Doing philosophy
Turn a question or stimulus into explicit premises, conclusions, assumptions, objections, counterexamples, and a reasoned judgement rather than summarising thinkers.
IB Humanities • SL
IB Philosophy SL
Use this IB Philosophy SL study guide to browse the syllabus topic structure, study materials, and practice resources.
Structured practice
IB Philosophy SL 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
Overview
Course overview
How to study IB Philosophy SL
The current IB Philosophy SL 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, one optional theme and a prescribed text, 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 option and treat the legacy HL section as supporting material rather than the current extension.
Core, options, and prescribed text
Connect Being human to your selected optional theme and read the prescribed text closely enough to explain and evaluate its arguments in context.
Philosophical analysis
Apply philosophical concepts to unfamiliar and non-philosophical material while preserving a clear, independent line of argument.
Assessment at a glance
IB Philosophy SL, 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.
| Component | Format | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | 1 hour 45 minutes; one stimulus-based core question and one optional-theme essay | 50% |
| Paper 2 | 1 hour; open-book extended response on the selected prescribed philosophical text | 25% |
| Internal assessment | 20 hours; 2,000-word philosophical analysis of a non-philosophical stimulus | 25% |
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 the optional theme 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 and refine the internal assessment around one focused philosophical issue in a non-philosophical stimulus.
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 the internal assessment, keep the non-philosophical stimulus focused and make the philosophical analysis—not description of the stimulus—the centre of the essay.
Practise IB Philosophy SL questionsFrequently asked questions
Which syllabus applies to IB Philosophy SL?
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 SL students study?
SL students study the compulsory Being human core theme, one optional theme, and one prescribed philosophical text. They also complete the philosophical analysis internal assessment.
How is IB Philosophy SL assessed from 2025?
SL Paper 1 lasts one hour 45 minutes and contributes 50%; open-book Paper 2 lasts one hour and contributes 25%; the philosophical analysis internal assessment contributes 25%.
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.