IB Math AI Paper 1 - Your guide to Acing it!
Everything you need to know about IB Math AI Paper 1 - from structure and scoring to proven preparation tips. Master both SL and HL exams with confidence.
Upon finishing your IB diploma, you will have to take exams that will contribute to your final grade for all of the subjects you took. For Mathematics Applications and Interpretations, there are two final exams for SL students, and for HL, there are three final exams. As it may seem challenging to prepare for these exams, we have created this guide to show you what is expected of you in paper 1 and our best hints on how to best prepare!
Struggling to prepare for your IB Math AI Paper 1? Our expert IB tutors can help you master exam techniques, understand mark schemes, and boost your score with confidence.
Time and worth
During all of your Math AI examinations, you are allowed to use a calculator. Paper 1 consists of two sections - A and B. SL students are given 1 hour and 30 minutes to complete questions that sum up to around 80 points in total. HL students have 2 hours to complete the 110 point-worth exam. The paper contributes 40% to the final grade of SL students and 30% for HL students. The point of the paper 1 examination is to test how well you can connect real-world problems with mathematical concepts. As implied by the name of the course, you are expected to
Section A
This part of the exam is all about short-answer questions, where each one is usually worth anywhere from 4 to 7 points. Their goal is to see whether you are familiar with all of the topics covered during the Math AI course. Usually, these include a diagram, picture, table, equations and symbols.
As stated on the front page of every Math IB exam, you are advised to show all of your work. Depending on the number of points to be achieved for each subquestion, you may find hints that can guide you to the final solution and what the examiners will be looking for in your intermediate steps. If a sub-question is worth only a single point, then only the final answer is required. As an example, let's analyse question 5 from the May 2023 examination session:
5.
Line L1 is tangent to the graph of a function f(x) at the point P(3, –1). Line L2 is given by the equation y = -½x - 5⁄2 and is perpendicular to L1.
Subquestion a) is worth 1 point, for the recognition that L1 and L2 are perpendicular to each other and stating that m = 2. The sub-questions b) and c) are worth 2 points each, implying that more than just the final answer given is required. In part b), the points would be rewarded for substituting the coordinates of point P to solve for the y-intercept of L1, writing down an intermediate step of the calculation and the final equation. Part c) by stating ‘show that’ indicates that you need to apply what you found in the previous sub-question. The first point is awarded for finding the intersection between the lines L1 and L2, then using the solution to prove that L2 is not normal to f(x) at point P.
Section B
Here, your knowledge will be tested through the use of long-answer exercises. These are typically worth anywhere between 10 and 20 points, depending on its length and the amount of sub-questions.. These are created such that they cover only a selected number of topics found in the syllabus, but they require more in-depth thinking than the questions you can encounter in section A. These often consist of at least 3 sub-questions to be answered, each requiring a follow-up from . For example, you may be asked to find a derivative of a function, finding the equations of a tangent and normal to the initial function for a certain x-value, then graphing the three functions to show how they are related to each other.
If you are an HL student, section B questions will more likely be related to topics that are treated in the HL-only syllabus. Therefore, you can expect these to be based on matrices, complex numbers, graph transformations, vectors, nonlinear regression, Poisson distribution and kinematic problems. There is still some possibility that you will be asked about SL topics, but do expect a progressive increase in difficulty.
Ready to conquer Section B? Take on high-value questions that explore key syllabus topics in depth and enhance your problem-solving skills progressively.
General exam tips
The best way to prepare for a math exam is, unsurprisingly, solving as many problems as you can. First, make sure that you have gone over the entire syllabus, get familiar with how you are supposed to use a calculator in every topic. When that is done, you should start testing your abilities in past paper style questions.
Tip 1 - Take timed practice exams to pinpoint and strengthen your weak areas.
As soon as you have gone over the entire Math AI syllabus, it’s time to try your luck in practice exams. Find a quiet spot, print a past paper and try your best to solve it in the allocated time (if unsure, check out the times in section Time and Worth). When done, ask yourself what you found the most challenging - understanding the questions and what is expected of you, time management, use of the calculator, or finding connections between subquestions. This will make it easier to find your weak spots, then target them and do your best to improve.
Tip 2 - Use clues in the question text to quickly tackle ‘Write Down’ sub-questions.
At times, the questions already contain enough information to answer the first sub-question - a huge giveaway of that is a question starting with ‘write down’. As an example, you may encounter a question containing a Voronoi diagram, with each point representing a power station, then a person standing on specific coordinates (x,y). If you are asked to state which station the person is closest to, you can immediately answer the question by looking at which region the person is standing in.
Tip 3 - Always use correct notation and units to secure easy marks.
The devil truly lies in the details, as correct notations and approximations are important during the exam. If the final answer can be reduced to an integer of a simpler fraction, you should use that format. If not stated otherwise in the question, your final answers should be given to three significant figures. As an example, you may be asked to find the x-coordinate of an intercept between two functions, and with your calculator you find it to be x = 0.5427. In this case, your final answer should be approximated to x = 0.543.
Tip 4 - Break the question into parts and visualize the problem to prevent feeling stuck.
When there is a trigonometric question to be solved for some angle x, watch out whether the other angles in the question are given in terms of radians or degrees. If the question states that the other angle is expressed in degrees, your final answer should also be in degrees. Not doing any of the above may cost you a lot of points, that later could have increased your final grade for the Mathematics course.
Oftentimes the questions are loaded with text and information, thus stressing you out and cluttering your analysis skills. To make it easier, always begin the solution by clearly writing down and sorting the information provided. If the question is based on a geometry question and a drawing representing the situation is not provided, try to make one yourself. This will help you visualise the problem and what you might be asked to solve for. An important note is that IB exams always contain enough information to solve the problem at hand.
Tip 5 - Familiarize yourself with the formula booklet and prioritize method over small errors.
During every exam you are allowed to have the Math AI formula booklet, therefore try to use it to your advantage. When doing practice questions, or as mentioned above a full past paper, complete them with the use of the booklet. This way you will be familiar with its contents, know which equations you are expected to know by heart and simply feel a bit more confident when solving the questions. They were made to be solved with the company of the formula booklet, so don’t be afraid to use it!
Alongside the formula booklet, the exam is built to be completed with a graphic calculator. It’s a powerful device, however you need to know how to use it correctly before you enter the exam hall. You must be able to graph functions and their derivatives, find their extreme (minimum and maximum) points, find areas under the curves (definite integration), enter datasets into lists, calculate Pearson and Spearman coefficients, complete t-tests, find probabilities for both normal and binomial distributions, and many more. It may sometimes be difficult to figure these out on your own, therefore, our tutors are here to provide any necessary guidance to help you clear up any doubts when using the calculator.
If you get yourself in a position where you notice you ignored a negative sign somewhere or incorrectly wrote down a final answer at the beginning of section B, don’t worry. You can still be awarded full points for a correct method, application of formulas and showing your working. If you find yourself having enough time to redo the calculations, feel free to do so! If you don’t, you can rest assured you will only lose a point once for an incorrect solution.
Feeling unprepared and overwhelmed?
Do not worry, our tutors are ready to help! We can guide you during the last-minute preparation for the upcoming examination session. Simply sign up here for the Think Smart Tutoring services to set up your introductory lesson and connect you with the best suitable tutor for your needs.
