Everything you need to prepare for IB Global Politics at SL and HL: a paper-by-paper strategy for the Paper 1 source analysis, the Paper 2 thematic essays, and the HL Paper 3 challenges, a 6-week revision timeline, a unit checklist, and links to free notes and flashcards. Global Politics rewards conceptual analysis, contemporary case studies, and diverse perspectives that are evaluated — not just listed. This guide shows you how to practise all three.
Global Politics marks are won and lost on the command term — it tells you how much argument and judgement to show. The high-tariff AO3 verbs on Paper 1 Q4, Paper 2, and Paper 3 all want you to weigh perspectives and reach a justified position. Three are worth knowing cold before you sit the exam.
Evaluate
Make an appraisal by weighing up strengths and limitations. Set out competing claims and counterclaims, judge how convincing each is with evidence and contemporary case studies, and commit to a reasoned overall position rather than sitting on the fence.
Examine
Consider an argument or concept in a way that uncovers the assumptions and interrelationships. Bring in the four key concepts, show how factors and actors interact, and use that analysis to build toward a judgement — one of the top-tariff extended-response verbs.
To what extent
Decide how far a statement holds. The mark is in the judgement: build a balanced, multi-perspective argument, then state clearly how much you agree and why. A one-sided answer, however detailed, cannot reach the top band.
Not sure what you need on Paper 2 to push your overall grade to a 7? Use our interactive grade calculator to enter your mock or target percentages for each paper and the engagement project, and see how they translate into final IB grades based on historical grade boundaries.
What grade are you on track for?
Enter your marks per paper and see the grade boundaries you are aiming at.
Source-based response on the core, "Understanding power and global politics" (25 marks). Four structured questions on a set of unseen sources: comprehension, a compare-and-contrast of two sources, an evaluation of one source, and a final question using the sources together with your own knowledge.
Refer to the sources by letter and quote briefly — do not paraphrase vaguely
On the source-evaluation question, judge value AND limitations from origin, purpose and content
On the final question, combine source evidence with your own contemporary examples
Anchor every point in the key concepts — power, sovereignty, legitimacy, interdependence
Extended-response essays (30 marks) across the three thematic studies — rights and justice, development and sustainability, and peace and conflict. SL answers two essays; HL answers three. Each essay must build a conceptual argument, use contemporary case studies, and weigh diverse perspectives.
Plan first: a clear thesis, both sides, located contemporary cases, then a judgement
Use two or three diverse case studies per theme — geographically and politically varied
Explore AND evaluate perspectives — the top band rewards judgement, not a list of views
Match effort to the command term and always finish with a justified conclusion
Paper 3HL only1 hour 30 minutes30% (HL)
HL extension — Global political challenges (28 marks). Respond to an unseen stimulus on one of the global political challenges: analyse the issue, evaluate perspectives, and synthesise across the challenge, recommending and justifying a course of action.
Practise the three moves: analyse the stimulus, evaluate perspectives, then synthesise
Build a case-study bank across the challenges (borders, environment, equality and more)
Recommend a justified course of action — do not just describe the problem
Link back to the key concepts to keep the analysis conceptual, not descriptive
Internally assessed. A sustained, experiential engagement with a political issue of your choice, written up as a report (SL ≤ 2,000 words / HL longer) that connects your experience to the concepts and theories of the course.
Choose a focused, genuinely political issue you can engage with practically
Connect the experience to course concepts and theory — not just a diary of activity
Draw on multiple perspectives and sources to frame the issue
Edit tightly to the word limit and reference your engagement evidence
Starting 6 weeks out gives you enough time to go through all 4 units, identify weak spots, and do meaningful exam practice.
6+ weeks before
Foundation
Work through the notes for the core and all three thematic studies — use the topic index on /ib-global-politics
Start a contemporary case-study bank: two or three diverse examples per theme, with actors, dates and outcomes
Make flashcards for the four key concepts and the key terms of each thematic study
4–5 weeks before
Practice
Begin spaced flashcard review across the core and the three themes
Drill Paper 1 source skills: compare two sources, and evaluate a source’s value and limitations
Write one Paper 2 essay under timed conditions and mark it against the criteria
2–3 weeks before
Consolidation
Complete a full Paper 1 and a set of Paper 2 essays under timed conditions
HL: practise Paper 3 on an unseen stimulus — analyse, evaluate, synthesise, recommend
Target weak themes and rehearse evaluating competing perspectives on each debate
1 week before
Final push
Review mark schemes — see exactly how the extended-response bands reward evaluation and judgement
Skim every unit summary and your case-study bank — reinforce, don’t re-read in full
Continue daily flashcard review (due cards only)
Day before
Light review only
Quick scan of the key concepts, your strongest contemporary cases, and the recurring debates
Check command terms: examine, discuss, evaluate, to what extent
Prepare equipment and get 8 hours of sleep
4
Units
Revise by unit
The core is tested on Paper 1; the three thematic studies are tested on Paper 2. HL students also sit Paper 3 on the Global political challenges. Each unit links straight to free notes and flashcards.
1
Core — Understanding power and global politics
Exam weight: Paper 1 (source-based) — the four key concepts, actors and systems, and theoretical perspectives
How long should you revise for IB Global Politics?+
Start dedicated Global Politics revision about 6 weeks before the exam. That gives you time to build a diverse bank of contemporary case studies for the core and all three thematic studies, drill the Paper 1 source skills, and write timed Paper 2 essays — the concept-plus-cases nature of the course rewards early, consistent revision.
Is IB Global Politics hard?+
Global Politics is conceptually rich rather than fact-heavy. The challenge is not memorising content — it is using the four key concepts as analytical tools, supporting arguments with contemporary case studies, and evaluating competing perspectives to reach a justified judgement under time.
What is the difference between SL and HL Global Politics?+
SL and HL share the same core and three thematic studies (Paper 1 and Paper 2) and the engagement project. HL adds the Global political challenges extension, assessed by Paper 3 — an unseen-stimulus response where you analyse, evaluate perspectives, synthesise across the challenge, and recommend a justified course of action.
How do you get a 7 in IB Global Politics?+
Master the high-tariff command terms — "examine", "evaluate" and "to what extent" — and always finish with a justified judgement. Route every answer through the four key concepts, keep a diverse bank of contemporary case studies, and make sure you explore AND evaluate multiple perspectives rather than just listing them.
First topic free
Turn your Global Politics revision plan into results
Aimnova builds a personalised study plan around your exam date — it tracks your progress, surfaces the debates and case studies you keep getting wrong, and schedules exactly what to review each day.