An IB home tutor in Pune needs to know which programme your child is in, because the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP) and Diploma Programme (DP) ask for very different kinds of help. Pune's IB World Schools include Victorious Kidss Educares in Kharadi and Indus International School on the Mulshi side of the city, both of which run all three programmes. IB tutoring is less about drilling a textbook and more about understanding assessment criteria, building independent work and meeting deadlines.
The three IB programmes, and where a tutor fits
| Programme | Ages and classes | How students are assessed | Where a tutor helps |
|---|---|---|---|
| PYP | Ages 3-12; Nursery to about Class 5 | By teachers through the year, across six transdisciplinary themes; an exhibition project in the final year | Reading, writing and maths foundations; research and presentation skills |
| MYP | Ages 11-16; about Classes 6-10 | Against four criteria per subject, each out of 8, converted to a 1-7 grade; a personal project in the final year; optional IB eAssessment | Understanding the criteria; maths and sciences; planning the personal project |
| DP | Classes 11 and 12 | Internal assessments during the course plus final exams; each subject scored 1 to 7, up to 45 points | Higher-level content; IA and extended essay planning; exam technique |
Some schools pair the PYP with Cambridge IGCSE in Classes 9 and 10 instead of the MYP, and then move students into the Diploma. Indus International School Pune, for example, was authorised to offer the MYP in 2019. Our IB vs IGCSE guide explains how the two routes compare.
How the IB Diploma works
- Six subjects, one from each of six groups, with the arts group replaceable by another subject. Three or four are taken at higher level (HL) and the rest at standard level (SL).
- The core: theory of knowledge (TOK), assessed through an essay and an exhibition; the extended essay (EE), an independent research paper of up to 4,000 words; and creativity, activity, service (CAS), which is not scored but must be completed for the Diploma.
- Points: each subject is scored 1 to 7, and TOK and the EE together add up to 3 more, for a maximum of 45. The Diploma needs at least 24 points, plus other conditions.
- Internal assessment (IA): every subject has one, such as a science investigation, a maths exploration or a language oral. Teachers mark it and the IB moderates a sample. It usually counts for a fifth or more of the subject result.
- Exams: schools in the Northern Hemisphere, India included, mostly sit the May session at the end of Class 12. A November session is mainly for Southern Hemisphere schools. Check your school's own calendar for exact dates.
What good IB tuition looks like
Good IB tuition starts from the subject guide and its assessment criteria. A tutor should be able to show your child how an answer or a piece of coursework is judged, criterion by criterion, and what moves it into a higher mark band. In the MYP, that means knowing the four criteria for the subject; in the Diploma, it means knowing the IA criteria and the exam papers for your child's course and level.
Maths needs particular care. IB Diploma maths comes in two courses, Analysis and Approaches and Applications and Interpretation, each at SL or HL, and they are not interchangeable. Make sure the tutor has taught your child's exact course and level.
Planning the Diploma years around deadlines
Diploma students juggle six subjects, IAs, the EE, TOK and CAS at once, and many schools set internal deadlines through Class 11 and the first half of Class 12, ahead of mocks. Ask the school for its deadline calendar early and share it with the tutor. Weekend or later-evening sessions often fit better than a weekday slot squeezed between CAS activities, sport and the school bus.
If your child may apply to Indian universities or sit JEE or NEET, check subject requirements before choosing Diploma subjects. The Association of Indian Universities recognises the IB Diploma for entry to Indian universities, though students usually need an IB document converting their scores to percentages, and medical and engineering courses set their own subject requirements. Our guide to Class 12 boards and entrance exams covers the marks rules.
How to choose an IB tutor in Pune
- They have taught the IB recently and know your child's programme, subject and level.
- They talk about assessment criteria and mark bands, not just chapters.
- They are clear, without being asked, that IA, EE and TOK work stays your child's own.
- For the Diploma, they have taught your child's exact maths course, or HL in the subject you need.
- They can fit around school deadlines and CAS commitments.
- They can reach your home reliably week after week.
On TutorUp, choose IB as the board when you post a requirement, along with the class and subject, and use the note to say which programme and level your child is on, such as MYP Year 4 or DP Chemistry HL. Verified tutors near you can then apply. Before any tutor's profile goes live, a person on our team confirms who they are, on a short call or from a photo ID and a selfie. That is an identity check, not a police or background check and not a judgement of teaching quality, so read how verification works and meet the tutor first. Our Kharadi page covers local schools and timings in East Pune, and the Pune area list covers every other neighbourhood. To see how the IB compares with the Indian boards, read our comparison of all five boards.