IB Math AA Paper 2

By Roxanne

•

04 Apr 2025

Get feedback on your Math AA IA

If you need more guidance regarding the structure of IB Math AA Paper 2, this post is for you! Here, we will provide a thorough breakdown of IB Math AA Paper 2, ensuring you are familiar with the exam format and know what type of questions to expect to help you tackle the exam confidently.

IB Math AA Paper 2

Paper 2 is made up of a mix of short-response and extended-response questions based on the syllabus.
Paper 2 will cover all topics of the syllabus, so students need to ensure they study all the material thoroughly.
SL papers have a maximum of 80 marks while HL papers have a maximum of 110 marks.
Individual questions may require knowledge spanning across multiple topics.
Questions may be asked in the form of words, symbols, diagrams, tables, or any combination of these.
The questions gradually increase in difficulty, with easier questions at the beginning followed by the harder questions.
For SL, Paper 2 contributes 40% to the overall subject grade, while for HL, it accounts for 30%.
SL students have 1 hour and 30 minutes, while HL students are given 2 hours to complete Paper 2.
A calculator such as a GDC is required for this exam.

Section A

Section A consists of short-response questions based on the syllabus.
Students may score up to 40 marks here.
This section assesses a broad range of topics.
A small number of steps are required to solve each question.
Questions may be presented in the form of words, symbols, diagrams, or tables.

A typical SL question could be:

The function $g(x) = \ln(3x - 2)$ $g$ $($ $x$ $)$ $=$ $ln$ $($ $3$ $x$ $-$ $2$ $)$ is defined for $x > \frac{2}{3}$ $x$ $>$ $32$ $$ .

(a) Find $g'(x)$ $g$ $'$ $($ $x$ $)$ . [3 marks]

(b) The tangent to the curve at $x = 2$ $x$ $=$ $2$ is given by $y = ax + b$ $y$ $=$ $ax$ $+$ $b$ . Find the values of $a$ $a$ and $b$ $b$ . [4 marks]

A typical HL question could be:

A geometric sequence has a first term of $5$ $5$ and a common ratio of $r$ $r$ . The sum to infinity of the sequence is $20$ $20$ .

(a) Find the value of $r$ $r$ . [3 marks]

(b) The sum of the first $n$ $n$ terms of the sequence is greater than 18. Find the smallest possible value of $n$ $n$ . [4 marks]

Section B

Section B consists of extended-response questions that require knowledge of multiple topics.
It is worth up to 40 marks.
Questions require deeper understanding and application of concepts.

A typical SL question could be:

The function $f(x) = ax^3 + bx^2 + cx + d$ $f$ $($ $x$ $)$ $=$ $ax$ $3$ $+$ $bx$ $2$ $+$ $cx$ $+$ $d$ has a local minimum at $x = -1$ $x$ $=$ $-1$ and a local maximum at $x = 3$ $x$ $=$ $3$ .

(a) Show that $f'(-1) = 0$ $f$ $'$ $($ $-1$ $)$ $=$ $0$ and $f'(3) = 0$ $f$ $'$ $($ $3$ $)$ $=$ $0$ . [3 marks]

(b) Given that $f(0) = 5$ $f$ $($ $0$ $)$ $=$ $5$ and $f(2) = 1$ $f$ $($ $2$ $)$ $=$ $1$ , find the values of $a, b, c, d$ $a$ $,$ $b$ $,$ $c$ $,$ $d$ . [6 marks]

A typical HL question could be:

A particle moves along the x-axis such that its velocity is given by $v(t) = 2t^3 - 3t^2 - 12t + 5$ $v$ $($ $t$ $)$ $=$ $2$ $t$ $3$ $-$ $3$ $t$ $2$ $-$ $12$ $t$ $+$ $5$ .

(a) Find the acceleration of the particle at $t = 2$ $t$ $=$ $2$ . [3 marks]

(b) Determine the values of $t$ $t$ where the particle is at rest. [4 marks]

(c) Find the total distance traveled by the particle from $t = 0$ $t$ $=$ $0$ to $t = 3$ $t$ $=$ $3$ . [5 marks]

How to Succeed in Math AA Paper 2

Solve numerous past papers – This helps you get used to the type of questions that could be asked on the exam and helps you develop skills in learning which mathematical concepts to apply. You should try to solve past papers using a timer to simulate exam conditions and check your answers against a markscheme to identify areas for improvement.
Master the GDC – Learn and practice the important functions on your GC so that you are familiar with them during the exam. The GDC is an important tool that can help you with various calculations, so it is important to know how to use it effectively. Learn how to solve equations, find derivatives and integrals, and graph functions.
Show all steps clearly – IB examiners award method marks for correct reasoning. Always write formulas before substituting values, justify each step in your work, and clearly label key points on graphs or diagrams to maximize partial credit on questions. This ensures that even if your final answer is wrong, you are still able to get part marks for your thought process and working.

We hope you found this post helpful. For more useful materials associated with the IB, check out the wide variety of IA, EE and TOK exemplars available at Clastify.

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IB Math AA Paper 2

By Roxanne

04 Apr 2025

Get feedback on your Math AA IA

IB Math AA Paper 2

Section A

Section B

How to Succeed in Math AA Paper 2