Past-paper analysis
IB Physics HL past paper analysis
We tagged 307 questions worth 900 marks from 18 papers of the redesigned course, first examined in 2025. This page shows what each theme and topic is worth and which paper carries the marks. 54.2% of all marks sit in questions that join two or more topics.
- 307 questions
- 900 marks
- 18 papers
- New 2025 course
Written by Ejaz Ahmad. Published 18 October 2026. See how we analyse papers.
Marks by theme and topic
A · Space, time & motion (27.7%) and B · Particulate matter (20.5%) take the largest shares of marks. A.2 Forces & momentum (11.33%), B.1 Thermal energy transfers (6.94%) and A.3 Work, energy & power (6.39%) lead the table. The top five topics together carry 35.9% of all marks, and even the smallest of the 24 topics, B.2 Greenhouse effect, holds 1.06%.
Share of marks by theme
| Theme | % of all marks |
|---|---|
| A · Space, time & motion | 27.7% |
| B · Particulate matter | 20.5% |
| E · Nuclear & quantum | 18.6% |
| D · Fields | 17.2% |
| C · Wave behaviour | 16% |
Share of all 900 marks.
Share of marks by topic
| Topic | % of all marks |
|---|---|
| A.2 Forces & momentum | 11.33% |
| B.1 Thermal energy transfers | 6.94% |
| A.3 Work, energy & power | 6.39% |
| E.3 Radioactive decay | 5.76% |
| D.2 Electric & magnetic fields | 5.46% |
| B.3 Gas laws | 4.85% |
| A.1 Kinematics | 4.57% |
| C.1 Simple harmonic motion | 4.54% |
| D.1 Gravitational fields | 4.52% |
| C.3 Wave phenomena | 4.44% |
| B.4 Thermodynamics (HL) | 4.19% |
| E.5 Fusion & stars | 4.13% |
| E.2 Quantum physics (HL) | 3.96% |
| D.3 Motion in EM fields | 3.96% |
| E.1 Structure of the atom | 3.48% |
| B.5 Current & circuits | 3.44% |
| A.5 Special relativity (HL) | 3.33% |
| D.4 Induction (HL) | 3.3% |
| C.2 Wave model | 3.06% |
| C.5 Doppler effect | 2.46% |
| A.4 Rigid body mechanics (HL) | 2.04% |
| C.4 Standing waves & resonance | 1.5% |
| E.4 Fission | 1.28% |
| B.2 Greenhouse effect | 1.06% |
Share of all 900 marks. Marks from multi-topic questions are split equally between their tags.
Paper 1A, Paper 1B and Paper 2
Marks attributed to each theme on each paper. Paper 2 (extended response) carries about 60% of the marks, Paper 1A (multiple choice) about 27% and Paper 1B (data / experimental) about 13%. Paper 1A is multiple choice, Paper 1B is data-based and experimental, Paper 2 is extended response.
Marks attributed to each theme, by paper
| Theme | Paper 1A (multiple choice) | Paper 1B (data / experimental) | Paper 2 (extended response) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A · Space, time & motion | 54.2 | 47.1 | 147.6 |
| B · Particulate matter | 47 | 33.5 | 103.9 |
| C · Wave behaviour | 41.5 | 21.3 | 81.2 |
| D · Fields | 47 | 7 | 101.2 |
| E · Nuclear & quantum | 50.3 | 11 | 106.1 |
Marks after multi-topic questions are split among their tags.
How hard the questions are
Most questions are mid-level: 186 of 307 sit in the medium band.
Questions by difficulty rating
| Rating | Questions | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Accessible | 60 | 19.5% |
| Medium | 186 | 60.6% |
| Hard | 61 | 19.9% |
Rated by our team when each of the 307 questions was tagged.
What this means for your revision
- Start with the top five topics (A.2 Forces & momentum, B.1 Thermal energy transfers, A.3 Work, energy & power, E.3 Radioactive decay and D.2 Electric & magnetic fields). Together they carry 35.9% of marks.
- Expect mixed questions: 54.2% of marks sit in questions tagged with two or more topics. Practise linking topics, not only revising them one at a time.
- Bank the shorter marks on Paper 1A (multiple choice) and Paper 1B (data / experimental), then spend your long-answer time on Paper 2 (extended response), where most marks sit.
- Do not drop the small topics. The smallest, B.2 Greenhouse effect, still holds 1.06% of marks.
Past frequency shows where marks have gone so far. It does not promise what a future paper will contain.
Guidebook
IB Physics SL and HL guidebook
Full course coverage by Photon, with exam-style practice that follows these weightings.
Free cheatsheets
Revise the top topics
Start with A.2 Forces & momentum: every IB Physics HL topic has a free cheatsheet with the formulas, methods and common traps.
Course page
IB Physics HL resources
Cheatsheets, guidebook details and revision resources for this course.
Method
We counted the 18 papers written for the redesigned course, first examined in 2025. Papers from the old course are left out because its topics and paper structure were different. 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.