The Diploma Programme Subjects

Students study a selection of subjects and we very deliberately design the curriculum to best suit the needs and interests of our individual learners. Every year our subject portfolio across the whole school grows as we ask our students about individual interests, what they enjoy and want to study in the future. We know if our students enjoy what they are learning, they will continue to achieve their very best. For the full IB Diploma, students must successfully complete the three core components and also study six subjects. Students usually select three or four subjects at higher level (HL) and three subjects at standard level (SL).

Students are encouraged to select the subjects and the levels they wish to focus on, that best suit their interests and abilities. Good advice is to select the subjects at HL that you enjoy and think you will do best at. The six subject groups include:

Studies in Language and Literature
Language Acquisition
Individuals and Societies
Sciences
Mathematics
The Arts

An example selection form and further details about all the different subjects are included at the bottom of this page. Also, within this site, you can discover information about IB assessment and grades. Students and parents are also very much encouraged to talk to teachers at school, to gain further support and individually tailored advice.

Opportunities for every individual

Students at HHIS will be fully supported to begin studying for the full IB Diploma, by participating in all three Core Components and studying six subjects. It is also possible that a student may choose to focus on particular subject courses, should this best suit their individual needs and interests. The award for each of these courses is not the full IB Diploma, but a series of scores. Students can therefore take any combination of subjects as a portfolio of separate qualifications. These individual subject results are referred to as Diploma Programme Course Results. Many universities around the world, recognise DP courses alone.

Full guidance, advice and support will be offered to students and parents in making positive selections. We will always try to accommodate individual student selections, yet there could be occasions when certain subjects cannot be offered. This could be due to subject combination clashes with other timetabled classes or due to limited student numbers in a lesson. Full consultation with parents and students will be ensured in line with our Admissions Policy - our educational belief is that a minimum of three students are needed in a class to inspire the very best in learning and achievement.

Online and Individual study

We recognise that our individual learners may have particular passions for study that go beyond the variety of option subjects offered. The opportunity to select a subject for online and individual study is extended to all our learners. This does need to be fully agreed by parents and the school. It is important for students to fully recognise that studying a subject beyond the HHIS classroom requires an even greater level of responsibility on their part.

Further subjects are available for online study at an additional fee through the Pamoja learning platform: https://pamojaeducation.com/for-schools/pamoja-taught-courses/

Other opportunities should be discussed with the school.

Every subject in detail

Please click the links for each subject and you will be guided to the official IB Diploma Programme Subject briefs. Teachers are also very happy to support with further details and information. Please note that based on timetabling requirements, some subjects may not be available to a particular cohort.

Group 1

English A: Language and Literature (Standard and Higher Level)
Thai A: Language and Literature (Standard and Higher Level)
School-Supported Self-Taught Literature A (Standard Level)

Group 2

Mandarin B (Standard and Higher Level)
Mandarin ab initio (Standard Level)
Spanish B (Standard and Higher Level)
Spanish ab initio (Standard Level)
French ab initio (Standard Level)
English B (Standard and Higher Level)

Group 3

History (Standard and Higher Level)
Business Management (Standard and Higher Level)
Geography (Standard and Higher Level)
Environmental Systems and Societies (available as a Group 3 or 4 selection - Standard and Higher Level)

Group 4

Biology (Standard and Higher Level)
Chemistry (Standard and Higher Level)
Computer Science (Standard and Higher Level)
Environmental Systems and Societies (available as a Group 3 or 4 selection - Standard and Higher Level)
Physics (Standard and Higher Level)
Sports, Exercise and Health Science (Standard and Higher Level)

Group 5

Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches (Standard and Higher Level)
Mathematics: Applications and Interpretation (Standard and Higher Level)

Group 6

Visual Arts (Standard and Higher Level)
Music (Standard and Higher Level)

Selecting subjects

There are a number of different subject choices available within the six groups for our students to consider. Students have the opportunity to study their subjects at different levels, which they can choose. These levels are known as Standard and Higher level. The key difference between the two levels of study is the breadth and depth of content covered and the level of assessment, which is more rigourous at HL. To support with the content and assessment of each subject, a minimum of 240 hours of lessons are covered for higher level and 150 hours for standard level studies.

All subjects at HHIS are available at Higher and Standard level. The only exceptions are for those subjects that are not offered by the Diploma Programme as HL. The subjects that are only available at SL are School-Supported Self Taught Literature in Group 1, Language Ab Initio in Group 2 and Environmental Systems and Societies which is a Group 3 and 4 subject choice.

IBDP Subject Options (2026-28).pdf

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