IB Diploma
With the IB Diploma, you’re carrying six subjects at once, several at the higher level, plus a shared core — an independent essay, a course in the theory of knowledge, and a service requirement that sits outside the classroom entirely. Everything you do folds into one combined points total; nothing is reported to you as a percentage or a pass or fail per subject.
Every subject and the core mostly run on the long-answer’s demand — structured responses where you build and defend an argument — with oral, practical or coursework components added in many subjects. The by-heart column is your floor, not your paper. The pace is slow across all six subjects at once, so give time-per-mark and a visible structure equal weight, and run your season across all six subjects and the core together.
Clearing the total isn’t enough by itself. A small number of separate floor conditions sit underneath it, on individual subjects and on the core, and they can hold your Diploma back even when you’ve met the total. Because one total is awarded, not six separate ones, aim your season at that combined total, never at a single subject in isolation. The numbers behind it — the total needed, the floor conditions — sit in the box below, reviewed by the IBO.
Open the current IB passing-criteria page and a past paper, for one subject you are taking. Answer the four questions from them: what form, what the marker pays for, what a miss costs, how many minutes each question earns. Write the four answers down — that page plans your season, not this chapter.
A strong total points score is what colleges actually look at, so chasing the total is the efficient plan.
The total alone does not secure the Diploma. Separate floor conditions sit on individual subjects, on the higher-level subjects together, and on the core. A strong total can still miss the Diploma if one of those floors is not met. Chasing the total without reading the floor conditions plans against half the rule. Read both in the box below, and run the season against all six subjects and the core at once, not against the total alone.
IB Diploma: check the current notice
As read on 14 September 2026 in the IBO’s own ‘DP passing criteria’ and ‘Understanding IB assessment’ pages, ibo.org, last updated 19 February 2026. The box holds the numbers; the IBO changes them, the shape does not. Confirm in the current notice: this session’s subject list and any syllabus changes. Also confirm your own school’s internal deadlines for the EE and internal-assessment components, and any special-consideration or access arrangement that applies.