IB Philosophy SL · 2025
IB Philosophy SL past papers
256 past paper questions from 8 papers across 3 exam sessions. See what repeats, then practise the same skills with AI marking.
Starter set across the most-tested skills, with AI marking and model answers.
SL archive · from 2025
IB Philosophy SL past papers
Latest exam session: November 2025
- questions
- 256
- questions
- papers
- 8
- papers
- exam sessions
- 3
- exam sessions
- micro-topics
- 94
Units in Philosophy SL
In syllabus order. The ring is the share of the marks each one carries.
Unit 1
Being human
5% of marks200 of the 4000 marks across the 8 Philosophy SL papers analysed (5%) were on this unit. A past-paper pattern, not a guarantee for your next paper. · 8 questions
- DueCultural identity
Unit 2
Aesthetics
5% of marks200 of the 4000 marks across the 8 Philosophy SL papers analysed (5%) were on this unit. A past-paper pattern, not a guarantee for your next paper. · 8 questions
- DueWhat is art?
- DueArt and its message
Unit 3
Epistemology
5% of marks200 of the 4000 marks across the 8 Philosophy SL papers analysed (5%) were on this unit. A past-paper pattern, not a guarantee for your next paper. · 8 questions
- DueReasoning and self-knowledge
Unit 4
Ethics
5% of marks200 of the 4000 marks across the 8 Philosophy SL papers analysed (5%) were on this unit. A past-paper pattern, not a guarantee for your next paper. · 8 questions
- DueWhat does “good” mean?
Unit 5
Philosophy of religion
5% of marks200 of the 4000 marks across the 8 Philosophy SL papers analysed (5%) were on this unit. A past-paper pattern, not a guarantee for your next paper. · 8 questions
- DueAnswers to the problem
Unit 6
Philosophy of science
5% of marks200 of the 4000 marks across the 8 Philosophy SL papers analysed (5%) were on this unit. A past-paper pattern, not a guarantee for your next paper. · 8 questions
- DueFalsification
- DueSociety shapes science
Unit 7
Political philosophy
5% of marks200 of the 4000 marks across the 8 Philosophy SL papers analysed (5%) were on this unit. A past-paper pattern, not a guarantee for your next paper. · 8 questions
- DueRetributive justice and punishment
- DuePositive vs negative liberty
Unit 8
Social philosophy
5% of marks200 of the 4000 marks across the 8 Philosophy SL papers analysed (5%) were on this unit. A past-paper pattern, not a guarantee for your next paper. · 8 questions
Unit 10
Prescribed philosophical texts
60% of marks2400 of the 4000 marks across the 8 Philosophy SL papers analysed (60%) were on this unit. A past-paper pattern, not a guarantee for your next paper. · 192 questions
- DueLi — ritual and propriety
- DueThe colonized mind
Papers in Philosophy SL
Each paper across every sitting. The ring is the share of the marks it carries.
4 sittings · no calculator
Paper 1
40% of marks1600 of the 4000 marks in the Philosophy SL archive were set in Paper 1, across 4 sittings. · 64 questions
Most tested Animals and AI as persons
4 sittings · no calculator
Paper 2
60% of marks2400 of the 4000 marks in the Philosophy SL archive were set in Paper 2, across 4 sittings. · 192 questions
Most tested Ren — benevolence and humaneness
Exam pattern
How often each micro-topic has been examined, year by year. Each label is explained under the grid.
Does it repeat?
Top 4 of 94 micro-topics for the next sitting. Numbers are questions per year.
fewermore
| Micro-topic | 2025 |
|---|---|
| 8Ren — benevolence and humaneness, 2025: 8 questions | |
10.5.5The ascetic ideal | 8The ascetic ideal, 2025: 8 questions |
| 8Justice in the soul and the city, 2025: 8 questions | |
| 6The verification principle, 2025: 6 questions |
4 more micro-topics with a free account
- DueLi — ritual and propriety· last Spec 25 P2
- Dueusually examined, but missing from the last two exam sessions
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Every micro-topic in the heatmap and the complete watch list, free with an account.
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Every Philosophy SL exam session
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Frequently asked questions
Short answers about this page.
Which Philosophy SL exam sessions are covered?
3 exam sessions from 2025, the latest November 2025. Every Paper 1 and 2 in every timezone is read and classified in full, which gives 8 papers in this archive.
Which IB Philosophy SL topic comes up most?
Ren — benevolence and humaneness (10.2.1): in 50% of papers, last seen Nov 25 P2. Usually "explain / justify", worth about 25 marks in a paper that includes it.
Can I see the original question and mark scheme?
No. The wording belongs to the IB. You get the citation, the marks, the command term and the skill tested, plus our own matched practice questions with worked answers and AI marking.
What do "banker", "due" and "rising" mean?
Banker: examined in at least one sitting in four and still appearing. Due: regular before, but absent for the last two exam sessions. Rising: clearly more common in the last two years. Our classification of real papers, not an IB statistic.
What is free and what needs Pro?
Reading this page and the exam pattern is free. A free account generates three sets of ten questions and launches one practice set. Pro opens every question in any scope, sets of twenty or all, and unlimited practice.
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More Philosophy SL exam preparation
Every question, by paper
What each Philosophy SL paper tests across all its sittings: the marks by unit and the micro-topics it keeps coming back to.
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Predicted questions
The question types most likely in the next Philosophy SL sitting, built from this same archive.
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Formula booklet, explained
Every formula you are given in the exam, with when to use it and the traps around it.
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Mock exams
Full Philosophy SL papers under timed conditions, marked by AI against IB criteria.
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All IB past papers
Every subject we have classified by topic, with the same exam-pattern analysis.
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