The current IB Physics syllabus, first taught in 2023 and first assessed in May 2025, organizes physics into five themes studied at both Standard Level and Higher Level. HL includes all SL foundations, additional depth within shared topics, and five complete HL-only topics.
Both levels complete Paper 1, Paper 2 and a scientific investigation. The main differences are the quantity and difficulty of syllabus content, recommended teaching hours, examination length and mathematical depth. The former option topics and Paper 3 are no longer part of the course.
How the IB Physics syllabus is structured
The syllabus uses five organizing themes rather than the numbered core-and-options structure found in older resources:
- A: Space, time and motion
- B: The particulate nature of matter
- C: Wave behaviour
- D: Fields
- E: Nuclear and quantum physics
Each theme contains several topics. For example, Theme A includes kinematics, forces and momentum, work, energy and power, rigid body mechanics, and relativity. The themes do not prescribe a compulsory teaching order, so schools may sequence them differently.
Students should use resources aligned with the current course. RevisionDojo's IB Physics syllabus notes list the current A.1 to E.5 topics and identify HL-only material.
IB Physics SL vs HL comparison
| Feature | Physics SL | Physics HL |
|---|---|---|
| Recommended total teaching time | 150 hours | 240 hours |
| Syllabus-content time | 110 hours | 180 hours |
| Experimental programme | 40 hours | 60 hours |