IB glossary: IA, TOK, EE, IO and the words students keep hearing

The IB has its own language. Students hear abbreviations like IA, TOK, EE, IO, CAS, HL, SL, Paper 1, moderation, predicted grades, components, grade boundaries, and candidate number, often before anyone has explained what they mean in normal English.

This glossary is for students and parents who want the practical meaning. It is especially useful if you are planning a retake, changing schools, registering as an external candidate, or trying to understand which parts of a result can actually change.

Five numbers that use different units

“I got 62” is incomplete: it could mean raw paper marks or a weighted subject mark. “I need a 6” refers to a subject grade. “I need two more points” usually refers to the diploma total. Put the unit next to each number when contacting a coordinator.

See the component-weighting example, boundary guide and EUR category comparison to connect the vocabulary to the decision you need to make.

The main IB programme words

IB

IB stands for International Baccalaureate. People often say "the IB" when they mean the organization, the Diploma Programme, the exams, or the final qualification. In a school conversation, ask which one they mean.

DP

DP means Diploma Programme. This is the two-year programme most students mean when they talk about "doing the IB" in grades 11 and 12 or the final two years before university. The DP includes six subjects plus the core: TOK, EE and CAS.

PYP, MYP and CP

PYP is the Primary Years Programme, MYP is the Middle Years Programme, and CP is the Career-related Programme. They are different IB programmes. A retake student is usually dealing with the DP, not PYP or MYP.

IB World School

An IB World School is a school authorized to offer one or more IB programmes. For retake students, the important question is narrower: can this school register and host your exact DP subjects, level and session?

Subject and level words

HL

HL means Higher Level. HL subjects go deeper, normally have more teaching hours, and often include more demanding papers or extra content. The IB expects HL students to show greater knowledge, understanding and skill than SL students.

SL

SL means Standard Level. SL subjects are not "easy subjects"; they are still IB subjects, but they cover less depth or breadth than HL. A full Diploma student normally takes three HL subjects and three SL subjects, although four HLs can be possible in some cases.

Subject group

The DP is organized into six subject groups: studies in language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, and the arts. Students can sometimes take an extra science, humanities or language subject instead of an arts subject.

Language A and Language B

Language A is usually for a student's strongest language or literary study. Language B is language acquisition for students learning an additional language. Ab initio is a beginner language course, usually at SL.

Math AA and Math AI

Math AA means Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches. Math AI means Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation. Both can be offered at SL and HL. For retakes, do not write only "math"; write the exact course and level.

The core: TOK, EE and CAS

TOK

TOK means Theory of Knowledge. It asks how we know what we claim to know. In the current DP, students complete a TOK exhibition and a TOK essay. TOK combines with the Extended Essay in the Diploma points matrix.

EE

EE means Extended Essay. It is an independent research essay of up to 4,000 words. It is not just a long homework assignment; it is a formal DP core component with supervision, reflection, research and external marking.

CAS

CAS means Creativity, Activity, Service. Students complete experiences and reflections across those three strands. CAS is not graded like a subject, but Diploma candidates must complete it satisfactorily.

Core points

Core points are the extra points available from the TOK and EE combination. The six DP subjects can contribute up to 42 points, and TOK/EE can add up to 3 more, making the familiar 45-point maximum.

Assessment words: exams, IA and components

External assessment

External assessment usually means the final exam papers. These are set by the IB and marked externally. Depending on the subject, external assessment can include essays, structured questions, data-response questions, text-response questions, case studies or multiple-choice questions.

Internal assessment, or IA

Internal Assessment is work completed during the course and initially assessed by the school, then moderated by the IB where required. It can look different by subject: oral work in languages, fieldwork in geography, lab work in sciences, investigations in mathematics, or performances in arts subjects.

For retake students, IA is one of the most important words to understand. IBretake helps with exam-hosting searches. It does not arrange new IA, coursework, tutoring, oral preparation or coursework supervision. If your retake depends on IA handling, confirm that with your previous school or accepting coordinator before relying on the plan.

Component

A component is one part of the assessment structure. Paper 1 might be one component, Paper 2 another, and IA another. Your final subject grade comes from the weighted combination of the relevant components.

Weighting

Weighting tells you how much a component counts. If Paper 2 is worth 35 percent of a subject and IA is worth 20 percent, improving Paper 2 usually moves the final grade more than a tiny IA change. Always look at weights before deciding what to retake.

Moderation

Moderation is the IB process used to check whether school-marked work has been assessed consistently. In normal language: the teacher's mark may be reviewed or adjusted so standards are comparable across schools.

Markscheme

A markscheme explains what examiners should reward. In subjects with structured answers, it may be very specific. In essay subjects, it works with criteria and level descriptors. Retake revision should use markschemes, not only notes.

Assessment criteria

Assessment criteria are the qualities examiners look for. In many IB tasks, the mark is not only about having correct content. It can also depend on analysis, argument, method, evaluation, organization, evidence and communication.

Exam paper words

Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3

These are separate exam papers within a subject. The meaning changes by subject. In one subject, Paper 1 might be source analysis; in another, it might be short-answer questions. Paper 3 often appears in HL sciences, maths or certain humanities, but the exact structure depends on the subject guide.

Command term

A command term is the instruction word in a question: explain, discuss, evaluate, compare, outline, calculate, justify and so on. Many lost IB marks come from answering a different command term than the one asked.

Data-response question

A data-response question gives you information such as a graph, table, case study or source, then asks you to interpret it. The skill is not just knowing content; it is using the information in front of you accurately.

Source-based question

A source-based question asks you to use provided documents, extracts, images or data. History and other humanities subjects use this style heavily. You need evidence from the source, not only memorized facts.

Oral and language terms

IO

IO usually means Individual Oral. It appears in language subjects. The format depends on the course, but the core idea is an assessed oral task where you speak about texts, extracts, themes or prompts under specific rules.

Individual oral vs oral exam

Students often use these phrases loosely. The official task name and rules depend on the subject. For retakes, do not assume a new host school can recreate oral work. Ask the coordinator exactly what is registered and what can be carried forward.

HL essay

In Language A courses, the HL essay is an assessment task for HL students. It is not the same as the Extended Essay. The similar word "essay" causes confusion, so always name the course and component.

Grades, results and review terms

Predicted grade

A predicted grade is a school estimate of the grade a student is likely to achieve. Universities may use predicted grades before final results. Predicted grades are not the same as final IB results.

Final grade

The final grade is the official subject grade after assessment, marking and grade boundaries. DP subject grades run from 1 to 7.

Grade boundary

A grade boundary is the mark threshold for a grade in a specific subject, level, component or session. Boundaries can change from session to session because papers differ in difficulty and performance patterns differ.

EUR

EUR means Enquiry Upon Results. Students often call it a remark or re-mark. It is a results review process requested through the school, not something a student does independently through IBretake.

Remark

Remark is the everyday word students use for a review of marking. It can help if you are close to a boundary, but it can also leave the grade unchanged or, in some cases, lower a mark. Ask your coordinator about the exact risk and category.

Transcript

An IB transcript is an official record of results sent to universities or institutions. This matters when a university needs official proof rather than a screenshot or student copy.

Registration and retake terms

Retake

A retake means sitting an assessment again in a later session to try to improve a result or meet Diploma requirements. Many students retake one or two subjects rather than the whole Diploma.

Resit

Resit is a common word for retake, especially in British English. In IB conversations, clarify whether someone means a full subject retake, a review of results, or simply another exam attempt.

External candidate

An external candidate is a student who is not currently enrolled at the school hosting the exam. Schools may accept or reject external candidates based on capacity, policy, subject availability, identity checks and deadlines.

Private candidate

Private candidate is often used to mean a student looking for a school to host exams outside their original school. The phrase is practical, but the accepting IB World School still handles registration.

Host school

A host school is the school willing to register and supervise your exam session. For a retake, the host school is the key practical piece. Without a host school, there is no exam seat.

Coordinator

The IB coordinator is the school staff member who manages IB administration. For retake students, the coordinator confirms whether the school can host the subject, level, session, fees, documents and deadlines.

Candidate number

A candidate number identifies a student in an exam session. If you have previous IB results, keep your old candidate details available, but do not guess. Use the exact details from official documents or your school.

Session

Session means the exam session, usually May or November. When you contact a school, write the session clearly: for example, N26 for November 2026 or M27 for May 2027.

Registration deadline

The registration deadline that matters first is often the school's internal deadline, not a public final date. Schools close earlier because they need time for candidate details, fees, entries, exam rooms and invigilation.

Subject code and shorthand terms

Group 1 to Group 6

These are the six DP subject groups. The group number helps explain where a subject sits in the Diploma structure, but a retake request should still name the exact subject, course and level.

ESS

ESS means Environmental Systems and Societies. It is an interdisciplinary subject. If you are retaking it, confirm the exact syllabus, level and session with the coordinator.

BM

BM often means Business Management. Students may also write "Business" casually, but registration needs the official subject name and level.

Global Politics, Psychology, Economics and History

These are individuals and societies subjects. They can have very different paper structures, so "humanities retake" is not specific enough for a school.

The retake student's short checklist

1. Write the exact subject name: not "math", but "Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL" or "Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation SL".
2. Separate exam papers from IA: IBretake can support exam-hosting searches, but IA or coursework questions must be confirmed separately.
3. Name the session: use May or November, and include the year.
4. Check the level: HL and SL are different registrations.
5. Prepare candidate details: legal name, date of birth, previous candidate number if available, previous results and ID if requested.
6. Ask the coordinator the right question: "Can you host this subject, level and session?" is better than "Can I retake the IB?"

Sources and image note

This glossary is based on the IB's public Diploma Programme curriculum, DP core, and assessment pages. The article image is from Wikimedia Commons: Sias Library - Students Studying 2017, dedicated to the public domain under CC0.