CAS and Learner Profile Attributes

CAS is a journey of personalised, inquiry-based learning that should be relevant and meaningful for each IB
learner. As part of this journey, inquiry questions therefore play an important role in enabling students to
tailor their own experiences so that they are as personally relevant and meaningful as possible.

At different stages of their CAS journey, typically at the beginning, middle and end, students construct their
own personal inquiry and reflective questions that allow them to build a CAS programme based on the IB
Learner Profile attributes. A CAS Mentor and/ or CAS Coordinator guides student through this process, ex-
plicitly helping students to understand how they can best develop the attributes.

The questions below are examples of the types of questions that students might use.

Learner Pro- Nature of CAS: methods / CAS Inquiry Questions CAS Reflective Questions
file Attrib- pedagogy - the How?
utes
Open - Students are guided in ex- What do you value and why? So far, what have you learnt
minded ploring their own and oth- What is important to you? about the way you interact with
ers’ values, perspectives and What values, traditions or per- others?
traditions spectives do you see as being How has this learning journey
different to your own? helped you to learn more about
What kinds of experiences yourself and your relation with
would allow you the oppor- the community?
tunity to learn about different Is this journey allowing you to
values, perspectives and tradi- learn from different cultures,
tions? perspectives and traditions? If
not, how could you modify this.
Communica- Students are supported in What linguistic skills do you How have you varied linguistic
tors their ability to collaborate have and in what ways could skills to allow you to engage
and communicate with oth- you use them in the school, lo- with the people you have been
ers, particularly using differ- cal or global community? working with?
ent languages to do so What skills do you have that Has this path helped you to ex-
you could bring to a group press what you feel and think in
project? a more articulate way? Are you
Who might be a suitable per- understood by the others? Are
son to work with and why? you transmitting the message
Who do you know that might you want?
be able to add value to your What else could you do to make
ideas? this learning journey even more
Who do you work well with, or gratifying regarding the way you
have a good relationship with? are communicating with peo-
How could you try working ple?
with people you don’t know as
well?
Principled Students are guided in iden- How can you find out what To what extent have the deci-
tifying genuine needs and needs there are in your school, sions you have taken will help
reacting to them in an ethi- local and global community? the community while helping
cal way How do you ensure that you you grow?
are responding to a genuine Are you open to modify a plan if
need in your school, local and you see that the outcome is not
global community? the best for the community or
How can you ensure that the yourself?
help you offer is needed? Is this a moment in which you
How can you ensure that the have to consider a change of
relationships you have with plans? If yes, which and why?
other communities are recipro-
cal and mutually beneficial?
How can you ensure that you
are not imposing your ideas on
others, without taking into ac-
count what is needed or cultur-
ally appropriate?
Knowledgea- Students are guided in their What structures, forces, move- How getting to know about this
ble understanding of issues of ments and events are happen- specific situation has helped you
local and global signifi- ing in the world around us? to make the best decisions for
cance, and how they can act How can you play a part in your journey?
in order to address them / shaping the world around To what extent has your
exercise their own agency in you? knowledge provided you with
order to address them / re- the capacity of generating a
spond to them change in the community you
are working with? Have you used
this knowledge wisely? Could
you have given it another twist?
Reflective Students are guided in their What skills, talents and disposi- If you compare yourself with the
evaluation of their own tions do you feel that you al- person you were at the begin-
strengths, limitations and ready have? ning of this journey, how much
areas for growth and are What skills, talents and disposi- have you grown?
encouraged to work to- tions do you feel that you When talking about your
wards their own personal could get better at? strengths, how have you used
development What would personal develop- them to get to this point in
ment look like for you? your journey? Have you shared
them with others? Were you able
to accept help from others?
To what extent have you used
those areas of improvement as a
way of challenging yourself to
improve? Have you used that
improvement in the community/
in your journey?
Have you realized if you have
been developing other Learner
Profile Attributes that perhaps
you did not consider at the be-
ginning of the journey?

2
Risk-takers Students are challenged to What kinds of experiences What have you learned so far
explore new skills, situations would be challenging for you from your journey that took you
and perspectives and to and would take you out of your out of your comfort zone?
think outside of their com- comfort zone? How has this journey taught you
fort zone How might you put yourself in to face your fears? or to over-
a situation that would be un- come the situations you are un-
comfortable for you at first? comfortable with?
What are you not so good at Is there any other challenge you
and would like to improve? would like to overcome at this
What skill do you wish you point of this journey?
could learn and how could you
do it?
How could you try out new
things?
Inquirers Students are guided in how Which methods of research Is there anything you would like
to conduct research on top- could you use to find out what to modify now in your journey,
ics of their choice, including needs exist in your school, local based on what you have
how to pose questions that or global community? seen/lived so far? How would
address their identified Who might be an expert on you do it?
needs and challenges your areas of interest or your Is there anything that needs to
ideas for a project? be improved to reach the objec-
tives / aims of this journey?
Balanced Students are guided in how How might you look after your To what extent has this experi-
to look after their own and own physical and mental well- ence helped you become aware
others’ wellbeing being over the course of your of what is good for you and for
Diploma Programme? the community?
What strategies do you have in In which ways you have been
place / might you put into able to keep a balance between
place to ensure that you do not your wellbeing and your aca-
become overwhelmed over the demic performance? If not, how
course of your Diploma Pro- can you modify that at this
gramme? stage?
How could you ensure that you
find a balance between your
academic studies and taking a
mental and physical break for
yourself?
What could you do to support
others in your school, local and
global community?
How could you make a positive
contribution to the wellbeing
of others?
Thinkers Students are guided in mak- What would acting ethically To what extent have the deci-
ing ethical decisions look like? sions you have made demon-
Students are guided in how What kinds of experiences strated an ethical perspective in
to think critically and crea- might you have that would in- this experience? Would you
tively volve having to make ethical have done something differ-
decisions? ently? If yes, what and why?

3
 What things need to be taken Is there something innovative
into account when making de- you could do also at this stage in
cisions about what action to this experience in order to make
take? things better?
How will you ensure that the How has creative think-
action that you take is in re- ing helped you overcome some
sponse to a genuine need? difficulties that have arisen in
What underlying assumptions this journey?
do you have that might impact What else could you do?
how you choose to act?
Caring Students are treated with What makes you angry? Have you been able to turn
compassion and respect, What makes you sad? those feelings into positive ac-
and are guided in their un- What makes your heart ache? tions?
derstanding of how they Who could you learn to empa- How does this journey help you
can develop these attributes thise with? to feel compassion for yourself
themselves What would make other peo- and others?
ple happy? Have you shown respect to oth-
Different paths towards de- What frustrates you about the ers and/or to yourself?
veloping empathy and com- world / school / other people? Is there anything you would like
passion towards others to modify at this stage of
Help them to realise what your journey?
they might be capable of
caring about