| Component | Max | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 100 | 35 | 48 | 62 | 74 |
| Internal assessment | 20 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 17 |
| Paper 1 | 110 | 37 | 51 | 66 | 77 |
| Paper 2 | 110 | 40 | 54 | 70 | 85 |
| Paper 3 | 55 | 17 | 24 | 31 | 39 |
HL Paper 1
The paper gave good students many chances to score; GDC based questions went well, while contextual reading, sketching, normals and complex transformations caused trouble.
Found difficult
- rounding and accuracy
- reading the question
- curve sketching
- tangents and normals
- non-linear regression
- complex numbers
- vectors
Well prepared
- use of technology
- financial mathematics
- logarithms and indices
- arc length and sector area
- scalar product
- vector product
- euler's method
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | compound interest and loans with the finance solver | Answered well | mixed up yearly and monthly periods; did not round to the nearest dollar as instructedTip: Check whether periods are months or years and obey any special rounding instruction. |
| 2 | chi-squared test calculation | Answered well | rounded intermediate values too early; no working shownTip: Carry unrounded values through every step and show the method. |
| 3 | logarithms in a pH context | Mixed | calculator notation such as 2.51E-7 in the answer; ratio formed the wrong way round; divided pH values instead of concentrationsTip: Convert pH to concentrations first and write numbers in proper standard form. |
| 4 | probability table and expected value | Mixed | misread the context statements; used rounded decimals instead of fractions; filled the table without workingTip: Keep exact fractions when probabilities combine and show how each table entry was found. |
| 5 | geometric sequence of annual growth and infinite sum | Most struggled | applied the sequence to height rather than yearly growth; mismatched terms and year numbers; used the infinite sum with a ratio outside (-1, 1)Tip: Identify exactly which quantity forms the geometric sequence before using any formula. |
| 6 | sector area in a grazing problem | Answered well | premature rounding gave 3 instead of 2.44; used the full circle area instead of a sectorTip: Work out which part of the circle is actually available before computing an area. |
| 7 | Euler's method for a first order differential equation | Mixed | only the booklet formula copied; calculator notation and poor presentation; final answer alone with no workingTip: Write the iteration with y_(n+1), y_n and x_n so method marks survive a wrong answer. |
| 8 | vectors, triangle area and a parallelogram | Mixed | read vector notation as a length; wrote vectors as coordinates; forgot to halve the cross product magnitude; gave only necessary conditions for a parallelogramTip: Show both pairs of opposite sides are equal vectors to prove a parallelogram. |
| 9 | Poisson probabilities and a binomial model | Answered well | named the binomial model without its parametersTip: When asked for a distribution, give its name and every parameter. |
| 10 | sketch, volume of revolution and transformed limits | Mixed | endpoints and turning points misplaced on the sketch; integrated without squaring or omitted pi; kept original limits after transforming the functionTip: Think about the function when sketching and update the limits after any transformation. |
| 11 | normal to a curve and area between curve and normal | Most struggled | did not differentiate to get the gradient; worked backwards from the given answer; did not subtract the area under the curveTip: A normal starts with the derivative: find the tangent gradient, then take its negative reciprocal. |
| 12 | vector equations of motion | Answered well | left out h = in the equation; overcomplicated finding tTip: Write complete equations and solve for t from one convenient component. |
| 13 | kinematics with GDC zeros, maxima and integrals | Answered well | worked in degrees instead of radians; did not divide distance by time for average speed; missed the absolute value in the distance integralTip: Use radian mode in calculus and integrate the absolute value of velocity for distance. |
| 14 | cooling model with non-linear regression | Most struggled | did not subtract the ambient 25 before regression; fitted a curve through two points; compared r instead of r squared; no numerical values citedTip: Compare non-linear models with the coefficient of determination and quote the actual values. |
| 15 | complex numbers as geometric transformations | Most struggled | worked in degrees; confused a transformation with its matrix; called an enlargement a stretchTip: Link multiplication by a complex number to a rotation and enlargement and its matching matrix. |
What to practise
- Teach the GDC finance package with correct signs and months versus years, listing inputs.
- Teach graph sketching that transfers key points accurately rather than copying the screen.
- Use standard IB vector notation and stress degree versus radian mode.
- Teach students to keep full calculator values and round correctly, normally to three significant figures.
- Keep basic algebra alongside technological methods and use past papers in revision.
HL Paper 2
Marks spanned the full range; many attempted everything, but some centres had clearly skipped topics, and too many candidates scored very low.
Found difficult
- curve sketching
- volume and surface area
- trapezoidal rule
- integration techniques
- product rule
- minimum spanning trees
- linear combinations of random variables
- arithmetic sequences and series
- markov chains
Well prepared
- basic probability
- normal distribution
- coordinate geometry
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | coordinate geometry, distance and bearings | Answered well | rounded wrongly to 12.65; found the acute angle but not the bearing; did not connect part (d) resultsTip: Convert an angle into a three-figure bearing measured clockwise from north. |
| 2 | trapezoidal rule and integration | Mixed | could not apply the trapezoidal rule; gave a definite area for an indefinite integral; omitted the constant; non-exact answer in (c)Tip: An indefinite integral is a function plus a constant, not a number. |
| 3 | area modelling, curve sketching and product rule | Most struggled | could not find a trapezium area; missed the link from (a) to (b); poor sketch; bracket errors and no Pythagorean identity in differentiationTip: Use earlier parts as a lead-in and practise algebra with brackets and trig identities. |
| 4 | graph algorithms: nearest neighbour and Prim's | Mixed | often left blank; did not return to the start vertex; confused Prim's with nearest neighbour; did not state the stopping conditionTip: Show each algorithm step fully and draw the resulting tree or cycle. |
| 5 | transition matrix and steady state | Mixed | matrix entries placed inconsistently; miscounted the number of days; steady state found from a high power rather than the required methodTip: Learn the theory of the steady state, not only the high matrix power shortcut. |
| 6 | arithmetic series, quadratic regression and tree diagram in an unfamiliar context | Mixed | unfamiliar with sigma notation; did not link to arithmetic series; weak factorising and simplifying of fractionsTip: Look past an unusual context for familiar tools and keep factorising skills sharp. |
| 7 | normal distribution and combining random variables | Answered well | did not use 0.975 and 0.025; unsure whether variances or standard deviations add; negative variance from a wrong approachTip: Add variances, not standard deviations, and state the final normal distribution before using it. |
What to practise
- Teach the whole syllabus, giving algorithms and graph theory proper time.
- Build algebraic skills: brackets, common factors, integration and differentiation.
- Show all relevant working so follow-through marks can be awarded.
- Give answers exactly or to three significant figures unless the question says otherwise.
HL Paper 3
Routine statistics and separating variables went well, but candidates showed little understanding of what a hypothesis test means and struggled with phase portraits and novel situations.
Found difficult
- type i and type ii errors
- hypothesis testing
- phase portraits
- problem solving
Well prepared
- summary statistics
- separable differential equations
- eigenvalues and eigenvectors
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | comparing data sets, t-test, error types and test reliability | Mixed | ran a two-sample t-test where it was not wanted; rejected the null hypothesis wrongly and gave no context; could not suggest how to reduce errors; wrote a two-tailed alternative for a one-tailed testTip: Understand what a p-value means and match the alternative hypothesis to the claim being tested. |
| 2 | coupled differential equations, linearisation and phase portrait | Most struggled | took equilibrium as equal derivatives; integrated 1/(2x) as ln 2x and reused one constant; sign errors in matrix form; drew a spiral or saddle instead of the right portraitTip: Equilibrium means both derivatives equal zero; then let the eigenvalues decide the phase portrait shape. |
What to practise
- Teach hypothesis testing as a whole process, including reliability and how to reduce errors.
- Spend more time on phase portrait trajectories.
- Remind students that paper 3 rewards linking parts and comprehension, not longer paper 2 routines.
- Encourage students to re-enter later parts using given results even when stuck earlier.
Internal assessment
What moderators raised about the exploration this session, criterion by criterion.
- A. jargon from other subjects made the work hard to follow even when logically developed
- A. describing syllabus techniques or basic calculations made work less concise; limitations belong during the work
- B. missing units, poor rounding, no equation editor, GDC descriptions and unreferenced diagrams
- C. personalised but routine tasks left little room for independent thinking, so C1 was typical
- D. reflection mostly descriptive rather than critical about the validity of methods
- E. statistical tests applied without checking conditions, including chi-squared on non-frequency data
- E. sophisticated methods used without justifying why they improve on simpler syllabus options
- E. templated explorations such as Voronoi plus TSP scored poorly and risk malpractice
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 AI HL report for May 2024 TZ2, 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 AI HL May 2024 TZ2?
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The questions most candidates struggled with were on geometric sequence of annual growth and infinite sum, normal to a curve and area between curve and normal, cooling model with non-linear regression and complex numbers as geometric transformations. The tables above list every question discussed in the report, paper by paper.
What did candidates find difficult in May 2024 TZ2?
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Across the papers the examiners listed rounding and accuracy, reading the question, curve sketching, tangents and normals, non-linear regression, complex numbers, vectors and volume and surface area, among others.
What were the grade boundaries for Maths AI HL May 2024 TZ2?
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Maths AI HL: a 7 from 74 out of 100 overall in May 2024 TZ2. 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.