The IB; An Introduction

If you’ve ever heard people whispering about sleepless nights, endless essays, and mysterious acronyms like TOK and CAS — they’re probably talking about the IB. For those who do not know, the International Baccalaureate is a rigorous high school programme designed mainly for ages 16-19, with specific key approaches that make it stand out far from the crowd. The IB is split into a few main categories:


The IB also encompasses the IBCP (Career programme).

Some general facts and tidbits of information to know about the IB (Important, especially for newcomers):

1. Founded in Geneva, Switzerland. It is an older curriculum than most realise, going back to 1968.
2. There are over 5,000 IB world schools world-wide, across 160 countries.
3. Over 1.95 million learners worldwide (and growing each year).
4. The IB was recently banned in Russia (deemed undesirable), which includes the stopping of the programme in the world famous Letovo School, which had an average of 43/45 points in the DP examination.
5. The IB works in three official languages – English, French, and Spanish.
6. Mission: To develop inquiring, knowledgeable, and caring young people who help create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding.

With this being the first post of this blog, my aim is to keep this concise; Further posts will dive in-depth, comparing the IB to other programmes, as well as more subject-specific advice across MYP and the DP/CP. Please keep in mind that this is written by an IBDP student. With that being said, here is another general overview.

The Four IB Programmes

  1. Primary Years Programme (PYP) – Ages 3–12

    • Focus on inquiry, curiosity, and developing a love for learning.

    • Six transdisciplinary themes (like Who We Are, How the World Works).

  2. Middle Years Programme (MYP) – Ages 11–16

    • Connects learning to the real world.

    • Requires a Personal Project in the final year (MYP 5).

    • Emphasizes interdisciplinary learning (subjects are linked together).

  3. Diploma Programme (DP) – Ages 16–19

    • Six subject groups + Core (TOK, EE, CAS).

    • Internationally recognized for university admission.

    • Graded on a 42 + 3 point scale (maximum score being 45, 3 points in core, 42 in subjects. CAS is NOT graded, however is mandatory)

  4. Career-related Programme (CP) – Ages 16–19

    • Combines IB academic subjects with career-related studies.

    • Includes a reflective project and community/service components.


In short, the IB an extremely unique curriculum with it's approaches, focusing on developing holistic learners and shaping curious, balanced, and globally minded students. In the next posts, I’ll dive into what it’s really like to go through MYP 5 and beyond, as well as whatever was mentioned before. Thanks for reading, and comment what you'd like to see the most next!


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