The syllabus, grading, and 24-point pass conditions are identical to the May session - only the calendar shifts. Schools register candidates for one session through IBIS based on the school year, not on candidate preference.

Predicted Grades are teacher-submitted forecasts of each subject's final grade plus a predicted total points figure, used by universities for conditional offers before final IB results. They are built off internal-assessment marks, trial exams (especially the late-DP2 mock), and classwork. UCAS-bound students typically need them in autumn of DP2; US Early Decision deadlines also fall in that window. Predicted Grades are not a coursework mark and do not feed into the IB's grading - they are an application-only artefact.

They are different rather than ranked. The DP is broader (six subjects plus TOK, EE and CAS) and demands research and breadth across language, humanities, science, mathematics and the arts. A-Levels are deeper in fewer subjects (usually three or four) without the core. Time-on-task is comparable; the DP's breadth-plus-core profile tends to be harder for candidates strong in one area, while A-Levels reward early specialisation. Universities accept both routes worldwide and translate between them through their own entry tariffs.

Each MYP subject group is assessed against four criteria (A-D), each marked 0-8. Teachers judge work against published criteria; the totals convert to a subject grade of 1-7.

In MYP year 5, students complete the Personal Project - an independent, student-directed project demonstrating Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills. It is externally moderated by the IB.

eAssessment is the IB's optional on-screen examinations and ePortfolios for MYP year 5. Schools that opt in can have students earn the formal, externally validated MYP Certificate.

Students who take eAssessment and meet the requirements (including the Personal Project and a defined points total across subjects, ATL and the project) receive the IB MYP Certificate.

The MYP is good preparation for the DP through its skills focus, but it is not a prerequisite - students join the DP from many systems. Entry is decided by the DP school.