The three IB programmes
The International Baccalaureate is a framework, not a single syllabus. Schools build their own units within it, so two IB schools can teach different topics in the same year. What stays the same is the approach: inquiry, explanation and assessment against published criteria.
Primary Years Programme (PYP), roughly ages 3 to 12. Learning is organised into transdisciplinary units of inquiry. Children research, ask questions and present, and in the final year they complete the PYP exhibition. Strong reading, writing and number skills underpin all of it, and those are where we usually help.
Middle Years Programme (MYP), roughly ages 11 to 16. Students study eight subject groups. Each subject is assessed against criteria, usually labelled A to D, each scored on a level scale. Many schools also offer optional MYP eAssessment at the end of the programme, and every student completes a personal project.
Diploma Programme (DP), ages 16 to 19. A two-year course with six subjects, usually three at Higher Level and three at Standard Level, plus Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS. The diploma is scored out of 45, combining subject grades with points from TOK and the Extended Essay.
How IB assessment works
In the MYP, teachers mark tasks against the subject criteria rather than with a simple percentage. Students who understand what each criterion asks for, for example “communicating” or “applying mathematics in real-life contexts”, do noticeably better than those who just answer the question.
In the DP, each subject combines final exams with an internal assessment marked by the school and moderated by the IB. Final exams usually sit at the end of the second year. Exam questions often combine topics, use unfamiliar contexts, and ask students to explain and justify.
What IB students commonly find hard
- DP Maths: the gap between SL and HL, and the step up from MYP into either course
- DP Physics and Chemistry: data-based questions, uncertainties and the volume of HL content
- Criteria-based marking: knowing the material but not showing it in the way the criteria reward
- Extended writing: essays, lab reports and analysis in every subject, not only English
- Workload: managing IAs, the Extended Essay, TOK and six subjects at once
How a one-to-one IB teacher helps
Because IB schools design their own units, a one-to-one teacher starts from what your child’s school is actually teaching. Share the unit outline or task sheet and the teacher works from it.
In class, your child solves, explains and writes in Qlive Space, Qlive’s AI-powered learning platform, with the teacher on Google Meet going through the working. The teacher asks the follow-up questions an IB examiner would, so your child gets used to justifying an answer, not just finding it. For DP students, teachers bring in past paper questions and show how marks are given.
On internal assessments, the Extended Essay and the MYP personal project, the line is clear. Teachers help your child understand the content and the criteria and talk through their ideas. They never write or edit the work. That protects your child under the IB’s academic integrity rules, and it is the right way to learn.
Between classes, Qlive Pulse worksheets and checkpoints every two to three weeks show whether topics are secure. Your Student Success Partner is someone you can trust to keep your child’s IB goals in view, bringing in extra support before assessments or a talk with the teacher when needed. They keep you updated in the Qlive Learn app, which shows class times in your own timezone and has a chat for each class with the teacher and the Qlive team.
Moving into or out of the IB
Families often move between systems: from CBSE or IGCSE into the MYP or DP, or from the IB back to an Indian board after a move. Each switch brings gaps, some in content and some in the style of work. The free assessment shows the content gaps clearly, and the teacher uses the first few weeks to close them while your child settles into the new way of being assessed.
Subjects we teach for the IB
Maths (both DP courses), Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Science, English, French, Spanish, German, Hindi, Arabic, Economics, Business Management, History, Geography and Computer Science. For the PYP, teachers focus on reading, writing, maths and languages.
Getting started
IB schools are common across the Gulf and in many other countries, and class times are set around your timezone and school day. Start with the free assessment: about 40 adaptive questions, guided live by a Qlive counsellor, with a report on strengths and gaps. Fees for international boards are shared after the assessment, and there is no obligation to continue.
