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Career-related Programme · Ages 16–19The Career-related Programme blends IB academic courses with a career focus, for students aged 16 to 19. Apex supports CP students across their DP courses and the CP core — including the Reflective Project — one-to-one, live in your timezone.
The CP, for ages 16–19, combines IB academic rigour with a career focus. It is built from three connected parts: at least two Diploma Programme courses, a career-related study chosen by the school, and the CP core — personal and professional skills, language and cultural studies, community engagement and the Reflective Project.
Chosen from any Diploma subject group — the academic underpinning of the programme.
Chosen by the school to suit local needs, and meeting IB accreditation and quality criteria.
Personal and professional skills, language and cultural studies, community engagement, and the Reflective Project.
Source: International Baccalaureate — Career-related Programme · the CP core. Verified 10 July 2026.
Four components. The school assesses three — personal and professional skills, language and cultural studies, and community engagement — while the IB itself assesses the fourth, the Reflective Project: an independent study of an ethical dilemma in a career-related area. Apex supports all four one-to-one, with particular depth on the Reflective Project.
Source: IB — the CP core. Verified 10 July 2026.
The CP (ages 16–19) is a three-part framework: at least two Diploma Programme courses, a career-related study chosen by the school, and the CP core. It combines academic rigour with a focus on a career field.
The Diploma is six subjects plus the core scored out of 45. The CP is narrower academically — at least two DP courses — combined with a career-related study and its own CP core, for students who want to blend academic study with a career direction.
The Reflective Project is an independent study of an ethical dilemma in a career-related area, developed over an extended period. It is the one CP core component the IB assesses; the school assesses the other three (personal and professional skills, language and cultural studies, and community engagement).
The Career-related Programme is designed for students aged 16 to 19 — the same age range as the Diploma Programme. It is one of the IB’s four programmes across a 3 to 19 continuum, and sits at the upper-secondary stage for students who want to combine academic study with a defined career direction.
The career-related study is the part of the CP that gives it its career focus. Each school chooses the study to suit local needs, and it must meet the IB’s accreditation and quality criteria. It is taken alongside at least two Diploma Programme courses and the CP core, grounding the programme in a chosen career field.
A CP student takes at least two Diploma Programme courses, chosen from any of the DP’s six subject groups: studies in language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, and the arts. These provide the academic underpinning, studied alongside the career-related study and the four-part CP core.
Yes. The IB removed its old ’three-session rule’ in 2023 for the DP, CP and MYP, so students are no longer limited to a maximum of three examination sessions. A DP course can be retaken in any future session — held each May and November — and the highest grade achieved counts. The change applies to past, current and future students.
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