IB Philosophy: the syllabus, exam papers and the internal assessment
The core theme Being Human, the optional themes and prescribed text, what Paper 1, Paper 2 and HL Paper 3 ask, and the IA on a non-philosophical stimulus.
IB Philosophy is a group 3 subject that trains students to construct and evaluate arguments about fundamental questions. Its marks reward rigorous argument, precise use of philosophical concepts and balanced evaluation — not opinion. Success in the Diploma Programme comes from reasoning carefully and engaging with counter-arguments. For one-to-one support see IB Philosophy tutoring.
Syllabus structure
The course centres on a compulsory core theme, Being Human, which asks what it is to be a person. Students also study one or more optional themes (such as ethics, philosophy of religion, political philosophy or aesthetics) and a prescribed philosophical text studied in depth. HL adds the study of philosophy itself as a second-order activity.
HL vs SL
SL and HL share the core and options; HL studies more optional material and adds an additional paper on the nature and methods of philosophy (doing philosophy). HL therefore demands meta-level reflection on how philosophical inquiry works.
The exam papers
- Paper 1: essays on the core theme and optional themes, built on argument and evaluation.
- Paper 2: an essay on the prescribed text, requiring close knowledge of its arguments.
- HL Paper 3: on the nature, function and methodology of philosophy.
The internal assessment
The Philosophy IA analyses a non-philosophical stimulus (a film, image, article or piece of music) to draw out and examine a philosophical issue. A strong IA identifies a genuine philosophical question in the stimulus and develops a rigorous argument, rather than describing the stimulus.
What earns marks
- Argue, don't assert: every claim needs reasoning; unsupported opinion earns little.
- Engage counter-arguments: top-band essays evaluate the strongest opposing view.
- Use concepts precisely: deploy philosophical terminology and named positions accurately.
- Know the prescribed text closely: Paper 2 rewards detailed command of the text's arguments.