BLOGS  >  FEBRUARY 24, 2023

IB Is Updating Science Subjects: Biology, Chemistry, and Physics


This year, biology, chemistry, and physics will be updated following the review of their curriculum. The IB reviews DP courses to make sure they use the latest educational research and that the lessons learned through the evaluation of the existing curriculum stay up to date in a changing world. The subjects will focus on a conceptual approach to learning and teaching. Each will explicitly reference concepts, skills, and the nature of science. The experimental program continues to be central to the delivery of content, skills, and techniques. Students across the science group will still be able to work together on a topic related to a real-world issue as part of the collaborative sciences project.

The new DP courses will be launched in February 2023 for first teaching in August 2023. The first assessment will take place in May 2025. Learn more about the latest updates at:

To support the upcoming DP first-teaching science subjects with high-quality guidance and comprehensive resources, the IB has successfully collaborated with established educational publishers – Hodder Education, Oxford University Press, Pearson, and Kognity – to launch digital and print resources. They are planned to be launched starting in February 2023, aligning with the release of subject guides for these courses.

These co-published resources fully align with the new IB curriculums, have passed IB’s rigorous quality-assurance process, were reviewed by IB subject matter experts, and are appropriate for IB World Schools. All resources that have been reviewed and approved by IB are published with the “in-cooperation with IB” logo on the cover. 

Discover the new Science resources from the IB co-publishers.

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