Full list of IB subjects: Every SL and HL option in the Diploma Programme

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP) organises its subjects into six groups, plus three core requirements that sit outside the group system. Students take six subjects total, three or four at Higher Level (HL) and the rest at Standard Level (SL), and complete the three core components alongside them.

This piece lists the main IB-assessed subjects in the current DP curriculum, organised by group with SL and HL availability marked. Schools can also offer school-based syllabuses such as Marine Science (IBO all DP subjects list). It's sourced from ibo.org (IBO's own materials) and cross-checked. Verify current availability at ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/curriculum before you plan a schedule; the IB adds subjects periodically (Digital Society is a recent example).

Group 1 is Studies in Language and Literature, taught in the student's strongest language. Group 2 is Language Acquisition, covering a second language. Group 3 is Individuals and Societies (the humanities and social sciences). Group 4 covers the sciences. Group 5 is Mathematics. Group 6 is The Arts, and it's optional; students can substitute a second subject from Groups 1 to 4 in its place.

Groups 1 and 2 cover language and communication. Group 3 covers how societies work, Group 4 covers how the natural world works, Group 5 covers mathematical reasoning, and Group 6 covers artistic expression and interpretation.

Group 1 subjects are taught in the student's strongest language and centre on literary and linguistic analysis.

Group 2 covers a language the student is learning, at three different starting points. Language B is for students with prior experience; Language ab initio is for beginners; the classical languages sit as separate options for students studying Latin or Classical Greek.

Group 3 is the humanities and social sciences group. Most subjects are available at both SL and HL; World Religions is SL only. Environmental Systems and Societies (ESS) is unusual: it counts for either Group 3 or Group 4, making it the one interdisciplinary subject that can fill either slot. ESS is now available at both SL and HL (HL from first assessment 2026).

Digital Society is a recent Group 3 addition, with its first assessment in 2024. It covers the social and ethical dimensions of digital systems and is available at both SL and HL. ESS also became available at HL from first assessment 2026.

Group 4 covers the natural sciences plus a small number of applied and interdisciplinary options. Every Group 4 subject is available at both SL and HL.

Group 5 was reformed with first teaching in 2019. The old Mathematical Studies, Mathematics SL, Mathematics HL, and Further Mathematics HL courses were replaced by two new pathways, each available at SL and HL.

Analysis and Approaches (AA) and Applications and Interpretation (AI) are genuinely different courses with different assessments. AA is more theoretical and closer to what students preparing for STEM university degrees will see next; AI is more applied, with heavier use of technology and modelling. HL versions of both are demanding; SL versions are meaningfully less so, and universities that require HL Maths usually specify which pathway they accept.

Group 6 is optional. Students who don't want to take an arts subject can substitute a second subject from Groups 1 to 4 in its place. All Group 6 subjects are available at both SL and HL.

Alongside the six subjects, every DP student completes three core requirements. These aren't graded in the same way as the subjects, but they're mandatory for the Diploma, and TOK and EE together contribute up to three bonus points toward the 45-point maximum.

Theory of Knowledge (TOK) is an interdisciplinary course that examines how knowledge is constructed and justified across different disciplines. Students complete a 1,600-word essay on a prescribed title and an internal assessment (the TOK exhibition). TOK is assessed on a letter scale (A to E) that combines with the EE score to determine bonus points.

Extended Essay (EE) is a self-directed piece of research, around 4,000 words, written on a topic of the student's choice from one of their DP subjects. Students work with a supervisor across roughly a year. Like TOK, it's assessed on a letter scale (A to E).

Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) is a portfolio requirement rather than a graded assessment. Students engage in creative, physical, and service activities across the two-year DP and reflect on them. CAS must be completed for the Diploma but doesn't contribute to the point total.

HL and SL are different courses at different depths, not just different exam formats. IBO recommends approximately 240 teaching hours for HL subjects and 150 hours for SL subjects across the two-year DP. HL courses go deeper into the subject, cover additional topics, and demand more independent work.

Students take three or four subjects at HL and the rest at SL. Universities in most jurisdictions look at HL subjects for admissions rigour; specific programmes often require HL in relevant subjects (for example, Cambridge Engineering usually specifies HL Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches and HL Physics).

Each of the six subjects is scored on a 1 to 7 scale, so six subjects × 7 = 42 points maximum from subjects alone. Up to three additional bonus points come from a matrix that combines the TOK grade and the EE grade. The maximum is 45 points; the minimum for the Diploma is 24 points, subject to failing conditions (specific minimum grades in each course and satisfactory CAS completion).

Check the current TOK/EE points matrix at ibo.org before treating a specific combination as guaranteed points; the matrix is publicly available in IBO's assessment materials, and a new EE model is due for first assessment in 2027.

The one-from-each-group rule constrains your choices in a specific way. You normally take one subject from each of Groups 1 to 5 (a second Group 1 language can replace Group 2, which can earn a bilingual diploma), and either one Group 6 or a second Group 1 to 4 subject. The 3-or-4-HL rule then shapes which of those six you'll go deeper on.

A common pattern: a STEM-leaning student might take English A Literature (Group 1), a Language B (Group 2), Economics (Group 3), Physics HL and Chemistry HL (Group 4 + a second Group 4 in place of Group 6), and Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL (Group 5). A humanities-leaning student might take English A Language and Literature HL (Group 1), a Language B (Group 2), History HL (Group 3), Biology (Group 4), Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation (Group 5), and Visual Arts HL (Group 6).

The IB publishes example subject choices at ibo.org/programmes/diploma-programme/curriculum/example-subject-choices/ if you want a wider set of valid patterns.

Cross-system comparisons are always a bit rough, because the qualifications are structured differently. The UCAS tariff scores IB components individually, so tariff totals aren't a good guide to A-Level equivalence. Instead, compare universities' published typical offers, where AAB often corresponds to roughly 35 IB points. US universities read the Diploma differently; HL scores of 5 or higher are often eligible for credit or placement similar to AP scores of 4 or higher, but each institution decides its own policy.

If you're deciding between systems, A-Level vs IB walks through the differences in more detail. iGCSE vs IB covers the pre-Diploma pathway. And CBSE vs ICSE vs iGCSE vs IB has broader international context.