Doing philosophy
Turn a question or stimulus into explicit premises, conclusions, assumptions, objections, counterexamples, and a reasoned judgement rather than summarising thinkers.
IB Humanities • HL
IB Philosophy HL
Use this IB Philosophy HL study guide to browse the syllabus topic structure, study materials, and practice resources.
Structured practice
IB Philosophy HL Question Bank
Jump straight into grouped unit practice without losing your place in the syllabus overview.
1 Being Human
1.1 Human Nature
1.3 The Self and the Other
2 Aesthetics
2.1 The Nature of Art
2.2 The artist and the artistic process
2.3 Aesthetic experience and judgement
3 Epistemology
3.1 Nature of Knowledge
3.2 Problems of Knowledge
3.3 Application of knowledge
4. Ethics
4.1 Normative ethics
4.2 Meta-Ethics
5 Philosophy and Contemporary Society
5.1 Multiculturalism
5.2 Liberty and Rights
6 Philosophy of Religion
6.1 Nature and Existence of God
6.2 Religious Language
6.3 Religious Experience and Behaviour
7 Philosophy of Science
7.1 Nature and Methodologies of Science
7.2 Science and the Self
8 Philosophy (HL)
8.1 Nature (HL)
8.2 Function (HL)
Overview
Course overview
How to study IB Philosophy HL
The current IB Philosophy HL course, first assessed in May 2025, emphasises doing philosophy: identifying assumptions, reconstructing and evaluating arguments, considering diverse traditions, and developing a reasoned philosophical voice. All students study Being human, two optional themes, a prescribed text, and the Philosophy and contemporary issues HL extension, then complete a 2,000-word philosophical analysis of a non-philosophical stimulus. The StudyIB catalogue below provides resources across several themes, but it is not a one-to-one current syllabus checklist; study only your school's selected options and treat the legacy HL section as supporting material rather than the current extension.
Core, options, and prescribed text
Connect Being human to your two selected optional themes and read the prescribed text closely enough to explain and evaluate its arguments in context.
Contemporary issues at HL
Apply philosophical concepts to technology and environmental issues, then evaluate how philosophy can help interpret and navigate them.
Assessment at a glance
IB Philosophy HL, first assessed in May 2025, combines written external assessment with a 2,000-word philosophical analysis. Paper 2 is an open-book assessment of one prescribed philosophical text. HL also takes Paper 3 on the Philosophy and contemporary issues extension.
| Component | Format | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 2 hours 30 minutes; one stimulus-based core question and two optional-theme essays | 40% |
| Paper 2 | 1 hour; open-book extended response on the selected prescribed philosophical text | 20% |
| Paper 3 | 1 hour 15 minutes; response to an unseen philosophical text on a contemporary technology or environmental issue | 20% |
| Internal assessment | 20 hours; 2,000-word philosophical analysis of a non-philosophical stimulus | 20% |
Sources: official IB Philosophy subject brief (first assessment 2025) and official IB Philosophy curriculum update.
Revision plan
- 1.Confirm that your examination session uses the first-assessment-2025 course and identify both optional themes selected by your school.
- 2.Create argument maps for the core, each selected theme, and the prescribed text, including the strongest objection and a possible response.
- 3.Practise Paper 1 stimulus analysis and thematic essays by moving from a precise issue to explanation, evaluation, and a supported conclusion.
- 4.Prepare for Paper 2 as an open-book argument task, then practise Paper 3 with unseen texts about technology or environmental issues.
Exam strategy
Define the philosophical issue before naming theories. Reconstruct the relevant argument charitably, expose its assumptions, test it with a serious objection, and explain why your conclusion follows. Paper 2 is open book, so use the text to locate precise ideas rather than replacing analysis with quotation. In Paper 3, analyse the unseen author's argument and connect it to the contemporary issue without turning the response into a general technology or environment essay.
Practise IB Philosophy HL questionsFrequently asked questions
Which syllabus applies to IB Philosophy HL?
The current IB Philosophy course was first taught in August 2023 and first assessed in May 2025. Students sitting examinations from May 2025 onward should use the first-assessment-2025 course requirements and confirm their session with their school.
What topics do IB Philosophy HL students study?
HL students study the compulsory Being human core theme, two optional themes, one prescribed philosophical text, and the Philosophy and contemporary issues HL extension. They also complete the philosophical analysis internal assessment.
How is IB Philosophy HL assessed from 2025?
HL Paper 1 lasts two hours 30 minutes and contributes 40%; open-book Paper 2 lasts one hour and contributes 20%; Paper 3 lasts one hour 15 minutes and contributes 20%; the philosophical analysis internal assessment contributes 20%.
Is IB Philosophy Paper 2 open book?
Yes. In the course first assessed in 2025, Paper 2 is an open-book assessment of the prescribed philosophical text. Students may take a non-annotated copy of their selected prescribed text into the examination; schools should confirm the current examination rules before the session.
Does the StudyIB Philosophy topic list exactly match the current syllabus?
Not yet. The catalogue contains useful Being human and optional-theme resources, but students do not study every listed option. It also retains an earlier HL extension structure, while the current HL extension is Philosophy and contemporary issues, focused on technology and the environment. Use the official brief and your school's selected themes as the coverage checklist.