CAS - Laying down the basics

[ib1123]

Scanning through the CAS forum I've noticed there's a lot of confusion regarding what's required for CAS. Each school has its own guidelines and the IBO is unfortunately highly enigmatic, making the acquisition of any formal guidelines unnecessarily difficult. As such, let me lay down the very bare basics to CAS. At the end of the day, however, you should follow your school's guidelines.

First and foremost (since this has probably generated the most discussion), the 150 hours system has been abolished. Prior to 2010 there was a requirement that students complete a minimum of 150 hours of creativity, action and service, with an approximately equal distribution of hours across these three categories. i.e. it was expected you do around 50hrs each of creativity, action and service. The current expectation is that students partake in creativity, action and service activities on a regular basis over the course of the 2yr program. So, essentially, the IBO just decided to become very vague on the issue. This was to avoid students completing all their CAS in the first year.

Regarding the activities themselves, they are meant to be such that, together, they facilitate the completion of the eight CAS learning outcomes (which I'm not going to quote here since they're so readily available on the internet).

As for the project, it has to combine at least two categories (i.e. creativity+action, creativity+service, action+service, or all three). It has to last for at least a few months, meaning it has to be prolonged and can't be, for instance, a 2 week stint. It should also involve some planning/initiation/etc by you, as well as incorporating aspects of teamwork.

You're meant to have an interim and final interview with your CAS coordinator. This is not intended to be extremely formal - it's just to make sure you're on track.

You're also meant to reflect on your CAS activities. This can be done, for example, in the form of regular journal entries typed on a word document. When I say regular, however, please note that this not synonymous with frequent. IB students are notoriously very busy and so it's fine to write journal entries, for instance, on a monthly basis, where you reflect on the previous months activities.

There have been claims that you must partake in at least two CAS activities for each CAS category (creativity/action/service). There have also been claims that you're meant to participate in CAS activities on a daily basis. I'm dubious about the validity of these claims, but am not in a position to respond to them definitively. If anyone else can, please do.

I have no doubt that I've left some other useful information out, so as I remember things, I'll also try to remember to add them. Please contribute as you feel fit.

[Wicquor]

Have the criteria for what qualifies as an activity changed? As in, I believe the IBO states that anything that is religious or political in nature cannot be used as an activity and anything that you earn money from also does not qualify as an activity.

Also, according to my school we still need 50 hours each for creativity, action and service o:. Might just be my school, as you mentioned schools have different regulations for CAS.

[ib1123]

Yes you're right about the criteria for activities. You can't be earning money from your activities. Nor can they have religious or political affiliations.

And re the 50hrs, that would just be your school maintaining the old protocol. The IBO have changed there policy to a numberless system where they require prolonged participation.

[Guest Marioti]

hm I don't know about prolonged participation for my school they just say about 50 hours for each ( you can have 40 for service and 60 for action and 50 creativity for example)