At a glance
- Duration
- About 18 months of the Diploma
- Strands
- Creativity, activity, service
- Learning outcomes
- Seven, all evidenced
- CAS project
- Collaborative, at least one month
- Points
- None, but required for the Diploma
The three strands
| Strand | What it means | Gulf-friendly examples |
|---|---|---|
| Creativity | Arts and other experiences that involve creative thinking | Learning the oud or calligraphy, a school film or theatre production, designing a website for a charity |
| Activity | Physical exertion that contributes to a healthy lifestyle | Training for a padel or football team, a desert hiking programme, learning to swim or dive |
| Service | Collaborative, unpaid engagement with the community that meets a real need | Tutoring younger students, beach and mangrove clean-ups, supporting a food bank or a Ramadan iftar distribution |
Experiences can combine strands. A beach clean-up that the student organises and leads can involve service and activity.
The seven learning outcomes
Across their CAS programme, students must show evidence of each outcome. One experience can evidence several outcomes.
- Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth.
- Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process.
- Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience.
- Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences.
- Demonstrate the skills and recognise the benefits of working collaboratively.
- Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.
- Recognise and consider the ethics of choices and actions.
The CAS project and the portfolio
Every student completes at least one CAS project. It must be collaborative, involving at least two students, initiated by the students themselves, and must run for at least a month. It can sit in any strand or combine them: a group that plans and runs a weekly reading club at a local school for a term is a typical example. Planning, roles, problems and what the group changed along the way all make good evidence.
Students keep a CAS portfolio, usually on a school platform, with evidence such as photos, plans, messages from supervisors and, most importantly, reflections. Good reflections explain what changed in the student's thinking, skills or awareness, not just what happened. Schools hold check-in conversations with a CAS coordinator or adviser during the programme to review progress against the outcomes.
What parents often get wrong
- Counting hours. The IB guide does not set a fixed number of hours; schools may set their own expectations, but evidence of the outcomes is what matters.
- Paid work or family duties. CAS service is unpaid and should meet a real community need; routine chores and paid jobs do not count.
- Leaving it to DP2. Students who do little in DP1 end up cramming experiences and reflections into the months when IAs, the Extended Essay and the TOK essay are due.
- Buying an experience. Expensive trips are not needed and are not better CAS. Sustained local involvement usually evidences more outcomes.
- Treating it as optional because it has no points. Incomplete CAS means no Diploma.
How one-to-one lessons fit around CAS
CAS is the student's own programme, and no one can do it for them. Where tutoring helps is indirectly. Many students struggle with CAS because the academic load leaves no time; a tutor who teaches a subject where they are behind can make study time more efficient, which frees evenings and weekends for experiences. Some families also use lessons for planning skills: breaking DP2 into weekly targets that include CAS, coursework and revision.
A tutor can also be a sounding board for reflection writing, asking the questions that help a student explain what they learned and how it connects to the outcomes. The reflections themselves must be the student's own words.
Start one sustained experience in DP1
One long-running commitment, such as a weekly sport, a music practice or a regular volunteering role, evidences commitment and perseverance far better than a string of one-off events. Start it in the first term of DP1 and keep reflecting on it.
Common questions
How many hours of CAS does my child need?
The IB guide does not set a fixed number of hours. Some schools give their own guidance, so check the school's CAS handbook. What the IB looks for is a balanced programme over about 18 months that evidences all seven learning outcomes.
Does CAS count towards the 45 points?
No. CAS earns no points, but completing it is a requirement for the Diploma. A student with high exam scores who has not completed CAS is not awarded the Diploma.
What makes a good CAS project?
A real need, a group of at least two students who plan it themselves, a duration of at least a month, and clear roles. Projects that solve a small local problem well usually work better than ambitious ones that stall.
Can activities my child already does count?
Often yes, if they continue during the Diploma, are documented with evidence and reflections, and contribute to the learning outcomes. Check with the school's CAS coordinator.
How much do LiveTutor lessons cost for IB students?
$15 a lesson, the same flat rate for every subject and level, on a weekly plan of 1 to 5 lessons billed monthly. Lessons are 60 minutes, one to one and online, and the first lesson is a free trial.
Sources
Dates and figures on this page come from these official and published sources. Always confirm deadlines on the official page before acting on them.