Updated on
August 20, 2026
International Baccalaureate Guide: PYP, MYP, DP and CP
Compare the four IB programmes, PYP, MYP, DP and CP, including ages, curriculum, assessment and practical implications for teachers and school leaders.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) offers four programmes for learners aged 3 to 19: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), Diploma Programme (DP) and Career-related Programme (CP). A school may offer one programme or several. It becomes an IB World School only after authorisation for the programme it delivers (International Baccalaureate, 2026).
The four programmes share an emphasis on inquiry, conceptual understanding, international-mindedness, learner agency and transferable skills. They are not one identical curriculum repeated at different ages. Their subject structures, assessment models and end points differ, so leaders and teachers need to know which programme and year group a piece of guidance refers to.
Evidence also needs to stay programme-specific. A Chicago study involving 20,422 learners across 13 public schools reported positive DP associations and estimated effects on several outcomes, but it does not prove that every IB programme or implementation will produce the same result (Saavedra, 2014). This guide therefore separates the common philosophy from the practical requirements of each programme.
Key Takeaways
- PYP is a framework for ages 3 to 12. It organises learning through six transdisciplinary themes and school-designed units of inquiry.
- MYP serves ages 11 to 16. It connects eight subject groups through concepts and global contexts, with school-based assessment and optional eAssessment.
- DP is an academic programme for ages 16 to 19. Learners take six subjects plus TOK, the Extended Essay and CAS.
- CP is a career-related programme for ages 16 to 19. It combines at least two DP courses, an updated four-part CP core and an approved career-related study.
- Implementation matters as much as the label. Timetable, curriculum coherence, teacher collaboration, assessment literacy and inclusion determine what learners experience.
The four IB programmes compared
The fastest way to understand the IB continuum is to compare the intended ages, organising structure, assessment and culminating experience. Overlaps in age allow schools to choose the most suitable transition point; they do not mean that two programmes are interchangeable.
| Programme | Ages | Main structure | Assessment and culmination |
|---|---|---|---|
| PYP | 3 to 12 | Transdisciplinary framework using six themes and a school programme of inquiry | Ongoing school assessment, reflection and the PYP exhibition in the final year |
| MYP | 11 to 16 | Eight subject groups, concepts, global contexts and interdisciplinary learning | Criterion-related school assessment, personal project and optional eAssessment |
| DP | 16 to 19 | Six subject groups plus TOK, Extended Essay and CAS | Internally and externally assessed components, with a Diploma score up to 45 |
| CP | 16 to 19 | At least two DP courses, CP core and approved career-related study | DP course assessment, school and IB-assessed core work, and career-study assessment |
These are programme age ranges, not a promise that every school uses the same year labels. National curriculum requirements and local admission patterns still shape the timetable. Ask an individual school which programme, years and assessment route it is authorised to offer.
What all IB programmes have in common
All four programmes are shaped by the IB mission and IB learner profile. They aim to develop learners who inquire, communicate, think critically, act with integrity and reflect on their learning. The profile is a common language for learning, not a set of personality labels or a behaviour chart.
The programmes also use approaches to teaching and Approaches to Learning skills. Teachers plan opportunities for thinking, research, communication, social and self-management skills rather than assuming these will develop automatically. Inquiry does not mean withholding explanation: teachers can model, question, give examples and scaffold difficult work while keeping learners intellectually active.
Concepts help learners connect knowledge across examples and contexts. Reflection and action give learners a reason to use what they know. Collaborative planning helps teachers align subject knowledge, concepts, skills and assessment. These shared principles create continuity, but the programme guides determine how they appear in a PYP unit, MYP subject, DP course or CP pathway.
Primary Years Programme (PYP)
The PYP is a transdisciplinary curriculum framework for learners aged 3 to 12. Schools organise a programme of inquiry through six themes: who we are; where we are in place and time; how we express ourselves; how the world works; how we organise ourselves; and sharing the planet (International Baccalaureate, 2026).
A unit begins with a central idea, concepts and lines of inquiry, then draws on relevant subject knowledge. Transdisciplinary does not mean that subject disciplines disappear. Learners still need explicit teaching in language, mathematics, science, social studies, arts and personal, social and physical education. The planning challenge is to make the connection authentic rather than attach every subject to a theme.
The PYP does not offer formal IB examinations. Teachers use observation, dialogue, tasks, products and learner reflection to understand progress and plan next steps. In the final year, the exhibition allows learners to investigate and respond to an issue of significance. Our guides to the six PYP transdisciplinary themes and PYP unit planning take those classroom tasks further.
Middle Years Programme (MYP)
The MYP is for learners aged 11 to 16. It uses eight subject groups: language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, arts, physical and health education, and design. Concepts and global contexts help learners connect disciplinary knowledge with wider questions.
Teachers assess subject-group objectives against published criteria. Most assessment is created and marked in school. In the final year, learners complete a personal project, with the IB validating the outcome.
Schools may also register learners for optional eAssessment, including on-screen examinations and ePortfolios. Optional means that an MYP school is not automatically an eAssessment school.
The practical priority is shared interpretation of criteria. Departments need annotated examples, moderation and a clear progression model so a criterion does not mean something different in every classroom. See the full MYP teacher’s guide and our MYP personal project supervision guide.
Diploma Programme (DP)
The DP is for learners aged 16 to 19. It combines six subject groups with three required core components: Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and Creativity, Activity, Service. Learners normally study three subjects at Higher Level and three at Standard Level, although four Higher Level subjects are permitted in the programme rules.
DP assessment includes externally marked examinations and coursework, plus internal assessment that may be externally moderated. Each subject receives a grade from 1 to 7. Six subject grades contribute up to 42 points, while TOK and the Extended Essay can add up to three core points.
CAS is required but adds no points. Our IB grades guide lists every Diploma condition.
Teachers need secure knowledge of the subject guide, assessment objectives and component weightings. Coordinators also need a coherent calendar so internal assessment, the Theory of Knowledge course, Extended Essay supervision and CAS do not peak at the same time. The DP curriculum guide explains the overall subject structure.
Career-related Programme (CP)
The CP is for learners aged 16 to 19 who want academic study connected to a career-related pathway. It has three parts: at least two DP courses, the CP core and an approved career-related study. The school chooses the career-related study within IB quality requirements, so pathways differ by local context.
The current CP core comprises personal and professional skills, community engagement, the reflective project, and language and cultural studies. Community engagement and language and cultural studies are the updated names and models introduced for first teaching in 2025. Older resources may still use “service learning” and “language development”, so teams must check which guide applies to their cohort.
The CP is not a weaker version of the DP. It solves a different design problem by combining selected DP academic courses with professional context and applied learning. Leaders need credible career-study partners, progression mapping, staff who can connect the three programme parts, and enough timetable space for the core.
How assessment differs across the IB continuum
There is no single “IB assessment system” applied unchanged from age 3 to 19. The PYP uses school-based assessment to support learning. The MYP uses criterion-related school assessment with optional eAssessment.
The DP uses a defined mix of internal and external assessment. The CP combines DP course assessment with its core and career-related study (International Baccalaureate, 2026).
Across the programmes, good practice has three layers:
- Clarify the intended learning. Identify the knowledge, conceptual understanding and skill the task will reveal.
- Use more than one source of evidence. Combine what learners say, make, write and do rather than overinterpreting one performance.
- Moderate judgements. Compare work with the current criteria and examples, discuss differences and record what a standard looks like.
A Year 5 inquiry reflection, an MYP criterion score and a DP predicted grade answer different questions. Reporting systems should preserve those distinctions rather than force every result into one percentage. Our IB assessment guide explains the programme-specific decisions.
Choosing an IB programme for a school
Programme choice starts with learners and local progression, not brand recognition. A school should test whether it can deliver the programme faithfully alongside national requirements, staffing, facilities and the timetable. Authorisation confirms that required structures are in place; it does not remove the ongoing work of curriculum development.
Leaders should ask:
- Which age group and progression route are we trying to serve?
- What statutory or national curriculum must sit alongside the programme?
- Can the timetable protect collaborative planning and the required core or project work?
- Do teachers have enough subject and assessment expertise?
- How will language development and inclusive access be designed from the start?
- Which resources, laboratories, workshops, digital systems or career partners are essential?
- How will the governing body know whether implementation is improving learning?
A useful readiness review maps each requirement to an owner, evidence source and review date. For example, “collaborative planning” becomes protected meeting time, an agreed planning protocol and sampled unit plans, not a statement in a policy. Pilot the working practices before assuming that authorisation alone will create them.
Research on the DP reports positive perceptions and outcomes in several settings, including a large Chicago public-school study, but findings from one programme or context should not be generalised to every IB learner or school (Culross and Tarver, 2011; Saavedra, 2014). Selection, access and local implementation remain important limitations.
A first-term checklist for IB teachers
- Confirm the programme and current guide. Record the exact subject, year and guide version that governs your planning.
- Identify the required outcomes. Specify the knowledge, concepts, skills and assessment criteria learners must develop.
- Study real work together. Moderate examples with colleagues before making high-stakes predictions or reports.
- Plan one authentic connection. Link disciplines or contexts where the connection improves understanding, not because an IB term must appear in every lesson.
- Teach the learning process explicitly. Model how to inquire, research, discuss, draft, revise and reflect.
- Check access early. Anticipate language, sensory, executive-function and prior-knowledge barriers before the final assessment.
- Collect evidence of impact. Save learner work and reflections that show what the teaching decision changed.
For the first planning meeting, bring one upcoming unit and answer four questions: What must learners know? What should they understand beyond this example? What will they learn to do independently?
What evidence would convince us? That keeps programme language connected to classroom decisions.
Common questions about the International Baccalaureate
The most common misunderstandings concern whether the IB is one curriculum, whether every school offers all four programmes, and whether inquiry removes direct teaching. The short answers are no: authorisation, curriculum and assessment are programme-specific, and purposeful teacher guidance remains essential.
Is the IB one curriculum?
No. The IB offers four connected programmes with different age ranges, structures and assessment models. Schools also work within national and local curriculum requirements.
Does an IB World School offer every programme?
Not necessarily. Authorisation is programme-specific. Check which programme or programmes the school is authorised to deliver and which year groups are included.
What is the difference between DP and CP?
The DP is built around six academic subjects and the DP core. The CP combines at least two DP courses with a CP core and an approved career-related study.
Does every MYP learner take external examinations?
No. MYP assessment is mainly school-based. Schools can choose optional eAssessment routes, while the personal project is externally validated in the final year.
Is inquiry the same as minimal teacher guidance?
No. Inquiry requires learner thinking and agency, but teachers still select worthwhile knowledge, model processes, use questions, explain difficult ideas and provide temporary scaffolds.
Limitations and update note
This overview cannot replace the current programme, subject and assessment guides available to authorised schools. Requirements and terminology change through curriculum review. The CP core wording is particularly important because cohorts may sit under different guide versions during the transition.
The programme facts and official links were checked on 20 August 2026. Research findings are context-dependent and should not be read as proof that the IB label alone causes a particular learner outcome. Schools should review access, workload, curriculum coherence and local progression evidence alongside attainment.
References
- International Baccalaureate (2026). IB programmes: PYP, MYP, DP and CP.
- International Baccalaureate (2026). How the PYP works.
- International Baccalaureate (2026). MYP curriculum.
- International Baccalaureate (2026). DP curriculum.
- International Baccalaureate (2026). CP curriculum.
- International Baccalaureate (2026). Assessment across IB programmes.
- Culross, R. R. and Tarver, T. A. (2011). A summary of research on the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme.
- Saavedra, A. R. (2014). The academic impact of enrolment in International Baccalaureate Diploma programmes.
