Curricula and assessments
Bali has a growing number of IB schools, and the programme names confuse almost every new parent. This is the plain-language map of PYP, MYP and DP, and how each is assessed.
The International Baccalaureate (IB) is one organisation running a continuum of programmes. The Primary Years Programme (PYP) serves ages 3 to 12, the Middle Years Programme (MYP) ages 11 to 16, and the Diploma Programme (DP) ages 16 to 19. They share a philosophy of inquiry, but they are assessed very differently: the PYP has no external IB examinations, the MYP offers optional on-screen assessment, and the DP ends in external examinations graded on a 45-point scale.
This guide is for parents at IB schools in Bali, and parents considering one, who want to understand what their child is actually enrolled in. Every structural fact below is drawn from the IB’s own publications, listed in the sources. It takes about seven minutes to read.
| Programme | Ages | Structure | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Years Programme (PYP) | 3 to 12 | Inquiry-led framework built around six transdisciplinary themes | School-based and continuous; no external IB examinations; the final-year Exhibition is the culminating assessment |
| Middle Years Programme (MYP) | 11 to 16 | Eight subject groups, each with at least 50 teaching hours per year | School-assessed; a Personal Project in the final year, externally validated by the IB; optional on-screen eAssessment leading to the IB MYP Certificate |
| Diploma Programme (DP) | 16 to 19 | Six subjects across six groups, plus the core: theory of knowledge, the extended essay, and creativity, activity, service (CAS) | External examinations; each subject graded 1 to 7; maximum diploma score 45 points |
The PYP is a framework rather than a syllabus. Learning is organised around six transdisciplinary themes, including “Who we are”, “How the world works” and “Sharing the planet”, and the school’s own curriculum content is taught within them. In the classroom this looks like inquiry: projects, questions and discussion more than textbooks and tests.
Assessment is continuous and school-based; the PYP does not use external IB examinations. In the final year, students complete the Exhibition, a collaborative project that serves as the programme’s culminating assessment. For parents, the practical implication is that progress evidence comes from the school, so reports and parent meetings carry more weight than any exam result.
The MYP is a five-year framework with eight subject groups, each requiring at least 50 teaching hours per year. Where the PYP is thematic, the MYP is disciplinary: distinct subjects, each with its own assessment criteria, plus projects that connect them.
Two features matter most to parents. In the final year, every student completes a Personal Project, a long independent piece of work that the IB externally validates. And schools may register students for optional eAssessment: on-screen examinations and ePortfolios that lead to the formal, internationally recognised IB MYP Certificate. Not every school offers eAssessment, so it is worth asking yours directly.
The DP is the two-year, examination-based programme universities around the world recognise. Students take six subjects, one from each of the groups: studies in language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, and the arts (a second subject from another group can replace the arts). Each course is taken at Standard Level (SL) or Higher Level (HL), with HL carrying the deeper syllabus and the heavier workload.
Alongside the six subjects sits the core, which is what makes the DP distinctive. Theory of knowledge (TOK) asks students to reflect on how we know what we claim to know. The extended essay (EE) is an independent, self-directed piece of research finishing with a 4,000-word paper. Creativity, activity, service (CAS) requires sustained engagement beyond the classroom. A candidate must complete all three core elements to be awarded the diploma.
The choice of Higher versus Standard Level is the first big DP decision. Universities care about HL grades and subjects far more than total points in many systems, so HL choices should follow intended courses of study: mathematics and a science at HL for engineering, for example. SL choices can then serve breadth and balance rather than strategy.
Each of the six subjects is graded from 1 to 7, where 7 is the highest. That gives up to 42 points from subjects. TOK and the extended essay are each graded A to E, and together they contribute up to three further points from a combined matrix, bringing the maximum diploma score to 45. A grade E in TOK or the EE is a failing condition, and CAS must be completed, although it carries no points.
For context, the global average DP score in the May 2024 session was 30.32 points, across more than 3,900 IB World Schools. Treat any single year’s average as a snapshot, not a benchmark for your child.
Bali’s IB schools implement these programmes with local variation: which subjects are offered, whether eAssessment is used in the MYP, when the DP core is introduced. Two questions cut through most of it at any school meeting: which programmes are you authorised to teach, and how was my child’s last piece of work assessed against the criteria?
If you are comparing schools, ask each one the same two questions and compare the specificity of the answers. A school that can show you assessed student work against programme criteria understands its own curriculum; one that answers with the prospectus is telling you something too.
For parents still choosing between systems, our IGCSE versus IB comparison lays the two side by side, and the step-up guide covers the move into post-16 study. When a child needs support inside the DP, our IB tutoring page explains how we match tutors by programme, subject and level, and our article on ADHD tutoring at international schools covers study support for students who need more structure.
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