An IB Diploma paper sat in Singapore on a May morning is not always the paper a candidate in London sits later that day. The IB groups schools into exam zones and sets different versions of many papers, so a question seen in one region cannot help anyone who has not started yet. That design changes how students should practise, and what they must not do once the exam is over.
How to choose and use IB exam time zones
Three exam zones, several paper versions
The IB schedule places every school in an exam zone: Zone A for Asia and Australia, Zone B for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, Zone C for the Americas. Singapore is in Zone A. Start times are printed in local time for each zone, so a candidate reads them straight off the schedule with no daylight-saving arithmetic.
Many subjects then have more than one version of a paper. On past papers these carry labels such as TZ1 and TZ2. In its latest procedure update the IB added further variants and moved start times at some Zone A schools, so two schools in the same zone may not sit the same paper at the same moment.
Read the schedule in local time
Singapore runs on UTC+8 all year, with no daylight saving. The IB schedule already gives Zone A start times in local time, so a local candidate needs no conversion. Conversion matters for the people around the candidate: a parent travelling, a tutor abroad, or a student who changed schools mid-programme. The zone follows the school where the candidate is registered, not where the family lives.
- Confirm the school's zone first.
- Put every paper's local start time in one calendar.
- Recheck the schedule when the school sends updates.
For the next step, read the guide for students moving to Singapore.
Why the IB splits the papers
One exam slot rolls across the world over most of a day. A candidate in Asia can finish before a candidate in the Americas has woken up, and a question posted online in between would reach them first. Separate versions close that gap. After questions from an earlier session were reported shared online, the IB tightened its procedures: candidates stay supervised for at least two hours however short the paper, and schools clear calculator memories afterwards.
The 24-hour rule sits on top. Candidates must not discuss a paper's content with anyone outside their immediate school community for 24 hours after it ends. A group chat with friends at another school counts.
Plan around a moving time gap
The gap between here and a country with daylight saving changes during the year. London is eight hours behind Singapore in the British winter and seven hours behind in the British summer, which covers the May session. A weekly call with a London tutor set up in January will land an hour off by May. Convert for the exact date instead of relying on a remembered difference.
- Convert for the date of each call.
- Show both cities' times in the invite.
- Keep calls well clear of paper start times.
For the next step, time practice papers properly.
What it means for past-paper practice
Time zone versions are good news for revision. Each variant of a past paper is a separate set of questions built to the same specification, so a session with two variants gives two papers to practise, not one. Match each paper to its own markscheme. A TZ2 answer checked against the TZ1 scheme looks wrong for no reason.
Ignore anything online claiming to be this year's questions from another zone. It will be a different paper, and seeking it out is the misconduct these rules exist to catch.
Keep the 24 hours quiet
The simplest household rule is no talk about paper content outside school for a day after each exam, including with cousins or friends sitting IB elsewhere. Talk about how it felt and what to rest before the next paper. That keeps the candidate inside the rules and skips a question-by-question post-mortem that rarely helps the next exam.
- Mute exam group chats for the day.
- Talk about effort, not questions.
- Report leaked content to the IB coordinator.
For the next step, build a weekly study system.
What each security measure means for a candidate
These rules protect the candidate's own result as much as anyone else's.
| Measure | What it does | What the candidate does |
|---|---|---|
| Exam zones | Group schools by region with fixed local start times | Read start times straight from the schedule |
| Time zone paper versions | Give regions different questions | Practise every variant with its own markscheme |
| Minimum supervision | Keeps candidates supervised for at least two hours | Plan for the full supervised period |
| 24-hour rule | Stops content spreading before other zones sit | Keep paper content off chats for a day |
What usually goes wrong with IB exam time zones
- Marking against the wrong markscheme. Match every TZ1 or TZ2 paper to the scheme with the same label.
- Hunting for another zone's questions. A leaked paper from elsewhere is a different version, and looking for it breaks the rules.
- Trusting a remembered time difference. Daylight saving elsewhere shifts the gap during the year.
Build your own plan
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Where to check the official rules
Rules, dates and examination formats for this topic can change. Check the primary sources below before acting on an administrative detail.
International Baccalaureate
The IB's own site for the Diploma Programme, its assessment and its current rules.
IB: Diploma Programme exam schedule
Find the current session's timetable and the local start times for each exam zone.
IB: updated assessment procedures
Read the IB's announcement of extra paper variants, adjusted Zone A start times and minimum supervision.
IB: Diploma Programme assessment FAQ
Check the IB's answers on results, markschemes and how assessment is run.
Tools that do each step
Each link goes to the tool page for one step above. Check a tool's own terms before uploading anything with a child's name on it.
Time.now: all time zones
See the current time in every zone, including those the IB exam zones cover.
Time.now: time zone converter
Convert a start time or call time for an exact date, with daylight saving applied.
Time.now: Singapore time
Check the live time in Singapore when coordinating with family or tutors abroad.
Questions readers ask about IB exam time zones
Which IB exam zone is Singapore in?
Zone A, which covers Asia and Australia. The IB schedule gives start times in local time, so there is nothing to convert.
What do TZ1 and TZ2 mean on IB past papers?
They mark different time zone versions of a paper. Each has its own questions and markscheme, and both are useful practice.
Can IB candidates talk about the exam afterwards?
Not about the paper's content with anyone outside the immediate school community for 24 hours after it ends. Talking about how it went, without the questions, is fine.
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