IB Global Politics HL study guide
IB Global Politics HL · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
IB Global Politics HL is the higher-level course in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme's individuals-and-societies group. It suits students who want to analyse how power, institutions, rights and economics shape real-world political outcomes rather than memorise a fixed body of facts. The course is built around four core concepts - power, sovereignty, legitimacy and interdependence - applied across three thematic studies: rights and justice, development and sustainability, and peace and conflict. HL students go further than SL: they explore theoretical perspectives in more depth and complete an engagement project, a self-designed piece of political action paired with a written analysis. The IB Global Politics HL study guide has 5 sections and about 1,502 words.
01Power, Sovereignty and International Relations
This domain asks you to use concepts-power, sovereignty, legitimacy, interdependence, globalization-as analytical tools, not definitions to recite. Paper 1 rewards precise reading of a source and linking it to concepts; Paper 2 rewards a defended judgment across cases.
332 words, about 2 min02Human Rights
Human rights questions test whether you can distinguish moral claims, legal obligations and political practice. You need the architecture of protection and the debates over universality, sovereignty and enforcement.
322 words, about 2 min03Development
Development questions test competing definitions and measurements, theories of why poverty persists, and the politics of aid, trade and debt. Growth is not development .
276 words, about 1 min04Peace and Conflict
Peace and conflict questions test your grasp of conflict causes, types of violence and the tools of conflict management. Be precise about which actor authorizes which action.
272 words, about 1 min05Political Engagement and the Engagement Project (HL)
The HL extension asks you to theorize political engagement and then practise it. The engagement project is internally assessed: you choose a political issue, engage in action, and write an analytical report (max 2,000 words) with evidence and reflection.
300 words, about 2 min