What are IB lessons and how do they differ from class
What IB lessons are, how the Diploma timetables them across six subject groups, and how to plan study time between taught hours and independent work.
IB lessons are the scheduled teaching hours a school delivers for each subject in the IB Diploma Programme. The Diploma prescribes a minimum number of taught hours per subject at Higher Level and Standard Level, but the way a school breaks those hours into lessons, periods or blocks is a local decision. Understanding the difference between taught hours and self-directed study is the first step to planning the Diploma well.
The two meanings of "IB lessons"
Searches for IB lessons usually mean one of two things. The first is the timetabled teaching a school provides across the six subject groups, Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay. The second is private or online tuition that students book outside school, often called IB lessons by a tutor. This article covers both: the official taught-hours structure that schools must follow, and how to think about extra lessons when school time is not enough.
Taught hours the IB Diploma requires
The IB prescribes minimum taught hours for every Diploma subject, expressed in hours over the two-year programme rather than minutes per week. Higher Level subjects sit at 240 hours, Standard Level subjects at 150 hours. Schools are free to schedule those hours however they wish — most spread them across four or five periods a week, but a block of two double periods works just as well.
| Component | Minimum taught hours | Typical school delivery |
|---|---|---|
| Higher Level subject | 240 | 4–5 periods per week in most schools |
| Standard Level subject | 150 | 3–4 periods per week in most schools |
| Theory of Knowledge | 100 | 1–2 periods per week, usually in Year 1 |
| Extended Essay | Supervision hours set by the school | Short one-to-one sessions across the programme |
| CAS | No taught hours; student-led | Activities, projects and reflection |
Six subjects at three Higher Levels and three Standard Levels add up to 1,170 taught hours, plus 100 for Theory of Knowledge. The Extended Essay is supervised rather than timetabled, and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is organised by the student. A typical IB week is therefore around 30 taught periods across these components.
Why the hours, not the periods, matter
Examiners and moderators do not see your timetable — they mark against the assessment criteria, which assume you have spent roughly 240 hours on a Higher Level subject. Schools that compress the hours or run intensive blocks are still responsible for covering the full syllabus and giving you time to complete Internal Assessment. If your school seems to be teaching less than the published hours, ask the Diploma coordinator for the schedule.
What an IB lesson actually looks like
A single IB lesson is normally 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the school's period structure. In that time a teacher will mix direct instruction with the active learning the IB expects: source analysis in a history lesson, lab discussion in a science lesson, a listening task in a language lesson, or a problem set in a mathematics lesson. The pattern that works across subjects is a short input, a worked example, then a task where you produce something the teacher can mark.
Lessons that are only lecture, or only exam practice, are a poor fit for the Diploma. The assessments reward inquiry, so good lessons leave room for a question you cannot yet answer, a piece of writing you will redraft, or a method you have to justify in front of the class. If you are spending whole periods copying notes, raise it with the teacher — that is a signal the lesson is not doing its job.
IB lessons by subject group
Group 1: Studies in language and literature
Higher Level lessons typically combine close reading of whole texts with written analysis. You will write timed responses in class and bring drafts to the next lesson for teacher feedback. Standard Level is the same structure with fewer texts and one fewer paper.
Group 2: Language acquisition
Language lessons split between the target language and the literature option at Higher Level. Expect listening and reading tasks in nearly every lesson, plus short written tasks that the teacher marks against the IB markbands. Speaking is prepared but the Individual Oral is recorded under exam conditions.
Group 3: Individuals and societies
Humanities lessons revolve around sources, case studies and structured argument. Higher Level includes a paper with extended-response questions, so lessons often end with a 20-minute written task that mirrors that structure.
Group 4: Sciences
Science lessons alternate between theory and the practical work that feeds the Internal Assessment. You will not learn the IA by reading about it — the group 4 project and the Individual Investigation only make sense if you have spent lab time in lessons thinking about variables, controls and uncertainty.
Group 5: Mathematics
Mathematics lessons move from teacher-modelled methods to independent problem solving. The new course routes (Analysis and Approaches, Applications and Interpretation) each have their own content list, so the lesson focus depends on which route you sit. Either way, the last 20 minutes of a lesson should be spent on problems you have not seen before, not on finishing the textbook exercise.
Group 6: The arts and electives
Visual arts, music, theatre, film and the other Group 6 subjects are workshop-led. Lessons produce artefacts, performances or scores that build towards the assessment portfolio or recital.
Theory of Knowledge, Extended Essay and CAS
Theory of Knowledge lessons are usually one or two periods a week in Year 1, with the exhibition and essay work extending into Year 2. The Extended Essay is delivered through a small number of formal supervision sessions, with most of the writing done independently between lessons. CAS has no taught hours at all — it is a portfolio of activities you log and reflect on. Schools sometimes run a fortnightly CAS lesson to keep students on track, but that is a school choice, not a programme requirement.
Outside school: when to book extra IB lessons
Most students reach a point where school lessons alone are not enough. The right trigger is specific: you have a topic you cannot get clear in your own time, a piece of Internal Assessment that needs a second pair of eyes, or a revision gap before mocks or the final exams. Generic catch-up lessons tend to be inefficient. Targeted lessons — for example, two sessions on circular functions before a Mathematics IA check-in — usually do more per hour than a weekly slot all year.
What a good extra IB lesson covers
A good external lesson works on a problem you bring, not a script the tutor runs through. You should leave with a marked piece of work, a method you can repeat on your own, and a short list of what to do before the next session. If a lesson ends with a clean whiteboard and no follow-up task, it has probably not been worth the time.
How to make the most of the IB lessons you already have
Before paying for any extra teaching, look at what your school lessons are giving you. Turn up with a question you genuinely cannot answer, hand in drafts the day before they are due, and ask the teacher to mark against the IB criteria rather than a school rubric. Read the relevant chapter or article before the lesson so the time is spent on application, not first contact with the material. These three habits close most of the gap that prompts families to look for private lessons.
Frequently asked questions about IB lessons
None of the related queries raise questions beyond the primary topic, so the answers to the most common follow-ups are gathered below.
How many IB lessons a week do students have?
Most schools schedule 30 to 35 taught periods across the six subjects, Theory of Knowledge and the Extended Essay, with CAS timetabled informally. The exact number depends on how the school carves up its week, but a full IB timetable leaves little room for additional free periods.
How long is an IB lesson?
Lessons are usually 40 to 60 minutes, set by the school rather than the IB. The IB counts hours, not period length, so a school using 50-minute periods and a school using 70-minute periods both meet the 240 or 150 hour requirement as long as the total is right.
How many hours of self-study should an IB student do?
A common rule of thumb is two to three hours of independent work for every taught hour, which puts a realistic study week at 50 to 60 hours during the programme and more in the months before exams. The IB does not publish a figure; the hours above come from how much work the assessments actually require.
Are IB lessons different from A-level or AP classes?
They are similar in length but wider in scope: you take six subjects plus Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS, so the timetable is broader than a three- or four-subject A-level or AP schedule. Assessment also leans on Internal Assessment in most subjects, which means school lessons have to include the practical or written work that feeds those marks.
Next steps: confirm your school's taught-hour schedule against the published requirements, audit one week of lessons against what you actually produce, and book targeted help only where the audit shows a gap. IB Courses offers subject-specific preparation that works alongside your school timetable for the IB Diploma Programme.