Guidance checked on 6 October 2026. Confirm school and university requirements for your intended entry year.
Choosing MYP subjects becomes easier when you can see what each option prepares you to study next. A course name on an options form tells you only part of that story. You also need to understand the content, the skills you will develop and the conditions for entering the DP courses that interest you.
An MYP choice need not permanently close a DP door. There is room to change direction, although mathematics deserves an early conversation: missing the preparation or entry expectations for a particular maths course can make that option unavailable when you need it.
The aim is to keep worthwhile options realistic while choosing subjects you can engage with and study well.
What Are You Actually Choosing in MYP 4 and 5?
The MYP has eight subject groups. The IB’s curriculum guidance allows flexibility in Years 4 and 5, when students may study courses from six groups within specified limits.
Those limits matter. Under the IB’s subject group flexibility rules, students retain language and literature, language acquisition or a second language and literature course in another language, individuals and societies, sciences and mathematics. They also study at least one of arts, design, or physical and health education.
Your school’s options form determines how that framework becomes actual choices. Find out which subjects are compulsory, which are alternatives and which combinations the timetable supports.
The DP curriculum then requires six subjects and the core, with three or four subjects at Higher Level and the remainder at Standard Level. An additional language, science, or individuals and societies subject can replace an arts subject.
You are therefore preparing for a later selection, rather than choosing your final DP combination now.
How MYP Subjects Connect to DP Courses
The table below is a practical interpretation of connections between the MYP framework and the IB’s DP subject list. Use it to discuss preparation with your teachers. Entry conditions and available courses depend on your school.
| MYP subject group | Related DP options | What to investigate now |
|---|---|---|
| Language and literature | Language A: Literature; Language A: Language and Literature | Your analytical writing, reading confidence and the language courses available |
| Language acquisition | Language B in a language you have studied; potentially ab initio in a new language | Placement based on previous experience and proficiency |
| Individuals and societies | History, Geography, Economics, Business Management, Psychology and other social sciences | Which disciplines your course covers and how it develops evidence, argument and research |
| Sciences | Biology, Chemistry, Physics; other sciences where offered | Coverage of each science, laboratory experience and the school’s SL and HL entry expectations |
| Mathematics | Mathematics AA or AI, each at SL or HL | Standard or extended preparation, required grades and any placement assessment |
| Arts | Visual Arts, Music, Theatre, Dance or Film | Relevant creative experience and any portfolio or performance expectations |
| Design | Design Technology; relevant preparation for aspects of Computer Science | Whether your course develops product design, digital design or programming, and what DP entry requires |
| Physical and health education | Sports, Exercise and Health Science | How your knowledge connects with the DP course’s scientific content and whether your school offers it |
Treat a matching subject name as a starting point. Equally, investigate a DP option even if its exact name does not appear on your MYP timetable.
Why the Maths Route Needs an Early Check
There are three distinct decisions to understand.
MYP standard or extended mathematics describes your preparation during the MYP. The IB explains that extended mathematics adds topics and skills for greater breadth and depth, providing a foundation for further study such as DP mathematics HL.
Mathematics AA or AI describes the emphasis of your DP course. Analysis and Approaches develops mathematical reasoning and algebraic fluency, with particular attention to functions and calculus. Applications and Interpretation emphasises modelling, statistics and using mathematics in context; it also includes functions and calculus. See the IB’s AA overview and AI subject brief.
SL or HL describes the level of study. Both AA and AI are offered at both levels, giving four DP mathematics options. Standard MYP mathematics is not another name for AI SL, and extended MYP mathematics does not automatically place you in AA HL.
A published school example shows why the distinction matters. NLCS Dubai’s 2025 options booklet, covering subjects offered for 2026, lists MYP grade 7 in extended mathematics as the expected prior learning for AA HL. For AI HL, it lists grade 6 or above in extended, or grade 7 in standard. Admission to either HL course also depends on an internal suitability test.
These are that school’s published expectations. The practical implication is that a late change can become difficult if your preparation does not meet the conditions for your intended course.
Ask your maths teacher which DP routes your current course prepares you for, whether movement into extended mathematics is possible, and what evidence would support that move. Request a specific preparation plan and review date if there is a gap.
The IB is updating DP mathematics for first teaching in 2027 and first assessment in 2029. Use the subject brief for your cohort when planning ahead.
Which Choices Can You Change Later?
The IB’s MYP guidance explicitly allows schools to offer different subjects or disciplines in Year 5 from those studied in Year 4. That includes a different arts, design, or physical and health education option. Your school must offer the change and ensure the required learning and assessment can be completed.
New subjects can also become possible at DP. The IB Business Management guide, for example, requires no specific prior study of business. It identifies MYP individuals and societies as useful preparation. A missing MYP Business course title is therefore not, by itself, an IB barrier to this subject.
Science needs closer attention to content. The IB’s MYP science guidance allows integrated courses. Its DP Chemistry guide recognises several forms of prior science education as preparation for HL. Ask whether your actual course covers the knowledge and practical skills your intended DP science expects, and check the school’s entry conditions.
Language changes involve placement as well as availability. Language B is intended for students with previous experience of the language. Ab initio is for students with no or very limited previous experience and is offered only at SL. A new language may be possible where the school offers an appropriate beginner course.
For any proposed switch, establish the missing preparation, the deadline and who approves it. A change becomes a workable option when those details are clear.
Look One Step Beyond DP Without Choosing Your Whole Career
You do not need to settle on a profession in MYP 3. You can still investigate a few degree areas that interest you and identify any subject requirements that deserve attention now.
The IB’s course selection guidance distinguishes required, preferred and recommended subjects. Keep those categories separate when making notes.
For example, Cambridge’s Computer Science requirements for 2027 entry ask IB applicants for Mathematics AA at Higher Level. Applicants whose school does not offer AA are directed to contact their shortlisted Colleges for advice.
That example shows why the precise DP maths course and level matter. It does not establish a rule for every computing degree, and meeting that subject requirement does not guarantee admission. Today’s MYP students should recheck requirements for their own application year.
For the broader decision, read our guide to IB DP subject choices and university requirements.
Make Your Choice Using Evidence From Your Own Work
In its MYP to DP transition guide, Lanterna asks:
“Which subject am I genuinely curious enough about to study in detail for two years?”
Use that question alongside your recent work and teacher feedback. Nail IB’s subject selection advice also recommends consulting teachers who know your strengths and weaknesses.
Before submitting your choices, complete these four steps:
- Inspect the work. Look at the tasks, topics and assessments in each option. Identify what you enjoy doing and where you consistently need support.
- Check future access. Obtain your school’s DP entry expectations, especially for maths, sciences and languages. Check combinations as well as individual subjects.
- Resolve the tradeoff. If two choices compete, compare which preparation would be harder to recover and which future option matters more to you.
- Agree on a review point. Record what would justify a change and when it must happen. Revisit the decision as your interests and performance develop.
Choose a challenge you can sustain. Keeping every imaginable route open is less useful than preparing well for the options you have reason to value.
Build the Foundation for Your Next Choice
Bring your subject map to a conversation with your teacher or coordinator. Aim to leave with confirmed options, clear entry expectations and a plan for any preparation you need.
Explore Koncepts for MYP students to support your current subject learning, and Koncepts for DP students to explore the next stage. Use that learning to make your choices increasingly informed as you move through the MYP.
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