Philosophy SL/HL

Philosophy SL/HL

The philosophy course provides an opportunity for students to engage with some of the world’s most interesting and influential thinkers. It also develops highly transferable skills such as the ability to formulate arguments clearly, to make reasoned judgments and to evaluate highly complex and multifaceted issues. The emphasis of the DP philosophy course is on “doing philosophy”, that is, on actively engaging students in philosophical activity. The course is focused on stimulating students’ intellectual curiosity and encouraging them to examine both their own perspectives and those of others.

Students are challenged to develop their own philosophical voice and to grow into independent thinkers. They develop their skills through the study of philosophical themes and the close reading of a philosophical text. They also learn to apply their philosophical knowledge and skills to real-life situations and to explore how non-philosophical material can be treated in a philosophical way. Teachers explicitly teach thinking and research skills such as comprehension, text analysis, transfer, and use of primary sources.

The IB DP Philosophy standard level (SL) course contains a core theme “Being Human” (Duration 50 Hours) compulsory for all students, one optional  theme (Duration 40 Hours) out of seven topics and one Text from the “IB List of prescribed Philosophical Texts” (Duration 40 Hours).

The assessment model of Philosophy SL consists of two papers. Paper 1 is a 1.75 hours exam which contains stimulus-based questions on core theme and essay questions on optional themes, weighing 50% of the final grade. Paper 2 is a 1-hour exam which contains questions on prescribed Philosophical Texts, weighing 25% of the final grade. The internal assessment is a report based on philosophical analysis of non-philosophical stimulus, weighing 25% of the final grade.

The IB DP Philosophy higher level (HL) course contains a core theme “Being Human” (Duration 50 Hours) compulsory for all students, two optional themes (Duration 80 Hours) out of seven topics, one Text from the “IB List of prescribed Philosophical Texts” (Duration 40 Hours), HL extensions themes exploring the nature of philosophical activity (Duration 50 Hours) and an internal assessment (Duration 20 Hours).

The assessment model of Philosophy HL consists of three papers. Paper 1 is a 2.5 hours exam which contains stimulus-based questions on core theme and essay questions on optional themes, weighing 40% of the final grade. Paper 2 is a 1-hour exam which contains questions on prescribed Philosophical Texts, weighing 20% of the final grade. Paper 3 is a 1.25 hours exam which asks written response based on previously unseen texts (in which students compare and contrast their experience of philosophical activity with the views of philosophical activity found in the text), it weighs 20% of the final grade. The internal assessment is a report based on philosophical analysis of non-philosophical stimulus, weighing 20% of the final grade.