Q: What changed in IB Physics for first assessment in 2025? A: The course moved to five broad themes, removed the old option topics, and adopted two external examinations plus a revised scientific investigation. The course was first taught in August 2023 and first assessed in May 2025.[1]
TL;DR The course used for the 2026 examination sessions is not a separate 2026 syllabus. It is the IB Physics course first assessed in 2025. Paper 1 is worth 36 %, Paper 2 is worth 44 %, and the scientific investigation is worth 20 % at both SL and HL.[2]
Last reviewed: 23 July 2026 against the current IB Physics curriculum page.
For the complete current topic list, HL and SL distinctions, recommended hours, and assessment table, use the IB Physics Syllabus 2026 topic guide. This page is limited to the change from the earlier course.
Which IB Physics page should you use?
What you need
Use this route
Current HL and SL topics, papers, and scientific investigation
School-specific task instructions or the current investigation rubric
Your IB Physics teacher or programme coordinator
This page's canonical points to the 2026 topic guide because both routes have appeared for current-syllabus searches. Keeping one current owner avoids presenting two competing syllabus summaries.
The IB states that the new DP Physics course was launched in February 2023, began first teaching in August 2023, and had its first assessment in May 2025.[1]
That timeline means:
students examined in 2026 follow the course first assessed in 2025;
2025 syllabus and 2026 syllabus searches can refer to the same course model; and
the official subject brief labelled First assessment 2025 remains the relevant public outline for 2026 unless the IB publishes a replacement.
The IB curriculum page was last updated on 6 March 2026 when reviewed for this article.[3]
2. What changed in the syllabus structure?
The IB describes a redesigned course built around five broad organising themes. The concepts of forces, energy, and particles run across those themes.[1][3]
The five themes are:
Space, time and motion
The particulate nature of matter
Wave behaviour
Fields
Nuclear and quantum physics
The option topics from the earlier course were removed. The IB says that some content from relativity, engineering physics, imaging, and astrophysics was incorporated into the SL or HL course instead.[1]
HL students study greater depth and breadth within the same course structure. The current subject brief marks which topics apply to all students, which include additional HL content, and which are HL-only.[2]
For the exact subtopics and recommended hours, use the current topic guide rather than an older option-based outline.
3. What changed in external assessment?
The current course has two external examinations for all students.[1][2]
Component
SL
HL
Published format
Paper 1
1.5 h, 36 %
2 h, 36 %
Paper 1A multiple-choice questions and Paper 1B data-based questions
Paper 2
1.5 h, 44 %
2.5 h, 44 %
Short-answer and extended-response questions
External total
3 h, 80 %
4.5 h, 80 %
Paper 1 plus Paper 2
The old option paper is not part of this assessment model. The IB's update page explicitly states that all students sit only two external examinations and that the option topics were removed.[1]
Paper 1A and Paper 1B are parts of Paper 1 in the subject brief. They should not be described as separately weighted full papers.[2]
4. What changed in the scientific investigation?
The scientific investigation is the internally assessed component. The public subject brief allocates 10 hours, gives it a 20 % weighting at both SL and HL, and sets a maximum overall report length of 3,000 words.[2]
The IB's change summary says students may collaborate in small groups and may share similar methodologies where appropriate, provided that their independent or dependent variables differ and each student collects unique data. Each student still submits an individual report.[1]
The revised assessment places 50 % of the marks on Conclusion and Evaluation. The older five-label list of Personal Engagement, Exploration, Analysis, Evaluation, and Communication should not be used as the current rubric.[1]
Use the current rubric and task instructions supplied through your school. The public subject brief is an outline, not a substitute for those assessment materials.
5. How much course time is recommended?
Course element
SL
HL
Total recommended course time
150 h
240 h
Syllabus content
110 h
180 h
Experimental programme
40 h
60 h
Collaborative sciences project
10 h
10 h
Scientific investigation
10 h
10 h
The remaining experimental-programme time is practical work. The IB describes practical work as including hands-on experimentation, simulations, modelling, technology, and both closed and open inquiry.[2][3]
These are course-design allocations. They do not prescribe a universal weekly revision plan, a fixed number of private laboratory sessions, or an individual student's required study hours.
6. Claims this update does not establish
The three official sources used here do not establish:
a fixed grade boundary for any examination session;
a universal topic order for every school;
one calculator model that is approved for every session;
a guaranteed university prerequisite at NUS, NTU, or another institution;
a guaranteed score from a particular investigation design, spreadsheet method, or revision schedule; or
a universal comparison of difficulty against Singapore H2 Physics.
Grade boundaries, permitted equipment notices, school teaching sequences, and university entry requirements can have different owners and review cycles. Verify each with the organisation responsible for that decision.
7. Frequently asked questions
Is there a separate IB Physics syllabus for 2026?
The public IB sources identify the current course as first taught in 2023 and first assessed in 2025. The same course model is used for 2026 sessions unless the IB publishes a newer guide or notice.[1][2]
Is Paper 3 still part of IB Physics?
No. The current public assessment table contains Paper 1, Paper 2, and the scientific investigation. The IB's change summary says all students sit two external examinations and that the former option topics were removed.[1][2]
Are Paper 1A and Paper 1B separate weighted papers?
No. The subject brief groups both under Paper 1, which has one 36 % weighting. Paper 1A contains multiple-choice questions and Paper 1B contains data-based questions.[2]
Is the scientific investigation still worth 20 %?
Yes. It is worth 20 % at both SL and HL, with 10 hours allocated and a maximum overall report length of 3,000 words.[2]
Did the old option topics disappear completely?
The separate options were removed. The IB states that some material from relativity, engineering physics, imaging, and astrophysics was incorporated into the SL or HL course.[1]
