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IB Maths AA SL Paper 2 Drilling Guide: GDC versus Handwork, Pacing and a 12-Week Plan
TUTORZONE EXAM DRILL GUIDE · IB MATHS AA SL PAPER 2
Built on the IB Maths AA SL assessment: Papers 1 and 2 are 80 marks in 1 h 30 each at 40%, and the exploration carries 20%. This page is the drilling method only – the Section A / Section B split, GDC versus handwork, the usual mark losses and the error log. For questions use the mock paper below.
How is IB Maths AA SL assessed, and what does each part carry?
Paper 1 (no technology): Compulsory short- and extended-response questions; 80 marks (SL 40%); Paper 2 (this paper, GDC required): Short-response Section A + extended-response Section B; 80 marks (SL 40%); Exploration (internal assessment): 15 recommended hours within the 150-hour course (20%)
Assessment at a glance (2027)
| Component | Content | Weighting | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (no technology) | Compulsory short- and extended-response questions; 80 marks | SL 40% | 1.5 h |
| Paper 2 (this paper, GDC required) | Short-response Section A + extended-response Section B; 80 marks | SL 40% | 1.5 h |
| Exploration (internal assessment) | 15 recommended hours within the 150-hour course | 20% | during the course |
IB Maths AA SL Paper 2 drilling technique: decide first whether the question wants the GDC or algebra – roots, intersections, definite integrals, normal probabilities and inverse functions go to the GDC; proofs, simplification and exact values still need written steps. Give every numerical answer to three significant figures (one decimal place for angles) with units. Check Section A before moving on, because Section B builds on it.
What each paper is actually testing
| Paper | Drill focus | How marks are lost |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (no technology) | tests hand manipulation and proof | Section A roots, intersections and integrals answered with the screen value only, losing the method marks for formula and substitution |
| Paper 2 (this paper, GDC required) | sketch or model first, then GDC and interpretation | Trigonometry evaluated without checking DEG or RAD, so a radian-mode answer destroys the whole question |
| Exploration (internal assessment) | own topic, modelling and reflection | Section B substituting numbers before modelling or sketching, leaving the interpretation marks empty |
What is each IB Maths AA SL paper really testing, and what should you drill?
Paper 1 (no technology): tests hand manipulation and proof; Paper 2 (this paper, GDC required): sketch or model first, then GDC and interpretation; Exploration (internal assessment): own topic, modelling and reflection
Drill order: by topic, then by year, then the mark scheme
| Step | What you do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1. By topic | Work through each topic, starting with the paper that allows least help (no calculator / closed book) | Exposes what is genuinely not understood |
| 2. By year | Whole papers to time, one or two a week | Trains pace, stamina and question selection |
| 3. Mark scheme | Go through the marking scheme question by question and log the scoring steps you missed | Most lost marks are written wrong, not thought wrong |
Should drilling go by topic first or by year?
By topic first, then whole papers by year, then the mark scheme. The first third of the time goes topic by topic (8-10 years of the same topic back to back), the middle switches to timed whole papers, and the last fortnight only redoes the recurring errors from your log.
A 12-week drilling timetable
| Week | Phase | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-3 | By topic: foundation | Topic by topic, starting with the easiest marks, building habits and recall |
| Weeks 4-6 | By topic: core | 8-10 years of the same topic back to back, errors classified by topic |
| Weeks 7-8 | By topic: advanced and electives | Elective and higher-order topics, now under time pressure |
| Weeks 9-10 | By year: timed papers | One full paper a week, timed, no reference materials |
| Week 11 | Mark scheme work | Question by question against the marking scheme; list the scoring steps you omitted |
| Week 12 | Plug holes and simulate | Only the recurring errors from your log, then one full exam simulation |
Subject-specific weighting for this timetable: Twelve weeks split by section, not by year: weeks 1-4 are two Section A sets a week (inside 40 minutes, practising model-then-calculate order), weeks 5-8 move to Section B extended questions (45 minutes a set, formula, substitution and three significant figures all written out), weeks 9-11 are timed whole papers, and the last week redoes only the recurring entries in the log. Fix the exploration topic before week 6.
Use it properly: this is not a checklist to finish. Every week must keep time for redoing errors, or from week 9 you will be repeating the same batch.
Pacing
| Paper | Time | Suggested split |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 (no technology) | 1.5 h | analytic work: exact surds, fractions and algebra |
| Paper 2 (this paper, GDC required) | 1.5 h | about 40 min on Section A, 45 min on Section B, 5 min to check |
| Exploration (internal assessment) | during the course | work in stages, never in the last two weeks |
How should the time be split inside each IB Maths AA SL paper?
Paper 1 (no technology): analytic work: exact surds, fractions and algebra; Paper 2 (this paper, GDC required): about 40 min on Section A, 45 min on Section B, 5 min to check; Exploration (internal assessment): work in stages, never in the last two weeks
The drilling mistakes that cost the most marks
| Mistake | What it looks like | What actually happens | Instead |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trigonometry without DEG mode | Evaluating cos 52° straight away | A radian-mode GDC gives a completely wrong side length | Set DEG or RAD first, then enter the angle |
| Calculator answer only | Copying the screen output | All method marks are lost, keeping only the answer mark | Write the formula, the substitution and the integral |
| Too many decimal places | Roots written to five or six decimals | IB wants three significant figures, so marks are deducted | Give every answer to three significant figures |
| Total distance as a displacement | Writing s(2) − s(0) | The return leg cancels out and removes half the distance | Add the absolute values of each stage |
The error log and the mark scheme
Three columns, never a copy of the question: mode (was DEG or RAD and the right tool confirmed first), working (formula and substitution written down), answer form (three significant figures, units, exact values where asked). Three entries in one column within a week means drill only that column next week – method and answer marks are awarded separately, so a right number with blank working still stalls.
How many years should you drill?
The current IB Maths AA course was first assessed in 2021 and Paper 2 has been stable since, so the sessions now available are enough to drill by topic (eight to ten papers of the same topic back to back). Reaching back to the previous course is pointless: its papers and topic list no longer match.
How many years of past papers is enough?
The current IB Maths AA course was first assessed in 2021 and Paper 2 has been stable since, so the sessions now available are enough to drill by topic (eight to ten papers of the same topic back to back). Reaching back to the previous course is pointless: its papers and topic list no longer match.
Frequently asked questions
Is this page a mock paper or a drilling guide?
This is the IB Maths AA SL drilling guide: assessment structure, drill order, a 12-week timetable, pacing, common mark losses and the error-log method. For questions with answers, use the IB Maths AA SL mock papers linked under Related.
By topic or by year first?
By topic. Eight to ten years of the same topic back to back is what exposes repeating errors; going straight to whole papers just repeats the same batch under time pressure.
How should the error log be written?
Do not copy out questions. Per error record four things: question reference, which step failed (concept, wording, calculation), what the mark scheme requires, and the correct action next time.
Can Paper 2 be done by hand without a GDC?
No. The paper assumes a graphic display calculator: roots, intersections, definite integrals and normal probabilities are too slow and too error-prone by hand. But method marks still need the formula and the substitution written out, so copying the screen loses them.
Can the exploration be written at the very end of the course?
Not advisable. It carries 20%, the same weight as Paper 2, and the reflection marks only appear when the work is staged: topic, data, model, reflection. Writing it in the last fortnight is the usual way to lose them.
Official references
| Resource | What to use it for |
|---|---|
| IB mathematics curriculum page (IBO) | Confirm the Paper 1-2 marks and weighting |
| IB Maths AA SL Paper 1 mock | no-technology hand algebra |
| IB Maths AI SL Paper 2 mock | the same-level GDC paper |
| Practice area | index of IB subject mocks |
Related: practice area · IB Maths AA SL Paper 2 mock · Paper 1 (no technology)
Next step: find a tutor / register as a tutor
After drilling, the hard part is telling a conceptual error from a writing error. Tell us the year group, the school and your available times, and TutorZone will match you with a tutor who knows the HKEAA assessment requirements.
Demand for tutors in this subject is steady, and those who can explain the marking scheme and where marks are won are especially sought after. Register free; you pay only when a match succeeds.
