A brief guide to CAS

Creativity, activity, service (CAS) is intended to be a collection of enjoyable and challenging experiences determined by you to extend your abilities.

Through your CAS experiences, you are to achieve the following learning outcomes.

  • Identify your own strengths and develop areas for personal growth.
  • Demonstrate that you have undertaken challenges and developed new skills in the process.
  • Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience.
  • Show commitment to and perseverance in your CAS experiences.
  • Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively.
  • Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.
  • Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions.

CAS strands

Creativity is exploring and extending ideas, leading to an original or interpretive product or performance.

Music, theatre, film, design technology, visual arts, dance, fashion and other experiences that involve creative thinking fall under creativity (for example, joining a choir or engaging with fashion design).

Activity is physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle.

Taking on a new sport or extending your ability (for example, with football, yoga, dance, aerobics classes, biking or hiking) counts as activity.

Service is collaborative and reciprocal community engagement in response to an authentic need.

By investigating and identifying a community need, then determining a plan of action that respects the rights, dignity and autonomy of all involved (for example, reading to the aged or advocating for a cause), you are performing service.

CAS experiences may cover more than one strand; for example, planning sports events for disadvantaged children may involve both service and activity. Some CAS experiences may involve all three strands; for example, choreographing a performance that promotes the work of a non-profit organization involves creativity, activity and service.

Student responsibilities

  • Thoroughly familiarize yourself with this CAS handbook and timelines.
  • Meet with your CAS coordinator or adviser according to the timeline, at least three times over the duration of your CAS programme. Be sure to come prepared.
  • Base your choices on your interests, skills, talents and areas for growth to stay motivated. Challenge yourself!
  • Balance your experiences between the creativity, activity and service strands.
  • Initiate or engage in at least one CAS project in collaboration with others that extends over at least one month.
  • Use the CAS stages as much as possible when considering, planning and undertaking your CAS experiences. Be sure to apply these to service and to the CAS project.
  • Ask questions along the way when you need assistance or clarification.
  • Participate in regular and meaningful reflection as a way to capture your experiences and summarize your evidence linked to the learning outcomes.
  • Enjoy CAS! That is most important—to participate in experiences that assist your personal growth and offer you a world of possibilities.

Note: Experiences completed as part of the requirements of the DP subjects, including theory of knowledge and the extended essay, cannot be counted as part of your CAS portfolio.