IB exam tips

This includes what to expect for your IB exams, and how to write solutions that gain the most marks.

Last updated: 2026-05-13. additional tips.

Contents

• Structure of final exams
• Exam day and what to bring
• Reading time
• Exam strategies
• Writing solutions
  • Mark allocation
• Proctor announcements

Structure of final exams

The final IB Analysis and Approaches exams are worth 80% of your IB grade. IB grades are calculated from a weighted average of your component percentage marks. This “scaled mark” is what determines your grade out of 7. The specifics are listed in the following tables.

Note each HL Paper 3 mark is worth roughly $\frac43$ of each HL Papers 1 and 2 mark.

Each mark should take roughly 1 minute on average. It may mean some marks take less than 30 seconds, and some more than 90 seconds.

Paper 1 does not allow a calculator of any kind.

Paper 2 and HL Paper 3 require all students to have access to a permitted graphing calculator. Neither scientific calculators nor more advanced graphing calculators are permitted.

Paper 1 and 2 are both split into two parts: part A short questions and part B extended questions. Both parts require full solutions. In Papers 1 and 2, five of first six questions are common across SL and HL aside from some possible minor differences, and the first HL part B question will be near-identical to an SL question from the same session. Both part A and part B progress in increasing difficulty; first question of part B is longer but easier than the last question in part A.

Exam day and what to bring

May 2026 IB Analysis and Approaches exam schedule

You can bring

• blue and/or black ballpoint pens
• soft pencils, for graphing
• stationary, such as ruler, eraser, protractor; ruler and eraser are highly recommended
• graphing calculator (excluding Paper 1) and extra batteries
• bilingual dictionary, if you let proctor know way ahead of time
• water, subject to proctor approval
• a small and non-distracting lucky charm, subject to proctor approval

You can bring gel pens and highlighters, but they must not be used in your answer boxes or answer booklets.

You may request school to provide you a personal clock, with prior notice and school approval.

You cannot bring

• scientific calculator
• correction fluids or whiteners
• rough paper (but you may use extra booklets)
• notes, textbooks, guides, calculator manual
• wristwatches
• electronics
• colored pencils
• food or non-water drinks

Before each exam, you will be given time to check all pages are present, and an additional 5 minutes to read through the exam. It helps to read through the more difficult questions to help you prioritize questions and plan the order of answering questions. It helps to solve all Paper 2 trig questions in degrees before changing to radians for the rest of the exam.

You need to stay in the exam room for at least 2 hours, if the exam is shorter.

Reading time

The 5-minute reading time before each exam allows you to see the exam content without writing anything down.

IB recommends using the 5-minute reading time to plan your approach to the exam, as opposed to start working on the first question (which is usually the easiest). Spend 10 (Part A) to 45 (Part B) seconds skimming through each question, to get the big picture ideas. You should identify

• the location of each question, checking both the front and back side of every page
• the broad topics covered by each numbered question, eg “calculus”, “binomial theorem”, “vectors” etc.
• when you need to switch between degrees and radians, by spotting trig functions and the degrees symbol
• proof questions where you may be able to solve a subsequent part with the provided solution
• questions and parts you are comfortable with, and estimated time needed for each
• questions and parts that are confusing and should be deferred later
• a sequence of solving the questions, from least to greatest comfort level

Exam strategies

• The questions can be solved using syllabus content, or with any additional concepts or equations explicitly introduced in the question. Do not invent mathematics on the exam, and in general do not use methods you have never used in practice.

• Color-code with blue and black pens strategically to help you perform algebra more accurately and efficiently.

• Do not cross out any part of your solution unless you are 100% sure it is wrong. If you found extraneous solutions, say why you reject them, instead of crossing them out.

• Move on to the next part if you get stuck, as opposed to the next question. When you spent a minute on a 3-mark problem, decide if you want to keep going or skip for later. As recommended by IB, make up plausible answers in order to attempt subsequent parts. Parts are not ordered by difficulty.

• Copying the formula or stating a theorem is not sufficient for Method marks. Rather you need to substitute in variables or values.

• Writing “using GDC” earns no marks. Rather use proper math notation. GDC commands is occasionally accepted if it is universal and unambiguous, eg TVM/Finance calculations. Distributions and statistics calculator syntax are often conflicting between models so examiner may be hesitant to award method marks.

• Store and reuse values found on the GDC for tips and methods on how to do so on TI-84 Plus. You cannot round intermediate values and it is recommended to write a few more significant figures for final answers, before giving answer to 3 sf. Excess sig figs in final answers may be penalized.

• Integers must be simplified. $\frac{-10}{5}$ must be simplified to $-2$.

• Complete pending multiplications or additions, eg $\e^x \cdot 4\e^{2x} = 4\e^{3x}$

• Both expanded and factored forms are accepted.

• “Show that” are derivations, not verifications. Since 2024, if you are provided an approximate numerical answer, you need to obtain one additional correct significant figure in your working.

• Curves on graphs should be smooth, and not jagged, etched, etc.

• Use ruler for histograms and graph axes.

Writing solutions

For each part A question, only the box on the question booklet is scanned.

For Part B and HL Paper 3, all work must be in answer booklets.

Write clearly; ideally write each step in a separate line, align your equal (and inequality) signs, and separate the working area into 2 columns when answer has to be in the box. But different columns should all be on the same part of a question. If necessary, use arrows to indicate the order of columns or steps. Cross out sections you do not want examiners to read.

You are allocated a minimum of two 4-page answer booklets per paper.

Graphing questions are the only questions that permit use of pencils. When graphing functions, be sure to use a single stroke for each continuous part of the graph. Ensure that functions pass the vertical line test. Use a eraser when needed.

It is important to note that there is no “follow through” marks within a single part. So check your algebra fairly frequently in each question.

Mark allocation

Consider the number of marks allocated for the question or the part. More marks mean you need to provide more steps or justifications.

For numerical answers, each value is worth at least one mark.

“Show that” questions involving deriving a numerical value must provide one extra significant figure than provided in the question, if the provided value is approximate and not exact.

Algebraic mistakes allow for “follow through” between part a) and part b), and between subpart a) i) and a) ii), but not within a single part or subpart. Check for errors every few lines of algebra, so you catch errors as soon as they occur.

When question breaks into subparts i) and ii), write a little bit more than what you think may be enough for each part, unless each is worth only a single mark.

Proctor announcements

The proctor will give 30-minute and 5-minute warnings before the end of each exam. At the 5-minute warning, check that all your solutions are in the correct locations that will be scanned. Stop writing when the time is up.