International Baccalaureate · IB Diploma
Philosophy · HL
Papers, samples and curriculum documents for this course.
Course units and learning goals
These lessons teach selected course objectives. Check the remaining coverage gaps; the material is not a complete preparation programme.
Being human · Arguments, identity and personhood
- Distinguish a claim, premise and conclusion
- Evaluate an argument about personal identity using a counterexample
- premise
- A statement offered as support for a conclusion.
- validity
- A property of an argument whose conclusion follows from its premises.
Optional themes; prescribed text · Ethical reasoning and textual interpretation
- Compare ethical approaches through a precise dilemma
- Reconstruct and evaluate an argument in the school's prescribed text
- consequentialism
- An approach evaluating actions through their outcomes.
- obligation
- A duty or requirement to act in a particular way.
Philosophical analysis IA · From stimulus to philosophical inquiry
- Identify an issue in a non-philosophical stimulus
- Develop a focused 2000-word philosophical analysis with counterargument
- personhood
- The status and characteristics used to count something as a person.
- counterargument
- An argument challenging a claim or its support.
HL extension · Philosophy and contemporary issues
- Analyse an unseen philosophical argument about a contemporary issue
- Evaluate the nature and methods of philosophical inquiry
- normative claim
- A claim about what ought to be done.
- accountability
- Responsibility to explain and answer for decisions.
Preparing for this qualification
- SL: Paper 1 105 min 50%, prescribed-text Paper 2 60 min 25%, philosophical analysis 25%. HL: Paper 1 150 min 40%, Paper 2 60 min 20%, unseen Paper 3 75 min 20%, analysis 20%.
- Core Being human; one optional theme at SL, two at HL; one school-selected prescribed text. HL extension is Philosophy and contemporary issues. No unverified prescribed text is chosen by default.
Teaching coverage still needed
- Full teaching for the school-selected optional theme(s) and prescribed philosophical text, current unseen texts and detailed rubric verification remain.
- Reviewed runtime bank remains unavailable; no practice registry promotion.
Specifications and sample documents
- Philosophy — Subject brief · 2025 ↗
First assessment: 2025
Course materials
Course preparation
Documents are available. Board-specific notes, assessments and interactive past-paper practice are not yet available for every course.
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