The early years of the IB PYP nurtures children from 3 years old to be active learners.  

The PYP provides a strong, inquiry-based educational pathway for students to develop:

• Curiosity

• Exploration

• Questioning

• Thinking

• Enthusiasm for their surroundings

• Desire to learn

Our teachers carefully design approaches, projects, and provocations that tap into young children's natural curiosity about the world around them, helping to develop a lifelong love of learning.

Our older Primary students expand their international education as they follow the IB PYP. A theme-based approach to learning through Units of Inquiry helps them to understand how different subjects of study relate to each other and to their world.

The six transdisciplinary themes emphasised in the PYP are:

• Who we are.
• Where we are in place and time.
• How we express ourselves.
• How the world works.
• How we organize ourselves.
• Sharing the planet.

Through these themes, students will develop skills, knowledge and understanding in:

• Science
• Social Studies
• Physical, social and personal education
• Arts
• Languages
• Mathematics
• Technology

By experiencing a theme-based curriculum, children discover how to apply their learning to a range of real-life situations.

Grade 6 to 8 creates the foundations for future study, developing skills in self-management, research, creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking.

Students in Grades 9 to 10 gain more responsibility and develop in-depth research projects that allow a demonstration of understanding. This culminates with the Grade 10 Personal Project, a higher-level showcase of learning.

Subjects and Programme Structure

The IB curriculum is split into six groups. Students must study one subject from each of Groups 1–5, and another from either Group 6 or the original five. Three subjects must be studied at Higher Level, and three may be studied at Standard Level. The DP student may opt for more than three subjects at Higher Level.

• Group 1 (Studies in Language and Literature) is usually taken in the student’s native language.

• Group 2 (Language Acquisition) involves learning a second language.

• Group 3 (Individuals and Societies) subjects include Economics, Geography, and History.

• Group 4 (Sciences).

• Group 5 (Mathematics).

• Group 6: (The Arts).

Students must also complete the following three core elements, designed to broaden their horizons:

• Theory of Knowledge (ToK) is an opportunity for the student to reflect on what constitutes evidence, how theories can be applied in the real world, and the nature of learning itself.

• The Extended Essay is an in-depth, 4,000-word thesis on a subject of the student’s choosing.

• Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) sees students participate in a variety of personally challenging activities designed to prepare them for life as a responsible global citizen. At NIS, we pursue CAS through the Global Citizen Diploma (GCD), a bespoke programme that puts emphasis on student experiences and reflection.

The IB programmes aim to do more than other curricula. Our four programmes develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who are motivated to succeed. The IB gives students distinct advantages by building their critical thinking skills, nurturing their curiosity and their ability to solve complex problems.

The IB strives to develop students who will build a better world through intercultural understanding and respect, alongside a healthy appetite for learning and excellence.

IB programme frameworks can operate effectively with national curricula across all school ages; more than half of IB World Schools are state-funded.

The IB's programmes are different from other curricula because they:

• encourage students of all ages to think critically and challenge assumptions
• develop independently of government and national systems, incorporating quality practice from research and our global community of schools
• encourage students of all ages to consider both local and global contexts
• develop multilingual students.

To teach IB programmes, schools must be authorized. Every school authorized to offer IB programmes is known as an IB World School. 

A Continuum of International Education

We provide a continuum of education, consisting of four programmes that are united by the IB's philosophy and approaches to learning and teaching. The programmes encourage both personal and academic achievement, challenging students to excel in their studies and in their personal development. 

Quality Practice

IB programmes incorporate quality practice from national and international research and the IB global community. They encourage students to be internationally-minded, within a complex and hyper-connected world. 

Students Learn How to Learn

Throughout all IB programmes, students develop approaches to learning skills and the attributes of the IB learner profile. The IB learner is positively challenged to think critically and to learn in a flexible environment crossing disciplinary, cultural and national boundaries.

IB students take responsibility for their own learning and understand how knowledge itself is constructed, underpinned by our unique theory of knowledge (TOK) course.

These programmes help IB students:

• ask challenging questions
• think critically
• learn across disciplines
• develop research skills proven to help them in higher education.

IB programmes also encourage students to be active in their communities and to take their learning beyond academic study.

Students at IB World Schools are given a unique, challenging and diverse education.

IB learners are:

• encouraged to think critically and solve complex problems
• drive their own learning
• a core part in educational programmes that can lead them to some of the highest-ranking universities around the world
• more culturally aware through the development of a second language 
• able to engage with people in an increasingly globalized, rapidly changing world.

You can find out how to become an IB World School, a requirement for teaching IB programmes, on this website.

IB students often perform better.

IB students develop strong academic, social and emotional characteristics. They are also likely to perform well academically – often better than students on other curricula.

Read key findings from IB research to learn more about how the IB programmes impact students and schools.

Research suggests that in many cases, students in IB programmes perform better than students taking other qualifications.

For example:

• A global study investigating performance in the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and Middle Years Programme (MYP) found that IB students outperformed their non-IB peers in mathematics, reading, narrative writing and expository writing.
• Qualitative data from a 2014 study on the IB Diploma Programme (DP) in the USA suggested that students who participated in the DP during high school are more academically adjusted to the rigour and expectations of college.

The IB regularly publishes this kind of research. The IB website has several studies looking at the impact of IB programmes, and many currently in progress.

Studies are conducted in collaboration with universities and external research organizations, as well as by the IB Research team.

Find out more about the four IB programmes and implementing an IB education.

Studies on School Culture

As part of our programme impact research, the IB publishes a number of studies looking at culture in IB World Schools.

A 2013 study, for example, looked at the perspectives and beliefs of IB teachers, with focus groups held in Hong Kong, Peru, Spain and the USA.

It found that IB teachers, like other teachers, see nurturing as the dominant perspective in what it means to be a good teacher – but that IB teachers have a greater focus on the remaining four perspectives in the analysis, including social reform.

Further, an analysis of the DP suggested that the programme's heavy reliance on discussions, debates, oral presentations, written assignments and teamwork enables students to develop many of the skills necessary for civic engagement.

About IB Research

Read about the different kinds of research done at the IB, including programme quality assurance and development.