Understanding the IB Philosophy IA

The IB Philosophy Internal Assessment (IA) can be quite enjoyable to produce (and teach), as it gives students the flexibility to apply philosophical theories in a creative way. It is ultimately a work of comparison and application of philosophical theory to non-philosophical stimuli. With the Philosophy students we tutor, we explain that the challenge is how well candidates discuss the applicability of philosophy in our everyday lives. For both HL and SL candidates, the Philosophy IA is worth 25 marks, has a 2000-word limit, and involves a ‘philosophical analysis of a non-philosophical stimulus.’ The only difference between the two is that the IA constitutes 25% of the SL grade, and 20% of the HL grade (as the HL exams have a Paper 3, while SL does not).

Philosophy IA title examples

The range of ‘non-philosophical’ stimuli that students can choose from to discuss in their philosophical analysis is very wide; suitable stimuli include but are not limited to novels, plays, poems, song lyrics, cartoons, paintings, photographs, film, television and radio programmes, advertisements, newspaper articles, and pamphlets. This gives Philosophy students the opportunity to show their creativity through their stimulus choice; in fact, the more ‘non-philosophical’ the stimulus, the more interesting the discussion becomes. Here are a few examples of successful and interesting IA titles that we have overseen as IB Philosophy tutors:

(Stimulus: Rick & Morty S2E3) ‘To what extent do Unity’s actions fit the profile of Arendt’s totalitarian state?’
- Discussion comparing Arendt’s philosophy to Marx’s and Berlin’s conception of freedom, applied to Unity’s actions in the show Rick & Morty
(Stimulus: Barack Obama’s speech after mass shooting in Umpqua Community College in Oregon) ‘How can we decide if an act is morally reprehensible, and is this needed before we act upon it?’
- Discussion evaluating the meta-ethical theories of intuitionism and emotivism, applied to Obama’s speech
(Stimulus: Edvard Munch’s The Scream) ‘To what extent does The Scream convey Sartre’s concept of bad faith?’
- Discussion evaluating Sartre’s existentialist philosophy in contrast to Camus’ and Kierkegaard’s, applied to interpretations of The Scream

How to get full marks in the Philosophy IA

The way we tutor IB Philosophy students to top marks in the IA involves an emphasis on structured argumentation, research skills, and nuanced philosophical discussion. It is important that the stimulus is referred to throughout the analysis, even if it serves the purpose of a prompt. The stimulus is used to drive the argument forward, and we tutor our students to show this alongside high-level philosophical analysis. To score top marks in the marking criteria, candidates need to show a strong personal voice.

Extract from sample Philosophy IA

Let’s take a look at this paragraph from a sample IA:

‘To what extent do Unity’s actions fit the profile of Arendt’s totalitarian state?’

Arendt believes that in the case of totalitarianism, it is the “iron band of terror” (Origins 466) that destroys human plurality. She contends that totalitarianism not only aims for the elimination of physical life, but also the abolition of rights, “exclusion from public life, confiscation of property and [...] murder of entire [...] communities” (Court 102). This in turn achieves “total terror” (Origins 466). As Arendt wrote in light of the extremist regimes of Hitler’s Third Reich and Stalin’s Russia, terror is understandably seen to be an intrinsic element of totalitarianism; the aim of totalitarianism to eliminate ‘physical life’ is a clear reference to Hitler’s concentration camps and Stalin’s Gulags. However, Unity’s actions do not seem to coincide with this theory of totalitarian rule, and a fundamental difference could lie in the nature of Unity as an entity: totalitarian dictators, as represented in Arendt’s profile of totalitarianism, rely on achieving absolute terror to signify achieving absolute totalitarian rule; however, Unity, as an alien entity with powers beyond the control of the assimilated world, is able to assume complete control over the population without any means or measures. In light of the latter, there therefore seems to be a discrepancy between the two. Unity’s actions fit Arendt’s profile of totalitarian rule only insofar as the natures of these actions are considered in isolation.

Why is this IB Philosophy response strong?

This paragraph shows high-level analysis in firstly answering the question clearly through a discussion of theory, which is framed as comparison rather than a simple explication of Arendt’s full theory. The response shows a strong personal voice and includes a relevant, accurate, and succinct explanation with evidence. When we help IB Philosophy students with their IA, we make sure to tutor alongside a modelled structure based on the student’s question, consolidating a clear line of argument. This makes the research and writing process much easier, and helps students develop their personal voice.

Of course, every step of this process can be challenging. The difficulty of this assessment is that IB Philosophy students will not have produced anything similar up to this point. If you feel like you could benefit from some targeted and individualised support, feel free to reach out to a BartyED IB Philosophy tutor today.