Past-paper analysis
IB Maths AA HL past paper analysis
We tagged 405 questions worth 3,809 marks from 17 exam sittings between 2021 and 2025. This page shows what each topic is worth, which paper it sits on, and how that has moved over five years.
- 405 questions
- 3,809 marks
- 17 sittings
- 2021–2025
Written by Ejaz Ahmad. Published 18 October 2026. See how we analyse papers.
Marks by topic
Vectors (10.4%), Functions (9%) and Differentiation (7.3%) lead the table. The top five topics together carry 39.6% of all marks, and even the smallest of the 22 topics, Kinematics, holds 1.6%.
Share of marks by topic
| Topic | % of all marks |
|---|---|
| Vectors | 10.4% |
| Functions | 9% |
| Differentiation | 7.3% |
| Trigonometry | 6.9% |
| Complex Numbers | 6% |
| App. of Integration | 5.8% |
| Probability | 5.7% |
| Sequences & Series | 5.3% |
| Statistics | 5.1% |
| Diff. Equations | 4.9% |
| Integration | 4.7% |
| Adv. Trig | 3.3% |
| Counting | 2.9% |
| Implicit Diff./Rates | 2.7% |
| Binomial Exp. | 2.5% |
| Polynomials | 2.5% |
| Limits | 2.3% |
| Proof by Induction | 2.2% |
| Normal Dist. | 2.2% |
| Maclaurin Series | 2.1% |
| Binomial Dist. | 1.9% |
| Kinematics | 1.6% |
Share of all 3,809 marks. Marks from multi-topic questions are split equally between their tags.
Paper 1 vs Paper 2, and Paper 3
Statistics leans towards Paper 2 (8.3% of its marks against 1.9% in Paper 1), while Complex Numbers leans towards Paper 1 (10.3% against 1.8% in Paper 2).
Share of each paper's marks, by topic
| Topic | Paper 1 | Paper 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Complex Numbers | 10.3% | 1.8% |
| Functions | 10.7% | 7.3% |
| Adv. Trig | 5.3% | 1.2% |
| Seq. & Series | 6.8% | 3.8% |
| Differentiation | 8.6% | 6% |
| Integration | 4.9% | 4.5% |
| Trig | 7.2% | 6.6% |
| Vectors | 9.3% | 11.6% |
| Probability | 5% | 6.4% |
| App. Integ. | 3.8% | 7.9% |
| Statistics | 1.9% | 8.3% |
| Diff. Eq. | 2.2% | 7.7% |
Each column is a share of that paper's own marks.
Paper 3 at a glance
Paper 3 (HL only) is a long investigation paper, so it is counted separately from Papers 1 and 2.
Paper 3: share of marks by topic
| Topic | % of Paper 3 marks |
|---|---|
| Calculus / Analysis | 4% |
| Functions / Sequences | 3% |
| Complex Numbers / Geometry | 2% |
| Probability / Statistics | 2% |
| Number Theory | 1% |
| Differential Equations / Modelling | 3% |
| Trigonometry / Series | 2% |
2021–2025 Paper 3 papers.
Paper 3: recurring topics and techniques
| Topic or technique | Appearances (out of 7 papers) |
|---|---|
| GDC Exploration | 7 |
| Show that / Prove | 7 |
| Mathematical Induction | 5 |
| Conjecture from Pattern | 6 |
| Integration | 5 |
| Differential Equations | 3 |
| Argand Diagrams | 3 |
| Euler's Method | 2 |
Paper 3 is the HL extended-investigation paper.
Average marks per question
Maclaurin averages 16 marks a question and Diff. Eq. 13.4, so they usually arrive as long, multi-step questions. Trig averages 8, which points to shorter questions.
Average marks per question, by topic
| Topic | Average marks |
|---|---|
| Maclaurin | 16 |
| Diff. Eq. | 13.4 |
| Integration | 12.2 |
| Differentiation | 12.2 |
| Complex Num. | 12.1 |
| Implicit Diff. | 11.8 |
| Adv. Trig | 11.7 |
| Vectors | 11.6 |
| Limits | 11.4 |
| Kinematics | 10.2 |
| Seq. & Series | 10.2 |
| Proof by Ind. | 10.1 |
| Functions | 9.8 |
| Probability | 9.7 |
| Polynomials | 8.4 |
| Statistics | 8.1 |
| Trig | 8 |
Higher means the topic tends to appear as a longer question.
How topics changed by year
Functions rose from 6.9% in 2021 to 10.6% in 2025; Basic Trig fell from 7.8% to 4.2%. Each cell is the share of that year's marks.
Topics by year
| Topic | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vectors | 8.3% | 11.1% | 11.8% | 10.9% | 10.2% |
| Functions | 6.9% | 6.2% | 10.4% | 9.7% | 10.6% |
| Complex Numbers | 4.3% | 5.6% | 6.5% | 6.7% | 6.6% |
| Sequences | 2.9% | 4.3% | 5.1% | 7.7% | 6% |
| Basic Trig | 7.8% | 9% | 7.6% | 8.1% | 4.2% |
| Diff. Equations | 5.2% | 7.1% | 4% | 4.2% | 4.6% |
Darker cells are larger values. Only the main movers are shown.
What this means for your revision
- Start with the top five topics (Vectors, Functions, Differentiation, Trigonometry and Complex Numbers). Together they carry 39.6% of marks.
- Practise by paper. Statistics is mostly a Paper 2 skill and Complex Numbers a Paper 1 skill, so train each in the format it is asked.
- Watch the direction of travel: Functions has grown since 2021.
- Rehearse full solutions for topics that arrive as long questions, such as Maclaurin.
- Do not drop the small topics. The smallest, Kinematics, still holds 1.6% of marks.
Past frequency shows where marks have gone so far. It does not promise what a future paper will contain.
Guidebook
IB Maths AA HL guidebook
Full course coverage by Photon, with exam-style practice that follows these weightings.
Guidebook
HL Paper 3 (AA and AI) guidebook
Full course coverage by Photon, with exam-style practice that follows these weightings.
Free cheatsheets
Revise the top topics
Start with Vectors: every IB Maths AA HL topic has a free cheatsheet with the formulas, methods and common traps.
Course page
IB Maths AA HL resources
Cheatsheets, guidebook details and revision resources for this course.
Method
We counted every IB Maths AA HL paper from the 17 May and November sittings between 2021 and 2025. Each question is read and tagged by topic. When a question carries more than one tag, its marks are split equally between them, so nothing is counted twice and the shares add up to 100%.
Tagging involves judgement, and these are counts of past marks, not a forecast. Read the full method.