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School qualifications

IB

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

Six subjects plus a research essay, a philosophy course and a service requirement. Broader than A-Levels and heavier than almost anything else at eighteen — which is the whole argument for and against it.

When
Two years, DP1–DP2 (Grade 11–12)
Where it counts
International — recognised by universities in essentially every country that admits international students

How it works

Six subjects, one from each of five groups plus a sixth that is either an art or a second subject from groups 1–4. Three are taken at Higher Level and three at Standard Level. HL means roughly 240 teaching hours and depth comparable to — though generally not quite the equal of — an A-Level; SL is about 150 hours and covers the ground more briefly.

On top of the six sits the core: Theory of Knowledge, a 1,600-word essay and presentation on how we know what we claim to know; the Extended Essay, a 4,000-word independent research paper on a question you choose; and CAS, a two-year commitment to creativity, activity and service that is not graded but must be completed. Fail the core and the diploma is not awarded, regardless of the subject grades.

Universities make offers on the total and on named HL subjects — '36 points including HL 6 in Chemistry and HL 6 in Biology' is a typical medicine offer. The HL choices are therefore doing the same work A-Level choices do, and the SL subjects are mostly proving breadth.

How it is graded

Each subject is graded 1–7, giving 42, plus up to 3 bonus points from the combination of Theory of Knowledge and Extended Essay grades — 45 in total. 24 is the minimum for the diploma, subject to conditions. Around 30 is a solid result, 38 and above is strong, and 40+ is roughly the territory of the most selective universities in the world.

When to sit it

Examined in May (northern hemisphere schools) with results in early July, before A-Level results. Internal assessments, the Extended Essay and TOK run continuously across both years, which is the real reason the workload is described the way it is: there is no dormant term.

What it is good for

  • Every university system on earth — the IB was built for internationally mobile students and is the most portable school qualification there is.
  • US applications in particular, where the breadth requirement matches what US universities expect and HL subjects often earn college credit.
  • Students who do not yet know their direction: the structure makes it almost impossible to close off the sciences or the humanities entirely.

When it happens

Months rather than dates — the exact dates are republished every year, and the official calendar is linked below.

  1. MayThe main examination session, for northern hemisphere schools. This is the one almost every IB student in the Kingdom sits.
  2. NovemberThe southern hemisphere session.
  3. Across both yearsInternal assessments, the Extended Essay and TOK are submitted on a rolling internal calendar. There is no dormant term in the IB.Your school sets the internal deadlines, and they are the ones that actually bite. CAS completion is checked before the diploma is awarded.
  4. Early JulyResults released — before A-Level results, which matters for UK offers.

Group 1 — Studies in Language and Literature

Your strongest language. Usually English A, and often taken alongside Arabic A for a bilingual diploma.

  • English A: Language and Literature

    OpensEnglish · Law · Journalism · Media · Philosophy · Any degree — this is the writing requirement

    Taken at HL it is a genuine advantage for law and any degree assessed by essay, and it often waives the university's English language test.

    On this siteJournalistLitigatorPolicy Analyst

  • Arabic A: Literature

    OpensArabic and Islamic studies · Law in Saudi Arabia · Translation · International relations

    Taking two Group 1 languages earns a bilingual diploma, which Saudi and Gulf universities read as a real credential rather than a formality.

    On this siteCorporate LawyerPolicy Analyst

Group 2 — Language Acquisition

A second language you are still learning. Ab initio for beginners, B for continuing learners.

  • Arabic B / French B / Spanish B / Mandarin B

    OpensModern languages · International relations · Diplomacy · International business · Law with a language

    Very few universities require a second language, but almost every degree in international relations and diplomacy assumes you will acquire one eventually. Doing it here is cheaper than doing it at twenty-two.

    On this sitePolicy AnalystJournalist

  • Language ab initio (SL only)

    OpensAny degree — it satisfies the group requirement without prior study

    The standard way to satisfy Group 2 if you have no second language. Perfectly acceptable; it just cannot be taken at HL.

Group 3 — Individuals and Societies

Group 4 — Sciences

Where medicine and engineering are decided. Take two from this group if you want a science degree, which means using the Group 6 slot.

Group 5 — Mathematics

Two distinct courses since 2019, and the choice between them is the most consequential single decision in the diploma.

  • Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches

    HLcloses doors without it

    OpensEngineering · Physics · Mathematics · Computer science · Economics at selective universities · Actuarial science · Quantitative finance

    The calculus-heavy course, and the one named in offers for every mathematical degree. If there is any chance of engineering, physics, maths, computer science or economics at a selective university, this at HL is the safe choice.

    On this sitePhysicistAerospace EngineerQuantitative AnalystActuarySoftware EngineerEconomist

  • Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches

    SL

    OpensMedicine · Life sciences · Business · Psychology · Architecture · Most non-mathematical degrees

    Enough for medicine and for most degrees that are not built on mathematics. Not enough for engineering or physics at most universities.

    On this siteGeneral PractitionerDentistArchitectClinical Psychologist

  • Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation

    HL or SL

    OpensBusiness · Social sciences · Design · Geography · Some economics and some engineering courses

    Statistics and modelling rather than pure calculus. Genuinely useful mathematics — but a number of engineering and economics departments will not accept it even at HL, and that list is not obvious from the syllabus. Check before you choose.

    On this siteManagement ConsultantUX DesignerArchitect

Group 6 — The Arts, or a second subject from Groups 1–4

The flexible slot. Science and engineering candidates almost always spend it on a second science or a second Group 3 subject.

  • Visual Arts

    OpensArchitecture · Fine art · Graphic and product design · Fashion · Film

    Where an architecture portfolio comes from, if your school does not run a separate portfolio programme.

    On this siteArchitectUX Designer

  • Music

    OpensMusic · Music technology · Sound engineering · Education

  • Theatre / Film

    OpensDrama · Film production · Media · Communications

    On this siteJournalist

  • A second science (usually) or a second Group 3 subject

    OpensMedicine — chemistry plus biology · Engineering — physics plus another science · Economics plus history for social science routes

    This is how medicine and engineering candidates fit two sciences into the diploma. It is the single most common use of the Group 6 slot and entirely standard.

    On this siteGeneral PractitionerChemical EngineerEconomist

The core — TOK, Extended Essay, CAS

Not a subject and not optional. Worth up to 3 points, and capable of costing you the entire diploma.

  • Extended Essay

    OpensAny degree — it is the closest thing school offers to real research

    4,000 words on a question you choose, in a subject you choose. It is the one thing on an IB transcript you can genuinely talk about in an interview, and universities that interview will ask.

    On this siteEpidemiologistPhysicistPolicy Analyst

  • Theory of Knowledge

    OpensPhilosophy · Any degree that requires evaluating evidence

    Graded A–E and combined with the Extended Essay for the bonus points. An E in either is a failing condition for the diploma.

    On this sitePolicy AnalystJournalist

  • CAS — Creativity, Activity, Service

    OpensNothing directly — it is a completion requirement

    Not graded, and the diploma is not awarded without it. Students lose diplomas over unfinished CAS paperwork every year, which is an absurd way to lose a diploma.

Choosing well

The parts a student can act on this month.

  • Decide the three HL subjects against actual university entry requirements, and treat the SL three as breadth. An offer will name HL subjects and grades; it will very rarely name an SL one.
  • For anything mathematical, take Analysis and Approaches rather than Applications and Interpretation. AI HL is a good course that is accepted by fewer engineering and economics departments than students expect, and the exceptions are not predictable from the outside.
  • Medicine means HL Chemistry plus Biology, usually with Biology at HL too, which means using the Group 6 slot for a second science. Plan that at the start of DP1, not halfway through.
  • Choose the Extended Essay subject where you have a real question, not where you think the marking is easiest. It is 4,000 words over a year; boredom is more dangerous than difficulty.
  • Start CAS in the first term and keep the evidence as you go. Every school has students scrambling in the final months over a requirement that was never hard, only continuous.

What costs people a year

  • The IB fails students on the core. An E in Theory of Knowledge or the Extended Essay, or incomplete CAS, means no diploma even with excellent subject grades — you receive certificates instead, which most universities will not admit on.
  • Maths Applications and Interpretation HL is not universally accepted in place of Analysis and Approaches HL for engineering, physics or economics. This is the most common and most costly IB subject mistake.
  • The workload is genuinely higher than A-Levels and continuous rather than concentrated. Students who work best in intense bursts before an exam often find the IB structure fights them; that is worth knowing about yourself at sixteen.
  • Predicted grades matter more in the IB than in most systems, because UK offers are made on them and IB results arrive in July. A weak DP1 has consequences before you ever sit the real papers.

In Saudi Arabia

The IB is offered by a growing number of international schools in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dhahran and Al Khobar, and is accepted by KAUST, KFUPM, Alfaisal, Effat and Prince Mohammad bin Fahd, as well as by universities abroad. As with A-Levels, Saudi public universities admit on the national GPA plus Qudurat and Tahsili, so an IB student aiming at a public university needs Ministry of Education equivalency and will usually still sit the national tests. The bilingual diploma — Arabic A alongside English A — is worth taking seriously here: it is a real distinction on a Gulf application and it costs a subject slot rather than an extra year.

The parts that go out of date

Everything on this page was read from the awarding body on the date below. These are the statements most likely to have moved since.

  • Which universities accept Maths Applications and Interpretation HL for quantitative degrees changes, and departments publish this inconsistently. Ask the department directly.
  • Typical offer levels (34–38 points for competitive UK courses, higher for medicine) move year to year and by subject.
  • The IB revises subject guides on a rolling cycle — Chemistry, Biology and Physics all moved to a revised structure for first examinations in 2025. Textbooks and past papers older than that may not match your syllabus.

What sits alongside it

Almost nobody sits only one of these.

What to prepare with

Official material first, and free unless marked otherwise. Every link here was fetched and confirmed to resolve on the date shown.

  • IB Diploma Programme curriculumofficial syllabusfree

    The subject groups, the core, and the current subject briefs. The IB revises subject guides on a rolling cycle, so check yours against this rather than against an older textbook.

    International Baccalaureate Organization · link checked 2026-09-06

  • University recognition of the IB Diplomaofficial syllabusfree

    How universities in each country read the diploma, which is the question that decides your HL choices.

    International Baccalaureate Organization · link checked 2026-09-06

  • OpenStax free textbooksfree textbookfree

    Free university textbooks. Particularly useful for HL sciences and Maths AA HL, where the IB textbook is often thinner than the exam.

    OpenStax, Rice University · link checked 2026-09-06

  • Khan Academyfree coursefree

    Not IB-specific, and the calculus, statistics and science courses cover most of what Maths AA and the Group 4 subjects examine.

    Khan Academy · link checked 2026-09-06

  • MIT OpenCourseWarefree coursefree

    Genuinely useful for an Extended Essay in a science or mathematics subject, where the hard part is finding a question that is real and small enough.

    Massachusetts Institute of Technology · link checked 2026-09-06

Nothing here is sold or sponsored, and there is no affiliate link on this site. Where an awarding body publishes its own past papers, those are listed instead of a revision guide — the UCAT and LNAT consortia both state outright that paid coaching is unnecessary and unendorsed, and the same is broadly true of every exam on this page.

Where this came from

Last checked 2026-09-05. Entry requirements are set by individual universities, change every year, and are the one thing on this page you should always confirm on the course page for the year you apply.