Past-paper analysis
IB Maths AA SL past paper analysis
We tagged 330 questions worth 2,960 marks from 18 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.
- 330 questions
- 2,960 marks
- 18 sittings
- 2021–2025
Written by Ejaz Ahmad. Published 18 October 2026. See how we analyse papers.
Marks by topic
Differentiation (7.5%), Optimization (6.3%) and Integration (5.8%) lead the table. The top five topics together carry 29.9% of all marks, and even the smallest of the 23 topics, Derivative graphs, holds 2.3%.
Share of marks by syllabus area
| Area | % of all marks |
|---|---|
| Calculus | 27.7% |
| Statistics & Probability | 20.3% |
| Geometry & Trigonometry | 18.9% |
| Number & Algebra | 18.1% |
| Functions | 15% |
The five areas of the course.
Share of marks by topic
| Topic | % of all marks |
|---|---|
| Differentiation | 7.5% |
| Optimization | 6.3% |
| Integration | 5.8% |
| Kinematics | 5.4% |
| Probability | 4.9% |
| Logs & exponentials | 4.5% |
| Trig modelling | 4.5% |
| Sine / cosine rule | 4.4% |
| Geometric seq. / series | 4% |
| Trig equations | 4% |
| Quadratics | 4% |
| Arc / sector / radians | 3.8% |
| Rational functions | 3.7% |
| Normal distribution | 3.7% |
| Arithmetic sequences | 3.3% |
| Binomial theorem | 3.3% |
| Prob. distribution / E(X) | 3.3% |
| Composite & inverse | 3.1% |
| Descriptive stats | 3% |
| Regression | 3% |
| Transformations | 2.6% |
| Binomial distribution | 2.4% |
| Derivative graphs | 2.3% |
Share of all 2,960 marks. Marks from multi-topic questions are split equally between their tags.
Paper 1 vs Paper 2
Stats & Prob leans towards Paper 2 (23% of its marks against 18% in Paper 1), while Calculus leans towards Paper 1 (29% against 26% in Paper 2).
Share of each paper's marks, by topic
| Topic | Paper 1 | Paper 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Calculus | 29% | 26% |
| Stats & Prob | 18% | 23% |
| Geom & Trig | 18% | 20% |
| Number & Alg | 19% | 17% |
| Functions | 16% | 14% |
Each column is a share of that paper's own marks.
Where the sub-topics sit
The headline topics hide a split by paper: the same topic can be a Paper 1 skill or a Paper 2 skill.
Calculus topics: Paper 1 (no calculator) vs Paper 2
| Topic | Paper 1 (no calc) | Paper 2 (calc) |
|---|---|---|
| Differentiation | 10.2% | 4.2% |
| Optimization | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| Integration | 6.3% | 4.9% |
| Kinematics | 4.3% | 6.3% |
| Deriv. graphs | 3% | 1.4% |
Share of each paper's marks.
Section B appearances
Section B holds the long questions at the end of each paper. This counts how often each syllabus area has anchored one.
Section B appearances
| Area | Appearances |
|---|---|
| Calculus | 18 |
| Statistics & Probability | 10 |
| Number & Algebra | 9 |
| Geometry & Trig | 8 |
| Functions | 8 |
Counted over 37 Section B questions.
How topics changed by year
Stats & Probability rose from 18% in 2021 to 21% in 2025; Functions fell from 17% to 14%. Each cell is the share of that year's marks.
Topics by year
| Topic | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calculus | 30% | 28% | 26% | 27% | 28% |
| Stats & Probability | 18% | 19% | 22% | 21% | 21% |
| Geometry & Trig | 18% | 20% | 19% | 19% | 18% |
| Number & Algebra | 17% | 18% | 17% | 18% | 19% |
| Functions | 17% | 15% | 16% | 15% | 14% |
Darker cells are larger values. Only the main movers are shown.
What this means for your revision
- Start with the top five topics (Differentiation, Optimization, Integration, Kinematics and Probability). Together they carry 29.9% of marks.
- Practise by paper. Stats & Prob is mostly a Paper 2 skill and Calculus a Paper 1 skill, so train each in the format it is asked.
- Watch the direction of travel: Stats & Probability has grown since 2021.
- Do not drop the small topics. The smallest, Derivative graphs, still holds 2.3% 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 SL guidebook
Full course coverage by Photon, with exam-style practice that follows these weightings.
Free cheatsheets
Revise the top topics
Start with Differentiation: every IB Maths AA SL topic has a free cheatsheet with the formulas, methods and common traps.
Course page
IB Maths AA SL resources
Cheatsheets, guidebook details and revision resources for this course.
Method
We counted every IB Maths AA SL paper from the 18 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.