The IB Diploma Programme emphasizes holistic education through its core components: Theory of Knowledge (TOK), and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS). This page serves as a dedicated resource to support students in successfully navigating and reflecting on these essential parts of their IB journey.
Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is a core IB component encouraging personal growth through diverse experiences beyond academics. CAS encourages students to engage in a range of activities that foster self-awareness, responsibility, and a sense of community.
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The Three Strands of CAS
CAS is structured around three interconnected strands:
Creativity: Involves exploring and extending ideas that lead to an original or interpretive product or performance. This can include activities such as arts, music, drama, and other creative endeavors.
Activity: Entails physical exertion contributing to a healthy lifestyle, complementing academic work elsewhere in the Diploma Programme. This can encompass sports, physical fitness, or other activities promoting physical well-being.
Service: Involves collaborative and reciprocal engagement with the community in response to an authentic need. Service activities should respect the rights, dignity, and autonomy of all those involved, ensuring that the engagement is beneficial for both the student and the community.
CAS Project
A significant aspect of CAS is the CAS Project, which requires students to undertake a collaborative and sustained activity that challenges them to show initiative, demonstrate perseverance, and develop skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, and decision-making. The project should involve real, purposeful activities with significant outcomes and thoughtful consideration, including planning, reviewing progress, and reflecting on outcomes and personal learning.
Reflection
Reflection is a central component of CAS, enabling students to assess their experiences and personal growth. Students are encouraged to reflect on their CAS activities before, during, and after their involvement. This reflective process helps students to identify goals, develop strategies, and determine further actions for personal growth.
Documentation and Evidence
While CAS is not formally assessed, students are required to document their experiences and provide evidence of achieving the seven CAS learning outcomes. This documentation is typically maintained through platforms such as ManageBac, where students record their activities, reflections, and evidence of their engagement with CAS.
Significance of CAS
CAS provides students with opportunities to:
Develop a sense of responsibility and commitment to their community.
Enhance personal and interpersonal skills.
Achieve a balance between academic and non-academic pursuits.
Foster a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment from their work.
Understand their roles as members of local and global communities.
By engaging in CAS, students are encouraged to become active, compassionate, and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
To successfully complete CAS, students are expected to engage in a balanced range of activities that encompass all three strands: Creativity, Activity, and Service. Participation should be ongoing throughout the Diploma Programme, encouraging students to develop new skills, take on challenges, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.
While the IB does not mandate a specific number of hours, many schools recommend consistent involvement to ensure students meet the learning outcomes. Activities should be purposeful, ethical, and reflect genuine engagement, rather than simply fulfilling a requirement.
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The Seven CAS Learning Outcomes
Students must demonstrate achievement of the following seven learning outcomes through their CAS experiences:
Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
Recognize personal skills and challenges, and work to improve.
Undertake new challenges
Step outside of comfort zones and try unfamiliar activities.
Demonstrate perseverance and commitment
Show dedication to CAS activities over a sustained period.
Work collaboratively with others
Engage effectively in teamwork and cooperation.
Engage with issues of global significance
Understand and act on important social, environmental, or cultural issues.
Consider the ethical implications of actions
Reflect on the morality and impact of one’s decisions and behaviors.
Develop new skills
Acquire and refine abilities through CAS activities.
CAS Project
A key element of CAS is the CAS Project, a collaborative and sustained endeavor that requires students to plan, execute, and reflect on a meaningful activity or series of activities. The project should challenge students to demonstrate initiative, perseverance, and teamwork, while addressing an authentic community need.
The CAS Project offers an opportunity to integrate the three strands—Creativity, Activity, and Service—and to experience the full cycle of CAS: investigation, preparation, action, reflection, and demonstration.
Reflection and documentation are vital parts of the CAS experience. Reflection helps students think about what they've done, why it mattered, and how they've grown through their experiences. It encourages meaningful learning by connecting actions to personal development.
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Students are encouraged to reflect:
Before an activity, to set goals and plan
During the activity, to monitor progress and challenges
After the activity, to evaluate outcomes, lessons learned, and how they have grown
Effective reflection helps students develop critical thinking and self-awareness, making their CAS journey more purposeful and rewarding.
Documentation is how students keep track of their CAS experiences and evidence their learning. This typically includes:
Descriptions of activities
Records of hours and participation
Evidence such as photos, videos, or testimonials
Written reflections or journal entries
Many schools use digital platforms like ManageBac to organize and submit CAS documentation. Although CAS is not formally graded, thorough documentation and thoughtful reflection are essential to demonstrate fulfillment of the CAS requirements and learning outcomes.
Together, reflection and documentation turn CAS into more than a list of activities - they make it a thoughtful, purposeful journey.