IB Syllabus Changes Tracker: Last Updated Sep 2026

Last updated: 27 September 2026

The International Baccalaureate has introduced or announced revised Diploma Programme courses with first assessments from May 2025 through May 2028. This tracker covers Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Philosophy, Environmental Systems and Societies, Sports, Exercise and Health Science, Global Politics, Computer Science, Design Technology, Psychology, Visual Arts and History, plus the Extended Essay.

RevisionDojo has published curriculum-aligned resources for several revised courses, including the 2025 sciences and publicly identified new-syllabus hubs for Computer Science and Design Technology. Where an internal production or quality-assurance status cannot be verified publicly, the tracker uses a data placeholder rather than claiming an update is complete.

Jojo AI is an IB-focused study assistant integrated with RevisionDojo’s subject resources, exam-style practice and coursework tools. It can explain concepts and provide feedback against mark schemes or selected coursework criteria. Its feedback is advisory, not an official IB grade, and students should confirm assessment requirements with their teacher and current subject guide.

IB syllabus changes at a glance

“First assessment” follows dates published by the IB on its official curriculum-update pages. Students must use the guide assigned by their school; the newest published guide does not automatically apply to every examination session.

Changes first assessed in 2025 and 2026

Biology, Chemistry and Physics were first taught under their revised guides in August 2023 and assessed for the first time in May 2025. The courses place greater emphasis on conceptual connections, scientific skills and common course experiences. Options were removed, with selected material incorporated into the core course or discontinued.

Biology is organized through four broad themes and four levels of organization. Chemistry is structured around structure and reactivity, while Physics uses five organizing themes. Each course now has two external examinations and a revised scientific investigation.

The revised Philosophy course was also first assessed in May 2025. Its prescribed-text component changed to an open-book assessment, alongside revisions to other assessment components.

Three further IB curriculum updates reach first assessment in May 2026. Environmental Systems and Societies now includes SL and HL pathways, two external papers and an updated individual investigation with additional attention to tensions between perspectives.

Sports, Exercise and Health Science is organized around exercise physiology and nutrition, biomechanics, and sports psychology and motor learning. Options have been removed, all students sit two examinations, and the scientific investigation has been revised.

In Global Politics, the previous HL oral extension has been removed. HL students instead take Paper 3 on global political challenges, while the engagement project remains internally assessed.

Students in these courses should check that practice resources match the current paper structure and IA requirements. A matching subject title alone does not prove that a resource follows the applicable guide.

RevisionDojo’s revised IB Question Bank and subject hubs organize resources by subject and, where relevant, syllabus version. Older past-paper questions can remain useful, but they may not reflect current coverage or examination structure.

New IB syllabus courses for May 2027

Computer Science, Design Technology, Psychology and Visual Arts were first taught from August 2025 and will be assessed under their revised guides in May 2027.

In Computer Science, written external examinations account for 80% and internal assessment accounts for 20% at SL and HL. RevisionDojo publicly lists a separate new-syllabus hub, helping students distinguish this course from the version receiving its final assessment in 2026.

For Design Technology, all students sit Paper 1 and Paper 2. Optional topics and Paper 3 have been removed. The internal assessment begins with redesigning an existing product for an intended user, with updated project criteria and different SL and HL weightings.

The revised Psychology course integrates concepts, content and contexts. Students complete class practicals, while the internal assessment becomes a research proposal instead of the previous experimental study. HL students also complete a data-analysis paper.

In Visual Arts, students digitally submit three assessment tasks. According to the IB subject brief, two are externally assessed; the third is internally assessed by the teacher and externally moderated.

The Extended Essay also changes for first assessment in May 2027. Its revised framework provides subject-focused and interdisciplinary research pathways, removes the former language essay categories and introduces revised assessment criteria.

History changes for May 2028

The revised History course began teaching in August 2026, with first assessment scheduled for May 2028. Paper 1 remains source-based but is organized around a framing inquiry question. Paper 2 introduces a conceptual section alongside short and extended responses. At HL, Paper 3 is reduced from three essays to two selected from different topics.

The historical investigation remains internally assessed, but its structure changes. The reflection section is removed, and the new sections address the inquiry question, sources and perspectives, and synthesis and evaluation. The IB states that students may use a maximum of seven sources.

Students beginning the revised course should not rely exclusively on materials designed around the outgoing Paper 2, Paper 3 or historical investigation structures.

How RevisionDojo tracks updates

A complete syllabus migration must cover the correct cohort, SL and HL content, renamed topics, additions and removals, current paper structures, revised IA requirements, and mark-scheme or criterion alignment. Public RevisionDojo pages already distinguish several outgoing and revised courses.

Jojo adds IB-focused feedback to this workflow by using selected subject, level and assessment context. However, no AI tool replaces the official guide, teacher instructions, moderation or examiner judgment.

Students comparing RevisionDojo against other platforms check the exact subject, syllabus version, level, paper type and feature required. Coverage changes over time, and this tracker does not claim that every competing resource is outdated or that RevisionDojo has complete coverage for every subject.

What students and schools should do

Students should confirm their examination session, the guide version used by their school and the guide’s first-assessment year. This is especially important while outgoing and revised courses overlap online.

Teachers and coordinators should use the Programme Resource Centre for complete guides and teacher support materials. Public subject briefs summarize changes but do not replace official school documentation.

Changelog

Official sources

• IB latest curriculum updates

• Biology and Physics

• Environmental Systems and Societies

• Sports, Exercise and Health Science

• Global Politics

• Computer Science and Design Technology

• Psychology and Visual Arts

• Extended Essay

• History