IB DP Philosophy Past Papers

A highly engaging and balanced Paper 1 that pairs modern, technologically relevant stimuli in the Core Theme with classic, rigorous philosophical debates across the Optional Themes.

The May 2025 IB Diploma Programme Philosophy Higher Level examination combined deeply classical inquiries with cutting-edge technological ethics. Paper 1 offered accessible yet nuanced stimuli for the Core Theme ('Being Human') and diverse conceptual choices across the Optional Themes, while Paper 3 focused intensely on the cognitive, social, and metaphysical implications of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs). The pairing demanded strong transitions between abstract philosophical frameworks and immediate, real-world technological issues.

A highly engaging and balanced Philosophy SL exam series focusing on contemporary themes such as AI consciousness in Being Human, while maintaining traditional rigor in Prescribed Text analysis.

The May 2025 IB Philosophy paper presents a balanced but rigorous challenge across the core theme of human identity, diverse optional themes, and highly demanding textual analysis.

The November 2025 IB Philosophy HL examination comprises a challenging Paper 1 focusing on Core and Optional themes, alongside a conceptually rich Paper 3 Unseen Text addressing Confucian environmental stewardship and the meta-philosophical role of the discipline.

The November 2025 Philosophy standard level papers balance stimulating visual/textual prompts in the Core Theme with highly structured, classic analytical debates in the Optional Themes and Prescribed Texts. Excellent marks require direct, rigorous engagement with the stimulus rather than pre-prepared generic essays.

An intellectually stimulating IB DP Philosophy Paper 1 Higher Level exam featuring a balanced mix of human rights and embodiment stimuli in Section A, followed by deep conceptual prompts in Section B across seven optional themes.

The May 2024 IB Philosophy Higher Level examination (Paper 1 and Paper 3) challenged candidates to apply classical and contemporary philosophical frameworks to issues of consciousness, identity, digital technology, and the very nature of philosophical inquiry. Paper 1 featured engaging stimuli on consciousness and facial recognition, alongside classic conceptual questions in the optional themes. Paper 3 utilized an unseen text by Peter E. Pruim to evaluate candidates' reflective and comparative skills regarding the 'examined life'.

The May 2024 IB Philosophy Paper 1 (SL) assesses the compulsory Core Theme 'Being human' through a choice of textual or visual stimuli, alongside a selection of essay questions across seven optional themes. Candidates are evaluated on their ability to formulate clear philosophical questions, construct balanced and structured arguments, and critically apply diverse philosophical frameworks and concepts.

The May 2024 IB Philosophy SL and HL examinations offered students highly accessible stimuli and clear, traditional essay prompts. Paper 1 focused on consciousness, technology, and identity in Section A, while Section B provided classic debates in epistemology, ethics, and political philosophy. Paper 2 required rigorous conceptual analysis and evaluation of core prescribed texts, with prompts emphasizing classic arguments such as Descartes's wax example, Mill's tyranny of the majority, and de Beauvoir's social construct of gender.

The October 2024 IB DP Philosophy HL Paper 1 exam offers a highly balanced and intellectually rigorous set of questions. Section A challenges students with modern conceptions of the self—either through narrative identity or the digital reduction of personal data. Section B spans seven optional themes with classic and contemporary debates, demanding precise conceptual vocabulary, structured argumentation, and strong evaluative skills.

An analysis of the November 2024 Philosophy Standard Level papers, emphasizing core themes of digital identity, existential transcendence, and the rigor of prescribed text evaluations.

The May 2023 IB Philosophy HL Paper 1 exam presents a balanced and standard set of questions, covering the Core Theme (Being Human) with visually engaging stimuli and offering analytical essay topics across all seven optional themes.

The May 2023 IB DP Philosophy HL examination balanced highly modern and engaging stimuli (such as cyborg imagery and fake news) with rigorous classical philosophical inquiries, demanding deep conceptual analysis, precise term-definition, and reflexive self-awareness in the Paper 3 unseen text response.

The May 2023 IB Philosophy SL Paper 1 featured engaging stimuli on human composition and social relationships in Section A, alongside rigorous prompts spanning ethics, aesthetics, and epistemology in Section B.

The May 2023 IB Philosophy Standard Level exam combined deep existential explorations in the Core Theme with demanding evaluation tasks in both the Optional Themes and Prescribed Texts. Success depended heavily on moving beyond descriptive summaries of philosophical theories to execute structured, critical debates.

The November 2023 IB Philosophy examination presented challenging core theme stimuli on digital self-tracking and biological identity, while Paper 3 demanded a deep, metacognitive exploration of philosophy as a venture in rational enquiry.

A balanced and highly engaging set of papers covering the core theme of Being Human with contemporary datafication and biological themes, alongside demanding textual evaluations in Paper 2.