IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches SL and HL, papers and topics

IB Maths AA assessment

All questions are compulsory. The IB recommends 150 teaching hours at SL and 240 at HL, including 30 hours for investigation, problem-solving and modelling skills and the exploration. These details are from the IB's AA subject brief for the course first assessed in 2021.

AA or AI?

IB offers two maths courses. Analysis and Approaches spends more teaching time on algebra, geometry and calculus, and Paper 1 is done without technology. Applications and Interpretation spends more time on statistics and functions, and technology is allowed in every paper. The two courses share 60 hours of common SL content. Read our IB Maths AI guide to compare.

IB Maths AA topics

Changes from 2027

The IB says the current AA and AI courses are last examined in November 2028. A new curriculum is taught from 2027, with first assessment in 2029. If you are sitting exams in 2027 or 2028, you are on the current course described here.

IB Maths exam dates 2027

The IB's May 2026 schedule says the May 2027 exams will run from Friday 23 April to Wednesday 19 May 2027, with no exams on 1 May, subject to confirmation. Your IB coordinator has the subject-by-subject timetable for your zone.

IB grades and points

Each subject is graded from 1 to 7. Six subjects at up to 7 points each, plus up to 3 points from theory of knowledge and the extended essay, make a maximum of 45. The IB says the diploma needs at least 24 points and that other conditions must also be met. Grade boundaries are set for each subject after every session, so a raw mark from one year doesn't map exactly onto the next. Our IB mocks guide explains how points add up and how predicted grades work.

Worked examples

Number and algebra: a logarithmic equation

Solve log₂x + log₂(x − 2) = 3. Combine the logs: log₂(x(x − 2)) = 3, so x(x − 2) = 8, giving x² − 2x − 8 = 0 and (x − 4)(x + 2) = 0. Since the log of a negative number is undefined, x = 4.

Calculus: the product rule

Calculus: area under a curve

The curve y = 6x − x² crosses the x-axis at 0 and 6, so the area it encloses with the axis is:

Sequences: sum to infinity

The geometric series 12 + 6 + 3 + ... has a = 12 and r = 0.5, so its sum to infinity is a ÷ (1 − r) = 12 ÷ 0.5 = 24.

Practise factorising quadratics, which turns up inside many AA problems, in our Algebra course, then press Mark to check your answer in the course:

Use the daily paper as a short timed mock

Uni-Sine publishes a free daily paper for IB Maths AA: Algebra & Functions and IB Maths AA: Calculus and IB Maths AA HL. Each is a short timed mock: 8 questions worth 25 to 35 marks, with a suggested 35 to 45 minutes, marked when you finish. It is not a full IB paper, and the questions are original, not past papers.

• What it covers well: exponentials and logarithms, sequences and series, functions and transformations, trigonometric identities and equations, binomial expansion, proof, differentiation and integration techniques, differential equations, complex numbers and proof by induction.
• What it does not cover: statistics and probability, a major AA topic, and the long problem-solving questions of HL Paper 3. The HL paper also includes topics such as matrices and hyperbolic functions, so check those against your syllabus.

For full papers under exam conditions, use IB past papers from your teacher, and read our IB mocks guide for how mocks feed your predicted grades.

Common mistakes in IB Maths AA

• Not checking log solutions. Reject values that make a logarithm undefined.
• Leaving out working on Paper 1. Without a calculator, the method marks matter even more.
• Using a calculator answer on Paper 2 with no reasoning. Write down what you entered and why.
• Starting the exploration too late. It is 20% of your grade; pick a focused question early.

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International · IBIB Maths AI SL and HL: Papers and the Statistics TopicIB Maths AI SL and HL explained: Papers 1, 2 and 3, the exploration, why statistics is its biggest topic, AI or AA, May 2027 dates and worked examples.