Hey Raha blog · School calendars

IB school calendars in the Gulf 2026-27: term dates and IB exam dates

By Marie Adly · Last updated: 22 October 2026

IB schools in the Gulf get their term dates from the country they are in, not from the IB. Exam dates are the opposite: the IB sets them for every school in the world. The May 2027 Diploma and Career-related Programme exams are scheduled from Friday 23 April to Tuesday 18 May 2027 (UNCONFIRMED until listed on ibo.org), and the November 2026 session runs from Friday 23 October to Friday 13 November 2026. This guide puts both together for families in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

The short version: who sets what

The IB states on its exam schedule page that families should ask their school coordinator which schedule applies to them.

IB exam sessions: November 2026 and May 2027

What else the May 2027 schedule says:

• No exams on 1 May, the only public holiday the IB builds in. It falls on a Saturday in 2027.
• Arabic literature and language papers are not scheduled on a Friday, a rule the IB applies for regional and cultural reasons.
• Start times depend on your school's exam zone. For time zones of UTC+3 and UTC+4, which cover the Gulf, morning papers start at 9am or 10am local time and afternoon papers at 1pm or 2pm. Your coordinator confirms your zone.
• The schedule is the same in every zone, so a paper in Dubai sits on the same date as in London or Singapore.

Results days

• May 2027 session: the IB issues May results on 5 July, from 12.00 GMT, to schools and to universities that receive transcripts electronically. Candidates see them on the candidate website from 12.00 GMT on 6 July, according to the IB's Assessment FAQ. In 2027 that is Tuesday 6 July at 4pm in the UAE and 3pm in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. These are the IB's standing annual dates; your coordinator gives you the candidate login.
• November 2026 session: results are issued to schools on 16 December from 9pm GMT, released at staggered times by time zone. In the Gulf that is after midnight, on 17 December.

Term dates for IB schools, country by country

UAE (Dubai). IB schools in Dubai run a September-start year under KHDA. KHDA's 2026-27 calendar for these schools starts the year on Monday 31 August 2026, has a winter break from Monday 14 December 2026 to Friday 1 January 2027 (back Monday 4 January), a spring break from Monday 5 to Friday 9 April 2027 and ends on Friday 2 July 2027. Schools can adjust within the rules, so check yours. Our Dubai school holidays and term dates guide and the KHDA calendar 2026-27 have the detail; for Abu Dhabi, see Abu Dhabi school term dates.

Qatar. Private schools, including IB schools, follow the Ministry of Education and Higher Education's frame but publish their own dates. The International School of London Qatar, an IB school, lists a winter break from 20 December 2026 to 3 January 2027, Eid al-Fitr from 7 to 11 March 2027 and Eid al-Adha from 16 to 20 May 2027, with the last day on 24 June 2027. See our Qatar school calendar 2026-27.

Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Education allows private and international schools to choose their own academic system, so IB schools publish their own calendars, which can look very different from the public 1448 calendar. See Saudi school holidays 2026-27 for the public dates.

Kuwait. The Ministry of Education's calendar sets dates for public and Arabic private schools; foreign-curriculum private schools, including IB schools, publish their own. See Kuwait school holidays 2026-27 for the official public dates.

Eid and the May 2027 exams

The IB says it cannot take national or religious holidays into account, apart from 1 May. Eid al-Adha 2027 is expected around 16 or 17 May (UNCONFIRMED, moon sighting), and the May 2027 schedule runs until Tuesday 18 May. So in 2027 the last days of the exam session may fall during Eid al-Adha and during a school's Eid break. If your child sits papers on Monday 17 or Tuesday 18 May, check the timetable with the coordinator before you book travel, and agree with your school whether the building is open for candidates during its Eid closure. Eid al-Fitr (expected 9 or 10 March 2027, UNCONFIRMED) comes before the session, but it can still fall in mock-exam season.

When dates change, Raha tells you

IB families get messages from two directions: the school (term dates, mocks, internal deadlines, Eid closures) and the coordinator (exam timetable, results access, retake options). Hey Raha reads your school emails, read-only, and spots the change. She updates your family plan and tells you on WhatsApp, and your nanny or helper gets her own version without fees or private notes. Try Hey Raha free for 14 days.

Planning exam season with a nanny or helper

• Share the exam timetable for your DP student as soon as the school issues it, morning or afternoon session included.
• Plan quiet time at home in late April and May, especially if younger children are still on a normal school day.
• Ask about study leave. Some schools give Grade 12 students time off before or during exams; the school will say when.
• Agree Eid plans early in an exam year, so travel and staff leave do not clash with a paper.

Our guide to briefing your nanny or helper on the school week has a template you can adapt. Choosing between curricula? See choosing a school in the UAE, UAE school year groups explained and our guide to CBSE school calendars in the Gulf.

IB school calendars FAQ

When are the IB exams in May 2027?
The IB's final May 2027 schedule runs from Friday 23 April to Tuesday 18 May 2027, with no exams on 1 May. It is not yet listed on ibo.org, so treat it as UNCONFIRMED and check with your school's IB coordinator.

When do IB results come out in July 2027?
Candidates see May 2027 results on the IB candidate website from 12.00 GMT on Tuesday 6 July 2027, which is 4pm in the UAE and 3pm in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The IB issues results to schools and universities a day earlier, on 5 July. Your IB coordinator gives you the login details.

Do IB schools in Dubai follow the KHDA calendar?
Yes. IB schools in Dubai are private schools regulated by KHDA, so their term dates follow KHDA's academic calendar, with some flexibility for each school. The IB only sets the exam timetable.

Are IB exams moved for Eid?
No. The IB says it cannot take public, national or religious holidays into account, apart from 1 May. It does avoid Fridays for Arabic literature and language papers.

What time do IB exams start in the UAE or Saudi Arabia?
It depends on the school's exam zone. For time zones of UTC+3 and UTC+4, morning papers start at 9am or 10am local time and afternoon papers at 1pm or 2pm.

Sources

• International Baccalaureate, DP and CP exam schedule page (updated 19 February 2026)
• International Baccalaureate, November 2026 examination schedule (PDF)
• International Baccalaureate, May 2027 examination schedule, final version (school-hosted copy, PDF)
• International Baccalaureate, Assessment FAQ (results release times)
• International Baccalaureate, Receive and evaluate IB transcripts (results issued 5 July from 12:00 GMT, updated 19 February 2026)
• KHDA, academic calendar for Dubai private schools
• International School of London Qatar, 2026-27 calendar
• Ministry of Education, Saudi Arabia, two semesters and flexibility for private and international schools (Arabic, 5 August 2025)
• Ministry of Education, Kuwait, education calendar 2026-27 (Arabic)

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