IB English B Goes Digital in May 2026: What Every Student and Parent Should Know

The IB has been planning this transition for several years. As Matt Glanville, the IB’s Director of Assessment, told Tes Magazine in November 2024: “We’re very conscious it is a big change for many schools, so we’re trying to do it in a proportionate way — not a big bang.”

In May 2026, the first live digital exams will run across three confirmed pilot subjects: English Language and Literature, Spanish Language and Literature, and English B. More than 60 pioneer schools and approximately 3,000 students are involved. English B exams will be taken on laptops or desktops within IB schools, using the IBO’s purpose-built platform at des.ibo.org. The exam is downloaded to the device before the session begins and runs offline during the sitting — no internet connection is needed while students are working.

From November 2026, all IB World Schools can opt in to digital exams for Language and Literature and Language Acquisition subjects. The IB’s long-term aim is a full transition to digital exams across all DP subjects by the early 2030s. During the transition period, schools and students can choose between paper and digital formats. The IBO has stated: “During this transition, schools can continue administering paper examinations until fully prepared to go digital.”

Glanville has framed the rationale simply: students today interact with computers in their day-to-day academic life, and the exam format should reflect that reality. He has also noted that digital exams will “massively increase the range of accessibility functions” available to students (WhichSchoolAdvisor).

The short answer: the medium changes, but the content does not. Every paper keeps its existing time allocation, word counts, question types, and assessment criteria. Here is what the on-screen experience looks like for each component.

Paper 1 — Writing

Students type their response into a rich-text editor instead of handwriting on paper. The interface uses a split-screen layout: the stimulus and task appear on the left panel, and the writing area with a formatting toolbar appears on the right. The toolbar includes bold, italic, underline, superscript, subscript, lists, alignment controls, table insertion, undo/redo, font family, and font size selection. There is no spell-check, no grammar checker, and no translation tool. Word counts remain unchanged — SL students write 250–400 words in 1 hour 15 minutes, and HL students write 450–600 words in 1 hour 30 minutes.

Paper 2 — Reading

Reading passages appear on the left panel with typed answer boxes on the right. Navigation tabs at the bottom of the screen allow students to switch between Text A, Text B, and Text C. A “View summary” button shows completion status for all questions. Both panels have independent zoom controls so students can enlarge the passage or the answer area separately. The draggable split-screen slider lets students adjust how much screen space each panel occupies. Time remains 1 hour for both SL and HL.

Paper 2 — Listening

Audio is delivered through the platform’s built-in audio player rather than classroom speakers. This is a significant practical change: the audio cannot be paused, the progress bar cannot be used to rewind or fast-forward, and students see a Play Count showing how many times each clip can be played. These rules mirror the fairness conditions of the paper-based format — but students must adapt to hearing audio through headphones on a personal device rather than through shared classroom speakers. Time remains 45 minutes for SL and 1 hour for HL.

Individual Oral

The IO is internally assessed and is not part of the digital exam transition. It continues in its current face-to-face format with no changes.

This is the most important point for families to understand: the digital transition is a change of medium, not a change of content. The following are all confirmed unchanged by the IBO:

• Assessment criteria — Criterion A (Language), Criterion B (Message), and Criterion C (Conceptual Understanding) are identical for paper and digital sitters.
• Component weightings — Paper 1: 25%, Paper 2 Reading: 25%, Paper 2 Listening: 25%, IO: 25% (SL). HL IO is 20% with the HL Essay at 5%.
• Time allocations — SL Paper 1: 1h 15m. HL Paper 1: 1h 30m. Paper 2 Reading: 1h. SL Listening: 45m. HL Listening: 1h.
• Five prescribed themes — Identities, Experiences, Human Ingenuity, Social Organisation, and Sharing the Planet remain unchanged.
• Text types and task structure — All 11 SL text types and 12 HL text types (including the Proposal) are unchanged.
• Grade boundaries — Set to ensure equivalent results for paper and digital sitters.
• Individual Oral format — Internally assessed and not part of the digital transition.

A new Language B curriculum guide is currently in development, with first teaching in 2027/28 and first assessment in May 2029 (IBO DP Updates, February 2026). The current guide (first assessment 2020) governs all students sitting exams in May 2026 and November 2026. The prescribed themes and assessment model are confirmed unchanged in the new guide as well — so there are no surprise syllabus changes on the horizon for current students.

If your child attends an IB World School, the school will communicate directly with your family about whether it is participating in the May 2026 digital pilot. Participation is a school-level decision — your child does not need to opt in individually. If your school is not among the 60+ pioneer schools, your child will sit paper exams as normal.

University recognition is unaffected

Digital exam results are official IB assessments. Grades are reported identically on transcripts regardless of whether the exam was taken on paper or on-screen, and university recognition is unaffected. The IBO maintains a comprehensive recognition database where you can verify your target institutions.

Technical reliability

Exams are downloaded to the device before the session begins and run offline — internet outages during the exam will not affect your child. Schools run pre-exam device compatibility checks, and the IBO provides 24/7 technical support during exam sessions.

Built-in accessibility

The digital platform includes six accessibility sub-features, all confirmed in the DPCP Functionality Tool Guide (January 2026): Resize Text (4 magnification levels), Contrast (Invert, Dark, or Light modes), Dyslexia-Friendly Font, Background Colour (11 options including beige, lavender, and dark blue), Line Height (1.5x, 1.75x, or 2.0x), and Text Spacing (Standard, Expanded, or Wide). As Glanville told Tes: “At the moment, access arrangements require students to tell us in advance about their need for a different colour palette or fonts, and so on. But with the digital environment, they can have control over those elements.”

The real preparation question

The exam content, criteria, and grade boundaries are unchanged. The practical question is whether your child is comfortable composing extended analytical writing on a keyboard under timed conditions. Research supports this concern: a 2024 review of 47 studies found that when students are familiar with composing on a keyboard, scores are broadly comparable to handwritten exams — but computer familiarity is the main moderating variable (Lestari, 2024). Students who rarely type extended essays should practise doing so before the exam — not to reach a specific typing speed, but to develop the habit of composing and editing on-screen.

The IBO has released official familiarisation materials at des.ibo.org, built from past papers and accessible to schools, students, parents, and guardians. They carry no marks, are fully repeatable, and include a Back button so students can revisit any section. As the IBO puts it: “Familiarization means getting comfortable before it counts — no marks, and no pressure.”

Beyond the familiarisation specimens, here are six practical preparation steps:

1. Practise composing, not just typing

The key skill is forming and editing analytical arguments on-screen, not achieving a specific typing speed. Write full Paper 1 responses on a computer under timed conditions — SL students have 1h 15m for 250–400 words; HL students have 1h 30m for 450–600 words. If your child currently handwrites all practice essays, switching to typed responses now gives them time to adjust before exam day.

2. Run the official specimen exams

Access the familiarisation specimens at des.ibo.org and work through at least one Paper 1 and one Paper 2 (both Reading and Listening) before the exam date. Specimen papers exist for both SL and HL across all three papers. Use them multiple times — there are no marks and no pressure.

3. Understand the digital audio player

This is the single biggest practical difference for Listening. The audio cannot be paused. The progress bar cannot be rewound or fast-forwarded. Students see a Play Count showing how many plays remain for each clip. Preparation should include practising with audio in conditions where replaying specific sections is not possible — read all questions before the clip plays, take notes on key words and numbers, and use the Notepad tool for jottings.

4. Master the six tools before exam day

Run the official specimen exams and use every tool deliberately. The Highlighter (four colours: light blue, light green, purple, yellow) is useful for marking key phrases in reading passages — and includes an annotation/note function for adding sticky notes to highlighted text. The Notepad has its own rich-text formatting toolbar and persists throughout the exam (it is not deleted when closed). The Flag tool bookmarks questions or texts to return to later. The Timer can be set to count down, count up, or hidden completely (and restored at any time). Practise adjusting the split-screen slider to find a preferred panel width. Note: annotations and notepad content are not submitted for marking.

5. Adapt your planning approach

On paper, students plan in margins. On-screen, use the Notepad tool for planning before writing in the main text area. Practise this workflow explicitly so it feels natural under exam conditions. The Notepad is designed for this: it has formatting options, can be moved around the screen, and does not disappear when minimised.

6. Prepare the content, not just the format

The digital format is new; the assessment criteria are not. A Grade 7 still requires near-perfect scores across all components. Content knowledge, language accuracy, and conceptual understanding remain the determining factors. For a detailed breakdown of what each paper requires and how to reach the top band, see our complete IB English B strategy guide. If your child’s exam dates are approaching, check the IB May 2026 exam dates and study calendar — English B Paper 1 and Paper 2 Reading fall on Thursday 7 May 2026 (afternoon), and Paper 2 Listening on Friday 8 May 2026 (morning).

Ready to Prepare?

The format is new, but the fundamentals of a strong English B result have not changed. Whether your child needs help building on-screen composing confidence, working through the official specimen exams with structured feedback, or preparing content across all four components, our IB English B educators are here to help.

Early preparation makes the difference — especially for students who are encountering the digital format for the first time.