Parents asking “what should my child know by year of IB?” should first understand that the IB Diploma Programme is a continuous two-year course, not two standardized annual curricula. Schools choose when to teach specific topics and set their own internal deadlines, so your child’s school calendar remains the final authority.
Broadly, DP1 should establish subject knowledge, assessment skills, and steady progress on the Diploma Programme core. DP2 should complete the syllabus and coursework before emphasizing synthesis, timed practice, and final submissions.
How the two-year IB Diploma is structured
The official IB Diploma Programme curriculum consists of six subjects and three compulsory core components. Students normally take three Higher Level (HL) and three Standard Level (SL) subjects, although four HL subjects are permitted.
The six subject groups cover language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, and the arts. The arts may usually be replaced by another permitted subject. Students also complete Theory of Knowledge (TOK), the Extended Essay (EE), and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS).
The IB recommends 150 teaching hours for SL and 240 for HL, so HL courses generally require greater depth and breadth. However, schools do not have to divide each syllabus equally between DP1 and DP2.
| Area | Expected by the end of DP1 | Expected during DP2 |
|---|---|---|
| Subject knowledge | Secure foundations in the material taught | Complete knowledge and connections across topics |
| Assessment skills | Understand criteria, command terms, and task formats | Perform accurately and independently under time limits |
| Internal assessments | Understand requirements and begin planning or drafting | Revise, authenticate, and submit every component |
| TOK | Understand knowledge questions and begin or complete the exhibition | Complete the TOK essay using precise examples and analysis |
| Extended Essay | Choose a subject and question, research, and begin drafting | Revise, reference, reflect, and submit |
| CAS | Maintain sustained experiences, evidence, and reflections | Continue engagement and satisfy school completion procedures |
DP1 expectations: foundations and academic habits
DP1 is when students learn how IB assessment differs from previous schooling. By the end of the year, your child should understand what each subject assesses, recognize important command terms, and use feedback to identify specific improvements.
Languages and humanities
In studies in language and literature, students should move beyond plot summary. They need to identify authorial choices, explain effects, construct arguments, and support interpretations with precise references. They should also begin connecting works through themes, perspectives, contexts, and techniques.
Language acquisition students should show growth in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. They do not need flawless fluency, but they should understand common text types and communicate with increasingly appropriate vocabulary, grammar, purpose, and register.
In individuals and societies subjects, students should know the foundational concepts, theories, evidence, and examples already taught. More importantly, they should be progressing from description toward comparison, analysis, and evaluation, especially when answering commands such as “discuss” or “to what extent.”
Mathematics and sciences
The IB offers Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches and Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation, each at SL and HL. By the end of DP1, students should select suitable methods, communicate their reasoning, use permitted technology effectively, and interpret answers in context.
A correct final answer alone does not demonstrate complete understanding. IB mathematics also rewards method, notation, justification, and interpretation. If the school starts the mathematics exploration in DP1, the student should have a focused and manageable direction.
Science students should possess the conceptual knowledge needed for later topics and understand how evidence is collected, processed, and evaluated. They should record data responsibly, recognize uncertainty, present results clearly, and discuss limitations rather than treating practical work as a set of instructions to follow.
Arts and coursework-heavy subjects
Arts students should develop practical work alongside explanations of their choices, processes, influences, and contexts. Portfolios, performances, comparative work, and production records require consistent development and cannot be assembled convincingly near the deadline.
Students replacing the arts with another subject should meet the corresponding expectations for that discipline. Parents should also watch workload balance because an additional essay-based, experimental, or calculation-heavy course can change the weekly demands significantly.
What the IB core should look like in DP1
The IB Diploma Programme core is compulsory. Delaying it can create a difficult collision with internal assessments, examinations, and university applications in DP2.
Theory of Knowledge
By the end of DP1, students should understand that TOK investigates how knowledge is produced, justified, interpreted, and challenged. They should discuss knowledge questions through specific examples rather than unsupported philosophical claims.
Many schools begin or complete the TOK exhibition during DP1, although schedules vary. A student should understand the selected prompt and be able to explain explicitly why each chosen object or example is relevant.
Extended Essay
The EE is an independent research project culminating in a paper of up to 4,000 words. By the end of DP1, a student should normally have chosen an appropriate subject, developed a focused research question, located credible sources, consulted a supervisor, and made substantial progress on research or drafting.
Having only a broad topic at this stage is usually risky unless the school follows a different published schedule. RevisionDojo’s Extended Essay guides explain research questions, structure, and criteria while keeping responsibility for the work with the student.
Creativity, Activity, Service
CAS should show regular engagement across creativity, physical activity, and service rather than activities recorded shortly before graduation. Students should maintain evidence and reflections through the school’s system throughout DP1.
CAS does not add diploma points, but successful completion is required. Useful reflections document planning, participation, challenges, learning, and personal development rather than simply describing what happened.
DP2 expectations: completion and examination readiness
DP2 combines remaining syllabus content with internal assessments, TOK, the EE, CAS, mock examinations, university applications, and final revision. RevisionDojo’s month-by-month guide to IB DP2 outlines how these pressures commonly develop.
Across subjects, a DP2 student should increasingly be able to:
- Connect concepts from different syllabus areas
- Retrieve essential knowledge without repeatedly rereading notes
- Interpret command terms accurately
- Select evidence, examples, formulas, or methods efficiently
- Complete relevant tasks under realistic time limits
- Diagnose recurring errors and retest weak skills
In language and humanities courses, students should produce focused arguments that answer the exact question, use selected evidence, and evaluate where required. Language acquisition students should communicate appropriately across the assessed formats and manage unfamiliar vocabulary without abandoning the task.
In mathematics and sciences, students need mixed-topic practice because final questions may not identify the relevant topic. They should distinguish conceptual gaps from algebraic errors, calculator mistakes, weak data analysis, or poor time management. A concise error log can make practice more purposeful.
Practical and portfolio-based subjects should move from experimentation toward selection, refinement, explanation, and submission. Parents may help students track deadlines, but must not edit, create, or substantially direct assessed work.
How assessment should shape expectations
The IB assessment overview explains that most subjects combine examinations with internal or school-based components such as oral work, investigations, fieldwork, laboratory work, or performances.
Each subject receives a grade from 1 to 7. TOK and the EE can contribute up to three additional points, creating a maximum diploma score of 45. Although 24 points is the general minimum, it does not guarantee the diploma because the IB applies additional passing conditions, including successful CAS completion.
Predicted grades are useful indicators, but parents should also examine coursework progress, recurring errors, attendance, workload management, and whether performance can be reproduced independently.
How parents can support without taking control
The most useful parent role is to protect routines, notice patterns, and encourage communication with teachers. Useful questions include:
- “What is your next school-set deadline?”
- “What did your teacher’s feedback ask you to change?”
- “Is the difficulty about knowledge, technique, time, or workload?”
- “What are you doing this week for TOK, EE, or CAS?”
Warning signs include repeated missed deadlines, persistent sleep loss, vague answers about the EE, incomplete CAS records, hidden feedback, or revision that never includes exam-style practice. Contact the teacher or DP coordinator early rather than waiting for mock results.
Students can use RevisionDojo’s IB resources for Study Notes, Flashcards, and Questionbank practice. Jojo AI can clarify difficult concepts, but students should then apply the material independently.
Common misconceptions
DP1 grades do not matter. They may inform predicted grades, references, and early university planning. More importantly, unresolved weaknesses become harder to repair during DP2.
Revision starts after the syllabus is finished. Retrieval, cumulative review, and topic-based questions should begin in DP1. Waiting until the final months forces students to relearn material rather than refine performance.
CAS does not matter because it has no points. CAS remains a diploma requirement and must be completed according to the school’s procedures.
A low mock grade determines the final result. A mock identifies current gaps under particular conditions. Its value depends on how carefully the student analyzes and repairs those gaps.
Conclusion
By the end of DP1, your child should have secure subject foundations, understand IB assessment, and be making meaningful progress in TOK, the EE, and CAS. During DP2, attention should move toward completing requirements, connecting the full syllabus, correcting weaknesses, and performing independently under examination conditions.
Compare progress with the school’s calendar rather than another student’s schedule. RevisionDojo can support that plan through Jojo AI, Study Notes, Flashcards, the Questionbank, Extended Essay guidance, coursework feedback, and Mock Exams.
Sources and referenced URLs
- IB Diploma Programme curriculum
- Official IB Diploma Programme core overview
- Official IB mathematics course overview
- IB assessment and examinations overview
- Official IB Diploma passing criteria
- RevisionDojo support for parents and families
- RevisionDojo Extended Essay guides
- RevisionDojo month-by-month guide to IB DP2
- RevisionDojo IB resources
