IB Diploma Programme · Physics SL and HL
Your child is taking IB Physics
What the IB Diploma involves, how Physics SL and HL differ, what is taught and how the grade is built: everything a parent needs to know, in one place.
examinerprep.com1The IB Diploma at a glance
6
subjects
Usually three at Higher Level (HL) and three at Standard Level (SL)
3
core elements
Theory of Knowledge, the Extended Essay and CAS (creativity, activity, service)
45
maximum points
6 subjects × 7, plus up to 3 from TOK and the Extended Essay · Diploma from 24 points*
2Physics SL or HL: what is the difference?
Both levels share the same core course and the same internal assessment. HL adds five whole topics, more depth in the shared ones and longer exams.
| Feature | Standard Level (SL) | Higher Level (HL) |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended teaching time | 150 hours over two years | 240 hours over two years |
| Topics | 19 topics in five themes (A–E) | The same 19 plus 5 HL-only topics, with extra depth throughout |
| Paper 1 | 1 h 30 min · multiple-choice questions and data-based questions | 2 h · same format, more questions |
| Paper 2 | 1 h 30 min · structured written questions | 2 h 30 min · same format, longer |
| Written exams in total | 3 hours · 80% of the grade | 4 hours 30 min · 80% of the grade |
| Internal assessment (IA) | 20% · an individual scientific investigation | 20% · the same task and criteria |
3What is taught: five themes SL teaching hours
Experimental programme, both levels: practical work across the course, a short Collaborative Sciences Project with students of other science subjects, and about 10 hours for the individual investigation.
4How the final grade is built
The written exams
End of Year 2
Both papers are taken at the end of the course. Paper 1 mixes multiple-choice questions with questions on experimental data; Paper 2 asks for worked calculations and written explanations. A data booklet with the main equations is provided.
The internal assessment
Done in school
Each student designs and carries out an investigation of their own question and writes a report of up to 3,000 words. The teacher marks it and the IB checks a sample. It is usually completed in the second half of Year 1 or early in Year 2.
5A typical two-year plan
Year 1
- Autumn
- Motion, forces and energy; measurement, uncertainties and lab skills
- Winter
- Thermal physics, gases, circuits, waves
- Spring
- Fields begin; first longer tests; IA question chosen
- Summer
- IA planning and data collection in many schools
Year 2
- Autumn
- IA report written and handed in; nuclear and quantum physics
- Winter
- Course completed; mock exams
- Spring
- Revision and full past-paper-style practice
- May
- Final exams; results in early July
Schools order the topics differently. Ask the physics teacher for the school’s own plan and internal deadlines.
6How you can help
- Ask to see marked tests: the comments show whether marks are lost on the physics or on how answers are written.
- Encourage a short weekly review of old topics; the final exams cover the whole two years.
- Note the IA deadlines in the family calendar: the investigation is the part most often left too late.
- Check that your child has the calculator the school asks for and knows how to use it.
- If a topic stays unclear for more than a couple of weeks, get help early rather than before the mocks.
* Further conditions apply for the award of the Diploma. Source: public course outline for Diploma Programme Physics, first assessment 2025.
ExaminerPrep is an independent tutoring service. It has been developed independently from and is not endorsed by the International Baccalaureate Organization, Cambridge University Press & Assessment or Pearson Edexcel. Course and qualification names are used for descriptive purposes only. Schools differ in how they schedule the courses: always check dates and requirements with your child’s school.