Is the IB Diploma right for me?

1. Count the commitment you are choosing

The diploma combines six subjects with three core elements: Theory of Knowledge (TOK), the Extended Essay (EE), and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS). Students take three or four subjects at Higher Level (HL), with the rest at Standard Level (SL). The IB recommends 240 teaching hours for an HL subject and 150 for an SL subject.

The totals below are our arithmetic using those recommendations across the programme. They exclude the core, homework, revision and travel; they are not a prediction of your weekly workload. Ask the school how its actual timetable delivers the subjects and core, including any additional local requirements.

IB curriculum: subject structure and teaching hours

2. Check whether you want the breadth and the core

Write down your six proposed subjects, their levels and one reason for each choice. Mark subjects you want to pursue, subjects required for a future course, and subjects you would be taking mainly to complete the diploma. Can you explain how you will sustain work in the third group when your favourite subjects become demanding?

Consider the core separately. The EE is independent research with a maximum of 4,000 words; it involves finding evidence and developing an argument. CAS involves experiences, reflection and evidence of seven learning outcomes. Ask to see a TOK task and discuss what questioning the basis of a claim feels like to you. Curiosity helps, but needing guidance with research or planning is a reason to check support, not to rule yourself out.

Try three small samples before deciding: annotate an unfamiliar text, explain a multi-step problem, and compare two sources on a question you care about. Note where you needed help and whether feedback improved the work. These are exploration tasks, not an admissions test or a way to predict your diploma score.

IB Extended Essay brief: independent research and word limit · IB CAS: experiences, reflection and learning outcomes

3. Work backwards from possible university courses

Choose two or three plausible degree options, even if your plans are provisional. Use each university's own admissions page for your intended entry year. Record the exact subject name, HL or SL requirement, required grade, overall points, language conditions and any separate application tasks. The IB distinguishes required, preferred and recommended subjects: do not treat those words as interchangeable.

A high overall total cannot be assumed to replace a missing required subject. Likewise, recognition of the IB does not guarantee admission. If a requirement is ambiguous, obtain written clarification from admissions before finalising subjects. Save the page link and the date checked so you can revisit changes.

IB guidance on choosing subjects for university · IB: recognition and admission are different

4. Test what this school can actually provide

An attractive course list is not yet a workable timetable. Complete this matrix with the coordinator. Use confirmed, unresolved or unavailable for each row, and attach evidence rather than awarding yourself a numerical score. One unavailable requirement can matter more than several attractive extras.

• Ask how the school supports a student who falls behind, and what happens if a planned subject does not run.
• If results are presented, ask for cohort size, the years covered, entry policy and how students who changed routes are counted.

5. Put a realistic week on paper

Start with the school's timetable, then add your actual commute, meals, sleep, caring responsibilities, paid work and existing commitments. Locate usable study blocks after that. A plan that depends on every evening going perfectly needs revision before it becomes your normal routine.

The following is a hypothetical personal planning example, not an IB standard, school timetable or recommended homework quota. It contains 10 hours of protected study and project time outside lessons. That allocation may be insufficient or inappropriate for a particular student or week; replace it using school guidance and your observed pace.

• Add CAS experiences separately where they occur; avoid counting the same time twice.
• Check a busy assessment week as well as an ordinary week. Agree which optional commitments can move.
• If the plan only works by repeatedly cutting rest or missing essential responsibilities, change the plan or compare another route.

6. Use results data to ask better questions

We use the final May 2025 bulletin as a completed historical reference; a newer, provisional May 2026 bulletin is also available. These diploma results include Diploma and Retake categories, excluding anticipated, course-only and CP entries. They do not track everyone who originally started the programme, so cannot measure completion from initial enrolment.

For a personal decision, ask teachers to discuss recent work in the subjects you propose, specific gaps and the support needed to close them. School results are more useful when the school explains who is included and how it selects students. Neither a worldwide average nor a short suitability quiz can replace that conversation.

IB final May 2025 statistical bulletin: historical cohort reference · IB May 2026 bulletin: newer provisional release

7. Recognise when another route makes more sense

Compare the actual available alternatives: a national school qualification, a programme with fewer subjects, or a vocational pathway, as appropriate locally. Put the same intended university courses, total costs, timetable and support questions beside each. Verify recognition and prerequisites independently for every option.

Another route deserves serious consideration if your required subjects cannot be timetabled, if sustained breadth leaves too little room for a clear specialist goal, or if the available support does not match your needs. A school-specific limitation is different from a conclusion that you cannot handle the IB. You might reasonably choose a different school, a different subject combination or a different qualification.

Give the alternative the same scrutiny: its assessment pattern, change deadlines and admissions implications all matter. Prestige alone is a weak reason to choose either route, and choosing the IB does not itself guarantee a university place.

8. Leave the decision meeting with a clear next step

Take one page to a meeting with a parent or trusted adult and the coordinator: your proposed subjects, university requirements, weekly plan and unresolved matrix rows. For each unresolved item, write an owner, the evidence needed and a decision date. Distinguish a firm constraint from a skill you can develop with support.

Your conclusion can be: ready to choose the IB; interested, subject to named conditions being resolved; or choosing another route for stated reasons. Avoid adding up green ticks into a supposed success score. Before paying or confirming a place, understand the school's deadlines and what changing your decision would involve. Once the choice is made, preparation should target the specific gaps you identified.

Prepare for the IB after choosing your route · Understand what makes the diploma demanding · Read IB statistics in context · Explore how IB assessment works