DP Scheme of Work Template: What to Include, Month by Month

A scheme of work is your own private pacing plan for the two-year DP course — separate from any school-shared document, and separate from the syllabus itself. Here's a structure that holds up across both years, with an example.

Independently developed by Fresh Start Planner — not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by any curriculum provider. Full disclaimer below.

What a DP scheme of work actually needs

Unlike a single-year course, a DP scheme of work has to account for roughly 150 teaching hours (SL) or 240 hours (HL) spread across two academic years, with real deadlines — mocks, IA submission, the exam session itself — sitting in the middle of it. A plan that only lists topics without hours or dates doesn't tell you whether you're actually on pace.

The fields worth tracking per topic

For each topic or unit, the following holds up well in practice:

• Content / subtopics covered — the specific vocabulary, concepts or skills within the topic, not just its title.
• Learning outcome — what a student should be able to do by the end, stated as an action.
• Hours allocated per month — spread across the months you'll actually teach it, not a single lump figure.
• ATL skills — which Approaches to Learning skill category the unit develops (thinking, communication, social, self-management, research).
• International-mindedness — a genuine connecting question, not a token line.
• TOK and CAS links — where this topic naturally connects to Theory of Knowledge or Creativity, Activity, Service, if it does.
• Key dates — practice orals, coursework deadlines, anything tied to this specific topic.
• Assessment — how you'll actually check understanding for this unit.

Example

Field	Example
Topic	Identities, Experiences
Content	Salutations, the family, numbers 0–31
Learning outcome	Students will be able to introduce themselves and others
ATL skill	Thinking, Communication
International-mindedness	How does language shape identity?
Key dates	Practice individual oral, mid-September

Pacing across two years, not one

The part most templates miss: a DP scheme of work needs a way to tell you, at any point, whether you're on track to actually finish before your exam session — not just what percentage of hours you've logged. That means knowing your periods-per-week for this specific class (not your whole timetable), and walking forward through your real calendar, holidays included, to a projected finish date.

Fresh Start Planner is an independently developed planning tool, not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by IB, Cambridge, Edexcel, AP or any curriculum provider. References to these curricula are descriptive only, to indicate compatibility. All trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. This page does not reproduce, replace or distribute any official curriculum documentation.