The current IB Global Politics HL course, first assessed in May 2026, connects the core theme of understanding power and global politics with rights and justice, development and sustainability, and peace and conflict. HL also develops extended inquiries into global political challenges through researched case studies. The StudyIB topic catalogue below currently retains resources organised under the previous four-unit course; use relevant concepts and cases while mapping every resource to the current 2026 guide.

Power, concepts, and context

Use concepts such as power, sovereignty, legitimacy, and interdependence to explain a political issue within its local, national, international, and global contexts.

Evidence and diverse perspectives

Build arguments from precise case evidence and compare how actors, communities, institutions, and sources frame the same political issue.

Inquiry, evaluation, and action

Move from description to claims, counterclaims, implications, and justified judgement, including feasible recommendations for HL Paper 3.

Assessment at a glance

For IB Global Politics HL first assessed in May 2026, Paper 1 is source-based, Paper 2 is an extended-response paper on the thematic studies, and the engagement project is internally assessed and externally moderated. HL also takes a stimulus-based Paper 3 linked to researched global political challenges.

Component	Format	Weighting
Paper 1	1 hour 15 minutes; four compulsory source-based questions on the common core	20%
Paper 2	1 hour 45 minutes; two essays covering thematic and cross-thematic questions	30%
Paper 3	1 hour 30 minutes; three stimulus-based questions drawing on researched HL case studies	30%
Engagement project	35 hours; written report with engagement, research, stakeholder analysis, reflection, and a recommendation	20%

Sources: official IB Global Politics guide (first assessment 2026) and official IB Global Politics curriculum update.

Revision plan

1.Confirm that your examination session uses the first-assessment-2026 course and map each legacy StudyIB topic to the current core or thematic study.
2.Organise case files by political claim, concept, actor, evidence, counter-perspective, and limitation rather than by news chronology.
3.Practise Paper 1 by combining source analysis with contextual knowledge and Paper 2 by integrating evidence across thematic studies.
4.Prepare multiple researched case studies for the HL extension and practise stimulus analysis, recommendations, implications, and synthesis for Paper 3.

Exam strategy

Let the command term and political concept shape the response. Use sources and cases as evidence for an argument, compare diverse perspectives explicitly, and qualify the final judgement by context and scale. In Paper 3, make recommendations specific enough to address the issue and evaluate challenges, implications, or unintended consequences.

Practise IB Global Politics Higher Level questions

Frequently asked questions

Which syllabus applies to IB Global Politics HL in 2026?

The current course was first taught in August 2024 and is first assessed in May 2026. Candidates sitting the May 2026 session or later should use the first-assessment-2026 guide and confirm their examination session with their school.

What does IB Global Politics HL cover from 2026?

HL studies the common core, understanding power and global politics, and three thematic studies: rights and justice, development and sustainability, and peace and conflict. HL students also carry out extended inquiries into global political challenges using researched case studies.

How is IB Global Politics HL assessed from 2026?

HL Paper 1 lasts one hour 15 minutes and contributes 20%; Paper 2 lasts one hour 45 minutes and contributes 30%; Paper 3 lasts one hour 30 minutes and contributes 30%; the engagement project contributes 20%.

What changed in the first-assessment-2026 Global Politics course?

The course is now organised around a common core and three interconnected thematic studies rather than the previous four-unit structure. Paper 2 includes thematic and cross-thematic questions; HL uses a new stimulus-based Paper 3, and the former HL oral extension has been removed.

Does the StudyIB Global Politics topic list use the 2026 syllabus structure?

The current StudyIB topic catalogue still contains resources organised under the earlier four-unit course and its named HL challenges. Many concepts and cases remain useful, but 2026 candidates should map each resource to the current core, thematic studies, or HL inquiries and use the official guide as the coverage checklist.

IB Global Politics Higher Level

1 Power, Sovereignty and International Relations

1.1 Nature of Power

1.2 Operation of State Power in Global Politics

1.3 International Organisations and Non-State Actors

1.4 Interactions in Global Politics

2 Human Rights

2.1 Nature and Evolution of Human Rights

2.2 Practice of Human Rights

2.3 Debates Surrounding Human Rights

3 Development

3.1 Contested Meanings of Development

3.2 Measuring Development

3.3 Factors Affecting Development

3.4 Pathways Towards Development

3.5 Debates Surrounding Development

4 Peace and Conflict

4.1 Contested Meanings

4.2 Types of Conflict

4.3 Justifications of Violence

4.4 Causes and Parties to Conflict

4.5 Evolution of Conflict

4.6 Conflict Resolution and Transformation

5 Environment (HL)

5.1 Global Environmental Challenges (HL)

5.2 Case Studies and Political Issues (HL)

6 Poverty (HL)

6.1 Poverty as a Global Challenge (HL)

6.2 Approaches to Poverty (HL)

6.3 Case Studies and Political Issues (HL)

7 Health (HL)

7.1 Health as a Global Issue (HL)

7.2 Health Determinants and Socio-Economic Developments (HL)

7.3 Case Studies and Political Issues (HL)

8 Identity (HL)

8.1 Identity in a Globalized World (HL)

8.2 Identity and Conflict (HL)

8.3 Case Studies and Political Issues (HL)

9 Borders (HL)

9.1 Borders in a Globalized World (HL)

9.2 Migration and Immigration (HL)

9.3 Borders and Conflict (HL)

9.4 Case Studies and Political Issues (HL)

10 Security (HL)

10.1 Security in a Globalized World (HL)

10.2 Security and Conflict (HL)

10.3 Case Studies and Political Issues (HL)

How to study IB Global Politics Higher Level