| Component | Max | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 100 | 42 | 57 | 70 | 82 |
| Internal assessment | 20 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 |
| Paper 1 | 80 | 37 | 48 | 57 | 66 |
| Paper 2 | 75 | 30 | 41 | 52 | 61 |
SL Paper 1
Routine parts went well, but rounding, interpreting linear parameters, inverse values, compound probabilities and calculus on reciprocal terms separated students.
Found difficult
- mean and standard deviation
- accuracy and rounding
- area of a triangle
- linear models
- inverse functions
- expected value and fair games
- exponential models
- compound probability
- binomial distribution
- differentiation of negative powers
- tangents and normals
Well prepared
- right-angled trigonometry
- mean and standard deviation
- forming equations from context
- simultaneous equations
- exponential models
- binomial distribution
- financial mathematics with the GDC
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | labelling and solving a right-angled triangle | Mixed | placed the horizontal distance or angle wrongly on the diagram; chose the wrong trigonometric ratio; truncated instead of rounding; did not convert to metresTip: Label the diagram carefully first, then pick the ratio linking the known and unknown sides. |
| 2 | mean and standard deviation from a table and effect of transformations | Mixed | ignored frequencies; averaged scores and frequencies separately; insufficient precision; slow manual calculationTip: Enter values and frequencies as two lists on the GDC; adding a constant changes the mean, not the standard deviation. |
| 3 | forming and solving simultaneous equations in context | Answered well | used a single variable for two unknowns; arithmetic slips in the final part |
| 4 | cosine rule and area of a non-right triangle | Mixed | chose the wrong angle in the cosine rule; assumed the triangle was isosceles; used the right-triangle area formula; omitted or wrong unitsTip: For a non-right triangle use one half ab sin C and give area units squared. |
| 5 | linear cost model and its inverse | Mixed | omitted the per day rate when interpreting the gradient; substituted 1270 as the input instead of the total cost; misunderstood the meaning of the parametersTip: Interpret the gradient as a rate with its units, and the intercept as the fixed amount. |
| 6 | exponential depreciation and smallest number of years | Mixed | used 119 instead of 120; gave 59 instead of 60 completed years; rounded the time incorrectlyTip: When a whole number of years is required, decide from context whether to round up or down. |
| 7 | normal distribution and probability of two events | Mixed | no probability statement or sketch; doubled a probability instead of squaring itTip: For two independent events both happening, multiply the probabilities. |
| 8 | arithmetic sequence as simple interest | Most struggled | wrong common difference such as 4 or 0.04; unsuccessful trial and error with GDC tables; did not link the sequence to simple interestTip: Simple interest adds the same amount each year, which is the common difference of an arithmetic sequence. |
| 9 | binomial mean, probabilities and assumptions | Mixed | included 12 instead of stopping at 11 for a strict inequality; assumed a normal distribution; could not state binomial assumptionsTip: Translate strict inequalities carefully into the bound for the cumulative binomial. |
| 10 | loan payments and payoff with the TVM solver | Mixed | used the compound interest formula; wrong number of payments or wrong signs for PV and PMT; did not set FV to zero for a paid-off loanTip: A fully repaid loan has FV = 0; enter the payment count as years times periods per year. |
| 11 | probability distribution and fair game | Most struggled | did not set E(X) = 0; assumed symmetric outcomes ignoring unequal probabilitiesTip: For a fair game write the expected gain using every outcome's probability and set it equal to zero. |
| 12 | derivative with x in the denominator and normal line | Mixed | could not differentiate terms of the form a over x to a power; wrong gradient or y-value for the line; missing explicit statementsTip: Rewrite a/x^n as a x^(-n) before differentiating. |
| 13 | reading a geometric growth table and finding n | Mixed | did not compute the other table value; doubled the value incorrectly; rounding and summation errors; misread the tableTip: Identify the common ratio from the table before filling gaps or summing. |
What to practise
- Follow the rounding instructions and write the unrounded value first.
- Include units for measurements.
- Prefer the GDC to algebra and write down any derived calculator inputs.
- Cross out work you do not want marked, as only the first attempt counts.
- Practise from specimen and past papers, not one textbook.
SL Paper 2
A broad, application-heavy paper answered with strong syllabus knowledge and good use of technology; time was not an issue, and two parts of question 2 were removed because of an error.
Found difficult
- sampling methods
- sinusoidal functions
- box plots and outliers
- trapezoidal rule
- definite integrals and area
- analytic methods
- trigonometric equations
Well prepared
- coordinate geometry
- hypothesis testing
- arcs and sectors
- quartiles and interquartile range
- spearman rank correlation
- definite integrals and area
- right-angled trigonometry
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | perpendicular bisector, two-sample t-test and sampling method | Mixed | used an endpoint instead of the midpoint, or did not take the negative reciprocal; wrote a two-tailed alternative hypothesis; treated the test as independence or correlation; misidentified the sampling method as systematicTip: When asked for a weakness of a sampling method, name a specific flaw linked to how the sample was chosen. |
| 2 | Ferris wheel: show the radius, arc length and sinusoidal model | Mixed | started from the given radius to verify it; used a straight chord instead of an arc; gave the period as the value of b; confused the vertical shift with the minimum heightTip: b equals 360 divided by the period, and d is the height of the principal axis. |
| 3 | quartiles, outliers and Spearman rank correlation | Mixed | incorrect upper quartile from a correct ordered list; computed both fences when only one was needed; mishandled tied ranks; correlated the wrong pair of variablesTip: Give tied values the average of the ranks they occupy. |
| 4 | trapezoidal rule, integral for area and minimising surface area of a cylinder | Mixed | omitted the outer brackets in the trapezoidal formula; omitted dx or used limits outside the domain; accepted a negative radius; flawed area-based argument about the labelTip: A negative length should make you recheck earlier work before continuing. |
| 5 | areas, right-angled trigonometry and triangle solving in 3D | Mixed | wrong formula for the area of the base; used sine or cosine rule where right-angle trigonometry was quicker; used the off-syllabus ambiguous case; premature roundingTip: Draw the triangles you use and keep unrounded values through multi-step calculations. |
What to practise
- Show unrounded values at every step.
- Copy formulas from the booklet carefully, including notes beside them.
- Compare different approaches to learn which is most efficient.
- Treat show-that results as re-entry points.
- Know the GDC numeric solver and TVM solver well.
Internal assessment
What moderators raised about the exploration this session, criterion by criterion.
- A. research questions, rationales and personal hypotheses added on advice from unofficial websites
- A. key results hidden in the appendix, or side topics added that break coherence
- B. calculator notation, unexplained GDC screenshots, missing approximately-equal signs and inconsistent accuracy
- B. misuse of terms such as prove, correlate and the names of statistical tests
- C. genuine interest followed only by textbook mathematics
- D. little reflection on sampling, sample size or suitability of the chosen tests
- D. conclusions based on personal assumptions instead of the results
- E. methods applied without explaining why they fit; models and Voronoi diagrams not interpreted in context
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 SL report for November 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 AI SL November 2024 TZ1?
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The questions most candidates struggled with were on arithmetic sequence as simple interest and probability distribution and fair game. The tables above list every question discussed in the report, paper by paper.
What did candidates find difficult in November 2024 TZ1?
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Across the papers the examiners listed mean and standard deviation, accuracy and rounding, area of a triangle, linear models, inverse functions, expected value and fair games, exponential models and compound probability, among others.
What were the grade boundaries for Maths AI SL November 2024 TZ1?
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Maths AI SL: a 7 from 82 out of 100 overall in November 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.