Curriculum transition calendar
Which curriculum applies to your assessment session?
The current transition calendar has four published cohorts. The important date is the first assessment year, not the year a student happens to find a guide, exemplar or revision video online.
Primary source checked September 28, 2026
Current transition calendar
| First teaching | First assessment | First university entry | Courses / core |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug/Sep 2024 | May 2026 | Aug/Sep 2026 | Environmental systems and societies, Global politics, Sports, exercise and health science |
| Aug/Sep 2025 | May 2027 | Aug/Sep 2027 | Computer science, Design technology, Psychology, Visual arts, Extended essay |
| Aug/Sep 2026 | May 2028 | Aug/Sep 2028 | History |
| Aug/Sep 2027 | May 2029 | Aug/Sep 2029 | Dance, Language ab initio, Language B, Religion and society, Mathematics: analysis and approaches, Mathematics: applications and interpretation |
Use this table in 30 seconds
- 1. Start with your first assessment session. That date determines which row matters; the year a resource was uploaded is not enough.
- 2. Check whether your subject or core component appears in that row. If it does, verify old exemplars against the new task names, criteria and paper structure before copying their format.
- 3. Keep old material only for what survives the transition. An older exemplar may still show useful subject thinking even when its assessment structure is obsolete.
The next high-risk transition is May 2027
Computer science, design technology, psychology, visual arts and the extended essay all move to new assessment models for first assessment May 2027. The cross-subject change matrix isolates what actually changes.
Open the May 2027 matrix →Sources & verification
Primary-source references used to verify key assessment facts on this page. Last source check: September 28, 2026.
The source is maintained by the International Baccalaureate for university admissions and links through to the current subject-specific update pages.
- International Baccalaureate: latest curriculum updatesOfficial transition calendar linking first teaching, first assessment and first university entry for current Diploma Programme curriculum reviews.