The IB Diploma, explained
What is the IB?
A short guide to the IB Diploma: how it works, how it is graded and the kinds of questions in the exams.
The Diploma Programme
The IB Diploma Programme (DP) is a two-year course for students aged 16 to 19. Schools teach it around the world, and universities worldwide recognise it.
- You study six subjects at the same time, plus three core parts.
- Exams test understanding and how well you explain it, not only what you remember.
Six subjects and the core
You take one subject from each of groups 1 to 5. The sixth comes from group 6, or is another subject from groups 1 to 4.
- Group 1 Studies in language and literature
- Group 2 Language acquisition
- Group 3 Individuals and societies
- Group 4 Sciences
- Group 5 Mathematics
- Group 6 The arts
TOK (Theory of Knowledge)
A course on how we know what we claim to know.
EE (Extended Essay)
Your own research essay of up to 4,000 words, on a topic you choose.
CAS (Creativity, activity, service)
Projects and experiences outside the classroom. Not graded, but required.
SL and HL
Each subject is taken at Standard Level (SL) or Higher Level (HL). Most students take three of each.
SL (Standard Level)
About 150 teaching hours.
HL (Higher Level)
About 240 teaching hours, with extra topics and more demanding papers.
Grades and the 45 points
Each subject is graded from 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest). TOK and the Extended Essay together can add up to 3 more points.
- Six subjects × 7 = 42, plus 3 from the core: 45 points at most.
- The diploma needs at least 24 points, among other conditions.
- Group 1 Studies in language and literature7
- Group 2 Language acquisition7
- Group 3 Individuals and societies7
- Group 4 Sciences7
- Group 5 Mathematics7
- Group 6 The arts, or another subject from groups 1–47
- Core TOK and the Extended Essay+3
Exams and internal assessment
Your grade in a subject comes from two kinds of work.
External exams
Written papers (Paper 1, Paper 2…) at the end of the two years, marked by IB examiners. Most schools sit them in May; some in November. The arts are assessed through coursework rather than written papers.
Internal assessment (IA)
Coursework such as an investigation, an oral or a project. Your teacher marks it and the IB moderates the marks. It typically counts for 20–30% of the grade, depending on the subject.
Command terms
Every exam question starts with a command term. It tells you what kind of answer the examiner wants. The marks tell you how much: a 2-mark Define needs a sentence, a 15-mark Evaluate needs a full argument.
- Define
- Give the exact meaning.
- Describe
- Give a detailed account.
- Explain
- Give reasons or causes.
- Analyse
- Break it down into its key parts.
- Evaluate
- Weigh strengths and limits, then judge.
- Discuss
- Give a balanced view, for and against.
- Calculate
- Find the number, showing your working.
- To what extent
- Judge how far it is true, with evidence.
Question types
Each subject has its own papers, but most questions are one of these.
Multiple choice
Pick one answer out of four. In the sciences, Paper 1A is multiple choice.
Short-answer and structured
A question in parts (a), (b), (c), each with its own marks.
Data response
Read a graph, table or text and answer questions about it, as in Economics Paper 2.
Case study
A longer scenario about an organisation. In Business Management Paper 1, part of the case is released before the exam.
Extended response and essays
A longer answer that builds an argument with evidence, as in History, English or Economics.
Calculations
In maths and the sciences, show your working: method marks can count even when the final answer is wrong.
Language papers
In language B and ab initio: a writing task (an email, blog or article, for example), plus reading and listening comprehension.
Individual oral
A spoken assessment with your teacher, recorded and marked against criteria.
TOK essay and exhibition
An essay on one of six titles set by the IB, and an exhibition that links three objects to a question.
How answers are marked
Examiners mark against a markscheme written for each paper.
- Short answers earn a mark for each correct point, up to the marks shown.
- Longer answers and essays are marked with level descriptors: bands that describe the quality of the whole answer.
Tips
- Learn what each command term asks for.
- Look at the marks: in short answers, about one clear point per mark.
- Use the key terms of the subject, exactly.
- Show your working in every calculation.
- A little every day beats cramming.
This is a simple overview. Rules differ by subject and change over time, so check the details with your school.
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