IB survival · 6 min read
The IB Diploma timeline: what happens when, month by month, over two years
The fixed IB dates, the school-set deadlines around them, and where university applications land in the middle of it all.
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The IB Diploma runs over two years, usually from August or September to exams in late April and May of the second year, with results in early July. Year 1 is for settling into your six subjects, starting CAS and choosing your Extended Essay (EE) topic; year 2 is when the IA drafts, the final EE, the TOK essay, mocks and university applications all land, before the May exams. The IB sets only a few hard dates. Your school sets most of the deadlines you will actually work to, so treat the months below as a typical shape and your school calendar as the authority.
Which dates does the IB fix, and which does your school set?
The IB fixes the exam timetable, the results day, the release of TOK essay titles and its own final submission dates for coursework. Your school sets everything inside that: IA draft and final deadlines, EE milestones, mock exams, when teachers set predicted grades, and the order in which coursework is due. Schools build in a buffer before the IB's dates, so your real deadlines are earlier than the IB's.
The useful habit is to copy every school deadline into one calendar on the day you receive it. A clash between two IA deadlines and a mock week is far easier to fix in September than in the week it happens.
What happens in IB year 1?
| When | What usually happens |
|---|---|
| Aug–Sept | Six subjects begin. CAS starts at the beginning of the programme, with a first interview with your CAS coordinator or adviser. Check your school's window for changing subjects or levels. |
| Oct–Dec | First unit tests. TOK classes underway. Keep a running list of IA ideas from class practicals and topics that interest you. |
| Jan–Mar | Many schools ask you to choose an EE subject and are assigned a supervisor around now. TOK exhibition work often begins; it is usually completed in year 1. |
| Apr–Jun | School exams for year 1. EE research and the first reflection session with your supervisor. IA topic exploration in some subjects, and data collection in others. A second CAS interview, typically at the end of year 1. Shortlist university courses and check their subject requirements. |
| Summer | EE research and early writing. UK personal statement or US essays if you are applying there. CAS continues. |
Year 1 feels slower than year 2, which is exactly why it matters. The grades you earn in year 1 tests are a large part of the evidence behind the predicted grades your school sends to universities early in year 2.
What happens in IB year 2?
| When | What usually happens |
|---|---|
| Aug–Sept | Predicted grades for university applications are set at many schools, if not already in year 1. TOK prescribed titles for the May session are released around September. EE interim reflection session. IA drafts in several subjects. |
| Oct | UK (UCAS) deadline for Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine, dentistry and veterinary courses, 15 October in recent cycles. Your EE supervisor reads and comments on one draft, at a point your school sets. |
| Nov | US early action and early decision deadlines, commonly 1 or 15 November. Final EE and IA deadlines often fall around here or in the next few months. |
| Dec–Jan | US regular decision often around 1 January. UCAS equal-consideration deadline for other UK courses, mid-January in recent cycles; check ucas.com for your year. If your school holds mock exams, they often fall around this part of year 2, but the dates vary from school to school. |
| Feb–Mar | TOK essay final submission at many schools (your school sets the date). Remaining IAs. EE viva voce once the final essay is handed in. CAS completed, with your final CAS interview. Start a structured revision plan. |
| Apr | Your school submits predicted grades to the IB shortly before the exams. May-session exams begin in late April. |
| May | Exams continue until around mid to late May. |
| Early July | Results on the IB candidate website, using a code and PIN from your coordinator. |
The exact exam dates for each session appear on the exam schedule page of ibo.org, and your coordinator will give you your personal timetable; don't plan around dates from unofficial sites.
September to January of year 2 is the most crowded stretch: predicted grades, university applications, IA drafts, the EE draft and the TOK essay all overlap. Students who arrive in August with EE research done and at least one IA topic settled have far more room to breathe.
When do the core components happen?
CAS
CAS starts at the beginning of the Diploma and continues regularly for at least 18 months, with three formal interviews and at least one CAS project lasting a month or more. It is not graded, but the Diploma is not awarded without it. Leaving reflections until the final term is a common way to make the last months harder than they need to be; see the CAS guide.
Extended Essay
The EE is around 40 hours of your own work, with three required reflection sessions with your supervisor (first, interim and a final viva voce after the essay is finished). Your supervisor comments on one draft only, so make it a complete draft. The Extended Essay guide covers each stage.
TOK
The exhibition is usually done in year 1. The essay is written in year 2 on one of six prescribed titles released about six months before submission. See the TOK exhibition guide and the TOK essay guide.
Which syllabus will you be on?
Several courses and the EE have changed recently. The version you take depends on when you sit your exams:
| Start the DP | First exams | What applies |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 2025 | May 2027 | New EE (marked out of 30) and new Psychology course. Current Maths AA and AI. Biology, Chemistry, ESS and Global Politics on their current courses. |
| Aug 2026 | May 2028 | As above, plus the new Biology data booklet in exams from 2028. |
| Aug 2027 | May 2029 | New Maths AA and AI courses as well. |
If you retake after a course has changed, the retake follows the new course; your coordinator will advise whether any internal assessment must be redone.
How is the November session different?
The IB runs two exam sessions a year, May and November. November is mainly for schools in the southern hemisphere and for students retaking. The shape is the same, shifted by about six months:
| Item | May session | November session |
|---|---|---|
| TOK titles released | Around September | Around March |
| Predicted grades to the IB | Historically around 20 April | Historically around 20 October |
| Results | Early July | Early January |
| Enquiry upon results deadline | Around 15 September | Around 15 March |
University application cycles do not shift with the session, so November candidates applying to northern-hemisphere universities need to check how their predicted or final grades line up with those deadlines.
What happens after results?
- Transcripts: the IB sends results to up to six universities free if your coordinator requests it before results are issued.
- Re-marks: only your school can request an enquiry upon results, and a re-mark can lower a grade as well as raise it. The deadline is around 15 September for May candidates.
- Retakes: usually in the November session. The higher grade counts, and you have a maximum of three sessions to meet the Diploma requirements. See how IB scoring works for what those requirements are.
For turning the final months into something manageable, the IB revision plan guide sets out a subject rotation that holds up from February to May.
Questions students ask
When should I start my Extended Essay?
Most schools have you choose a subject and supervisor in the second half of DP year 1, with research over the summer. The EE is meant to take about 40 hours of your own time, and the three reflection sessions with your supervisor need to be spread across the process, so starting late compresses everything.
When are IB results released?
May-session results come out in early July and November-session results in early January. You log in to the IB candidate website with a personal code and PIN that your coordinator gives you.
When are TOK essay titles released?
The six prescribed titles are released to schools about six months before submission: around September for the May session and around March for the November session. The exact day varies, and your teacher receives them through the IB's resource centre.
Is the November session easier than May?
There is no evidence that it is. Each session has its own papers and its own grade boundaries, set so that a grade represents the same standard. November mainly serves schools in the southern hemisphere and students retaking.