The International Baccalaureate has published a new Biology data booklet for first assessment in 2028, giving affected Standard Level and Higher Level students access to reference diagrams, equations, constants and other course data. The official document is marked Version 1.0 and states that it was published in May 2026.
Students following the 2028 version of the course should use the booklet throughout their studies. During the written examinations, schools must provide every candidate with a clean copy, meaning students cannot bring a personally annotated or highlighted version into the exam room.
Key facts about the Biology booklet
Applies from: First assessment in 2028
Levels affected: Biology SL and Biology HL
Exam access: A clean copy must be available for the written examination papers
Course access: Students should have access throughout the course
Contents: Biological diagrams, equations, constants, statistical references, symbols and other relevant data
Official publication date: May 2026, with no specific day stated in the document
Official distribution: Schools obtain copies through IBIS or the IB Programme Resource Centre
The booklet itself is an IB publication. Its introduction says the resource accompanies the DP Biology guide and teacher support material, while the official IB Biology subject page confirms that Biology is regularly reviewed and directs schools to current subject updates.
What is inside the 2028 Biology data booklet?
Biology: What is inside the 2028 Biology data booklet?
The table of contents covers a mixture of diagrams, quantitative references and scientific conventions. Examples include nucleotide structure, microscope parts, structural polysaccharides, fatty acids, a simple neuron, peristalsis, unit conversion, equations and statistics.
Later sections include hormone abbreviations, scientific symbols, variation in data sets, metric multipliers, the lytic and lysogenic cycles, haemoglobin's affinity for oxygen and a relaxed sarcomere. This means the resource is broader than a traditional formula sheet.
However, the booklet is not a condensed Biology textbook. It supplies reference material that students may need to interpret, but it does not provide complete explanations of biological mechanisms or ready-made responses to exam questions.
Show Image: A student discovers the difference between memorising everything and using reference material
Why the IB has introduced the booklet
The official introduction explains that providing equations and reference information helps maintain an emphasis on interpretation and application rather than memorization. Direct references to relevant equations have also been added within the syllabus content.
That distinction matters. Students may no longer need to reproduce every supplied equation or diagram entirely from memory, but they will still need to recognize when a resource is relevant and apply it correctly.
For calculations, that can include selecting an equation, identifying each variable, rearranging it where necessary, using consistent units and interpreting the result biologically. For diagrams, students may be expected to connect the supplied structure to a process, relationship or unfamiliar context.
A June 2026 analysis of the revised guide reported that the four-theme course structure and examination format remain in place. The most significant practical change is therefore the introduction of the booklet and related clarification within individual syllabus statements, rather than a replacement of the entire Biology course.
Students should nevertheless work from the version supplied by their school. Copies circulating through third-party websites may not remain current if the IB releases a correction or later version.
Which Biology students are affected?
The key date is the examination session, not simply the year in which a student begins studying Biology.
Examination cohort
Biology data booklet position
2026 or 2027
The new booklet does not apply
2028 onward
The booklet applies under the maintained guide, subject to any later IB update
Students sitting Biology before 2028 should not assume that an online copy will be supplied or permitted in their examinations. They must follow the instructions for their own session and confirm permitted materials with their school.
For 2028 candidates, familiarity will be more useful than memorizing page numbers. The booklet is intended to be used during the course, so students should gradually learn which sections contain equations, diagrams, symbols and statistical information. RevisionDojo's IB Biology resources overview can help students keep topic revision aligned with the wider course while teachers introduce the official booklet.
What this means for students
The booklet reduces some pressure to recall isolated reference information, but it does not make Biology a lookup exercise. Examiners can still assess conceptual understanding, data analysis, biological vocabulary, command terms and the ability to connect evidence to a mechanism.
Students may also face a new timing challenge. Searching through the booklet without first identifying what a question requires can consume valuable examination time. Strong performance will depend on deciding what information is needed before opening the resource, locating it efficiently and then applying it accurately.
The change may be especially relevant to questions involving statistical treatment, unit conversion, physiological diagrams and unfamiliar data. Students who know the science but rarely practise using the booklet could lose time or select irrelevant information. Students who rely on the booklet without understanding the science will struggle to explain what the reference material means.
Practise applying the booklet, not just reading it
For 2028 candidates, the most useful next step is to combine a clean official booklet with application-focused practice. Use the IB Biology Question Bank and Exam Practice to train the exact skill the change emphasizes: identifying relevant biological information and applying it accurately to exam-style questions.
Sarah holds a PhD in Cell Biology and taught IB Biology across Europe and Asia for 18 years, latterly as a science department lead. Outside of the papers, her focus lies with the Biology EE, especially with its new format, closing the gap between understanding and application.
