I'm sure it should be here somewhere...

Reference Physics documents

The go-to area for IB Physics teachers is, of course, the programme resource centre or PRC.  This is accessible via the "My IB" site which is accessible to all IB teachers once they have been registered.  If you forget how to find it, the easiest thing it to go to the main public-facing IB site: www.ibo.org.  At the top of the page you can change IB sites and “My IB” is the first option.  Click on that and you get to the log-in page.  Enter your details and you get a range of possibilities including the PRC.  Navigate your way through to Physics in group 4 (you can set this up as your default landing page if you want) and you get links to everything you need - syllabus, teacher support material, help with assessment, subject reports, In practice support and much more!

Many teachers find all this support almost overwhelming but it is really worth returning and having an explore. There are, for example, 7 marked IAs with commentaries justifying the marks awarded.  These are public documents so you can share with your students to help them understand the criteria.  

When it comes to the Physics guide, the vast majority of teachers skip to the central section where the syllabus is spelt out in detail.  Doing this misses two important sections:- 

• the first bit explains the aims and assessment objectives of the course and how these fit into the wider diploma structure
• the third bit explains the assessment protocols in detail.

Understanding the link between the assessment objects and the assessment protocols is, perhaps the most important thing to get your head around when teaching IB Physics.   

Past Papers & Markschemes

A very common question in workshops is about where to find past papers and markschemes.  Sadly the only way to legally get them is to purchase them.  Many schools buy the complete set of papers and the markschemes all in one go to share amongst all the departments in the school. See www.follettibstore.com.  Sadly there are plenty of illegal ways of getting hold of copies of past papers and the associated markschemes.  If you want to know how to find them, ask your students - they have probably already got access!

The examiners' reports (available on “My IB”) for each session contain a lot of detail about what candidates got right and common mistakes for each session.  The section of the examiners' report that covers the paper 1A (the multiple choice) includes a lot of statistics which also lists the correct answers.

Question bank software also exists that allows you to create your own customized tests and quizzes using past questions from IB papers. https://questionbank.ibo.org/ .This requires the purchase of a licence.  

Lesson plans

The IB does not have one official or recommended way of teaching so it is up to the individual schools to develop their own lesson plans to suit the needs of their students.  The IB has, however, commissioned a number of experienced IB teachers to provide possible ways to deliver subject content.  The materials are all free to download and can be adapted as required.  The material is available on the “IB Exchange” website which can be accessed via “My IB”. 

In addition, “IB exchange” has much more than just subject specific plans - we recommend having an explore.

Help with AI

The use and abuse of AI is a major topic for all educators and there are plenty of statements from the IB about its use in schools. These are very much focused on how students' use of AI can avoid plagiarism.  An example would be https://ibo.org/news/news-about-the-ib/statement-from-the-ib-about-chatgpt-and-artificial-intelligence-in-assessment-and-education/ which was updated in March 2025.

For some teachers, getting started with AI can prove daunting.  For the uninitiated, the IB provides some suggestions about how to get started. Many teachers find it particularly difficult to navigate to these pages.  This is probably because they are not in “My IB” but available for all via the main www.ibo.org page.

A tab on the main page takes you to the section on professional development: https://www.ibo.org/professional-development/ This contains lots of interesting links, the last of which is section entitled “Free learning”.  This has a section for the DP called “DP learning resources” https://www.ibo.org/professional-development/free-learning/dp-pd-learning-resources/ which includes, at the end, a professional development section focused on the use of IA. https://pds.ibo.org/ai-in-the-classroom-for-dp-educators/#/  In the course are eight different examples to learn about and try out.     

Reference general documents

As well as documents specific to Physics, there are other documents which are available via the PRC that have proved useful in the past.  These can be filed in several places but often the best place to look are the additional tabs to the first “curriculum” tab in the home screen for all DP resources.  These are "Learning and Teaching", “Assessment”, “Implementation” and “News”. We recommend having a search for:

• Diploma Programme Grade descriptors (from 2027).  This updated document spells out what students should be able to demonstrate if awarded an IB grade from 1 to 7.  Very useful to understand grade boundaries in the examinations and great to share with parents who are wondering why their wonderful son/daughter is not being awarded 7s in every subject.
• Statistical Bulletin.  This document is published after each session and is a really interesting read.  You get all the information about grade boundaries and  average grades across all the subjects and the whole diploma. You can find how “easy” it is got get a top grade in the extended essay compared with other subjects.
• Diploma Programme Assessment procedures - this is published for each examination session and specifies absolutely everything about how examinations and internal assessments need to be run in schools. Old hands know this document as the Vade Mecum.
• Diploma Programme updates - this is published three times a year and used to be called DP Coordinators' notes.  It provides a very useful summary of any changes or developments that are about to happen or on the horizon.  Definitely worth a scan read to see if anything is about to change. It always contains a summary of the timelines for the curriculum development and review cycles - essential for long term planning.
• Use of calculators in IB DP examinations - an annual document which lists which calculators are allowed in DP examination and which are not.