| Component | Max | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 100 | 35 | 49 | 62 | 76 |
| Internal assessment | 20 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 17 |
| Paper 1 | 110 | 35 | 50 | 64 | 80 |
| Paper 2 | 110 | 34 | 49 | 63 | 79 |
| Paper 3 | 55 | 23 | 31 | 37 | 46 |
HL Paper 1
Clear, logical working was common and HL topics were attempted more confidently, but induction, complex numbers and graph sketching quality need more work.
Found difficult
- sequences and series
- proof by induction
- maclaurin series
- polynomial roots and factors
- complex numbers
Well prepared
- statistical measures
- laws of logarithms
- quadratic functions
- polynomial roots and factors
- rational functions
- modulus functions
- partial fractions
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | mean of grouped data and forming equations | Answered well | could not form the second equation |
| 2 | laws of logarithms and change of base | Mixed | did not see the need for change of base; arithmetic slips after changing baseTip: When logs have different bases, convert them to a common base first. |
| 3 | sector perimeter and area leading to a quadratic | Mixed | used arc length alone as the perimeter; formed only one equation; did not eliminate the angleTip: A sector's perimeter is the arc plus two radii. |
| 4 | integrating sin 2x with limits | Answered well | errors integrating sin 2x; slips applying the limitsTip: Remember the factor 1/2 when integrating sin 2x. |
| 5 | two-part question with a hard second part | Mixed | Nothing specific reported. |
| 6 | volume of revolution by substitution | Mixed | chose parts where substitution was the right methodTip: If one factor is roughly the derivative of the inside of another, try substitution before parts. |
| 7 | proof by induction with factorials and sigma notation | Most struggled | assumption step not stated clearly; base case value not shown; errors manipulating factorial fractionsTip: Write 'assume true for n = k' explicitly and show the base case with numbers. |
| 8 | Maclaurin series by substitution and squaring a series | Most struggled | squared each term separately instead of the whole series; no attempt at part (b)Tip: Squaring a series means multiplying it by itself, collecting cross terms, not squaring term by term. |
| 9 | three-part question | Mixed | part (c) often left blank |
| 10 | rational function sketch, quadratics and building a cubic | Answered well | arithmetic slips forming the cubic; did not use the product of roots in the last partTip: If a cubic's roots are linked, use the sum and product of roots relationships. |
| 11 | multi-part question with a show-that | Mixed | could not show the required result in (d); later parts not attempted |
| 12 | complex numbers: expansion, roots and arguments | Most struggled | included i when stating the imaginary part; used only the real part when both were needed; gave an area as a complex number; ignored the domain for argumentsTip: The imaginary part of a + bi is the real number b, without i. |
What to practise
- Insist on legible, complete working.
- Sketches should be smooth, scaled and labelled.
- Build familiarity with the formula booklet through regular use.
- Practise formal proof layout, especially varied induction proofs with correct notation.
- Use Argand diagrams, move fluently between Cartesian, polar and exponential forms, and explore transformations.
HL Paper 2
Generally well done with better calculator use, though answers to two significant figures and unclear presentation cost marks.
Found difficult
- counting principles
- vectors, lines and planes
- implicit curves
- continuous random variables
- differential equations
Well prepared
- financial mathematics
- trigonometry in triangles
- volume and surface area of solids
- trigonometric models
- implicit differentiation
- continuous random variables
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | depreciation as a geometric sequence | Answered well | used a percentage increase instead of decrease; did not round to the nearest dollar; forgot to add the starting yearTip: Depreciation by r% means multiplying by (1 - r/100) each year. |
| 2 | trigonometry and volume | Answered well | used the wrong height in the right-angled triangle |
| 3 | normal distribution with an unknown parameter | Mixed | did not draw a diagram; could not equate an expression in k to an inverse normal valueTip: Standardise with z = (x - μ)/σ and equate to the inverse normal value. |
| 4 | kinematics with the calculator | Answered well | did not link increasing displacement to positive velocity; rounding and notation errors; unnecessary algebraTip: Displacement increases exactly when velocity is positive. |
| 5 | validity of a regression line | Most struggled | called the point an outlier without context; did not explain the danger of extrapolationTip: A regression prediction is unreliable outside the range of the data used to build it. |
| 6 | binomial distribution and independent events | Mixed | did not recognise the binomial setting; wrong complement for an inequality; answers to 2 significant figuresTip: Write the inequality in words before turning P(X >= k) into 1 - P(X <= k - 1). |
| 7 | first-order linear differential equation | Most struggled | treated it as homogeneousTip: If the equation has the form y' + P(x)y = Q(x), use an integrating factor. |
| 8 | median of a piecewise pdf | Most struggled | did not identify which piece contains the median; tried algebra instead of solving for the limit on the calculatorTip: Find the probability of the first piece first to see where the median lies. |
| 9 | arrangements with conditions | Most struggled | forgot to multiply by 2 for swapping positions; no clear case structureTip: List the cases explicitly before counting each one. |
| 10 | fitting a sinusoidal model | Mixed | premature rounding; differentiated by hand; swapped a and d; used half the period instead of the full periodTip: Amplitude is half the max-min difference; the principal axis is their average. |
| 11 | multi-part question with a given result | Mixed | worked backwards from the given answerTip: If a later part does not depend on the one you are stuck on, attempt it anyway. |
| 12 | vector identity and geometry with scalar products | Most struggled | identity proof poorly set out; could not form a quadratic from u.v and |u|; chased coordinates of D instead of the vector wTip: Prove identities by working from one side to the other, showing every step. |
What to practise
- Give exact answers or 3 significant figures unless the question says otherwise.
- Teach students to break down multi-step problems and lay work out clearly.
- Show how to find an unknown limit of an integral with the calculator.
- Teach the validity of regression lines along with how to compute them.
HL Paper 3
Routine probability and polynomial calculus went well, but logical explanations, using the given expectation formula and factorising with parameters were weak; time management was better than before.
Found difficult
- show that and proof reasoning
- chain rule
- discrete random variables
- polynomial roots and factors
Well prepared
- conditional probability
- differentiation rules
- stationary and inflexion points
- straight lines
- graphing with the calculator
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | probability model with boosts: expectation and variance | Mixed | used E(X) = np where it does not apply; did not link the series formula to the probability found earlier; squared probabilities instead of values in the variance; accepted a negative varianceTip: Before using np or np(1-p), check the situation really is binomial. |
| 2 | cubic with parameters: inflexion points, gradients and roots | Mixed | worked backwards to check a given gradient; divided by x without justification; used y instead of x in a ratio denominator; sign errors near the endTip: If x is a common factor, factor it out and state x = 0 as a root rather than dividing. |
What to practise
- Show all algebraic steps, especially where a result is given, and derive rather than verify it.
- Use the mark allocation to judge the length of explanations.
- Keep exact or unrounded values for later calculations.
- Practise factorising polynomials whose coefficients are parameters.
- Teach the whole syllabus; many left an entire question blank.
Internal assessment
What moderators raised about the exploration this session, criterion by criterion.
- A. plans and methods written out in the introduction, repetition and sections not tied to the aim
- B. computer notation such as * for multiplication and = used where ≈ is meant; unlabelled diagrams and split tables
- B. key terms from outside the syllabus or other subjects left unexplained
- C. extra irrelevant models added to fake multiple perspectives; heavy reliance on published work
- D. descriptive comments and visual readings of graphs instead of evaluating the methods used
- E. mathematics no deeper than SL level, or so advanced the student cannot explain it
- E. correlation treated as causation without testing for dependence
- A. unused sources in long bibliographies, missing citations and unacknowledged AI use
About this summary
After every session the IB sends schools a subject report: how candidates did on each paper and question, and what teachers should work on. This page is my reading of the Maths AA HL report for May 2024 TZ1, in my own words. No text from the report or from the exam questions is reproduced, and it is not endorsed by the International Baccalaureate.
Session codes: TZ is the time zone variant of the papers. Other variants of the same session:
Frequently asked questions
Which questions were hardest in Maths AA HL May 2024 TZ1?
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The questions most candidates struggled with were on proof by induction with factorials and sigma notation, Maclaurin series by substitution and squaring a series, complex numbers: expansion, roots and arguments and validity of a regression line. The tables above list every question discussed in the report, paper by paper.
What did candidates find difficult in May 2024 TZ1?
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Across the papers the examiners listed sequences and series, proof by induction, maclaurin series, polynomial roots and factors, complex numbers, counting principles, vectors, lines and planes and implicit curves, among others.
What were the grade boundaries for Maths AA HL May 2024 TZ1?
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Maths AA HL: a 7 from 76 out of 100 overall in May 2024 TZ1. The component boundaries are in the table on this page.
Is this the official IB subject report?
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No. It is my summary of the report the IB issues to schools after each session, rewritten in my own words with a teacher's reading of it. No text from the report or from exam questions is reproduced. Your school's IB coordinator can access the original.
Related
IB examiner reports: every session, Maths and Physics IB Maths AA HL November 2023: the previous report IB Maths AA HL November 2024: the next report IB Maths AA HL: the mistakes examiners report most often IB Maths AA HL grade boundaries, every session IB Maths AA HL revision notes IB Maths and Physics topic tests, with markschemes