| 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
Mostly straightforward with a few stretching parts; ignoring specified accuracy and algebraic rather than GDC methods were the main sources of lost marks.
Found difficult
- sine and cosine rules
- mean and standard deviation
- accuracy and rounding
- upper and lower bounds
- inverse functions
- compound probability
- binomial distribution
- arithmetic and geometric sequences
- reasoning and justification
Well prepared
- right-angled trigonometry
- area of a triangle
- mean and standard deviation
- forming equations from context
- simultaneous equations
- normal distribution
- arithmetic and geometric sequences
- binomial distribution
- financial mathematics with the GDC
- expected value and fair games
- tangents and normals
| Q | Topic | How it went | Where marks were lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | right-angled trigonometry and angle of elevation on a rising road | Mixed | drew the road as horizontal rather than as the hypotenuse; could not identify the angle of elevation; used the sine rule in a right triangleTip: Sketch the situation first; in a right triangle basic trig ratios are quicker than the sine rule. |
| 2 | mean from a frequency table and transforming mean and standard deviation | Mixed | ignored frequencies or averaged the frequencies; gave 3 instead of 4 significant figures as instructedTip: Check the question for a specific accuracy instruction that overrides the 3 significant figure rule. |
| 3 | simultaneous equations from words and lower bound of a rounded number | Mixed | algebraic solution errors; could not find the lower bound of a value rounded to the nearest thousandTip: Solve systems with the GDC; the lower bound is half a rounding unit below the stated value. |
| 4 | cosine rule angle and triangle area | Mixed | found an angle other than the one asked; missing or wrong units; treated the triangle as right-angledTip: The angle you want is opposite the side on the left of the cosine rule. |
| 5 | linear hire-cost model and its inverse | Mixed | could not explain the parameters in context; missed the minimum hire period in the question; found C(1270) instead of the inverse valueTip: C inverse of a cost asks which input gives that cost: solve C(x) = cost. |
| 6 | exponential decay of carbon and whole number of years | Mixed | gave the mass after one year as the initial mass; could not find e on the calculator; solved an equation instead of an inequality; rounded to 3 significant figures instead of a whole numberTip: Set up an inequality for 'more than half' and round to a whole number as the context requires. |
| 7 | normal probability and two independent selections | Mixed | doubled a probability instead of squaring it; probabilities greater than 1; answers without working or below the required accuracyTip: Write the GDC probability statement so method marks can be awarded even if the value is wrong. |
| 8 | simple interest as an arithmetic sequence | Mixed | used the arithmetic sum instead of a termTip: Check whether the context needs a single term or a total. |
| 9 | binomial probabilities and assumptions | Mixed | used 5 instead of 4 as the upper bound; did not state the binomial assumptionsTip: List binomial assumptions: fixed number of independent trials with constant success probability. |
| 10 | loan with regular payments using the TVM solver | Mixed | used the booklet compound interest formula when payments were non-zero; gave PV and PMT the same sign; used years for N instead of monthsTip: N counts payments, so monthly payments over 5 years mean N = 60. |
| 11 | expected value and fair game | Mixed | probabilities greater than 1; found expected wins instead of losses; took a fair game's expected value as 1 instead of 0Tip: A fair game has expected gain zero; reread whether the question asks for wins or losses. |
| 12 | derivative with a negative power and equation of the normal | Mixed | could not differentiate the reciprocal term; evaluated the function instead of the gradient at x = 1; wrong y-value for the point on the normalTip: Gradient comes from f'(x) at the point, the y-coordinate from f(x). |
| 13 | geometric sequence: term, general term and sum | Mixed | found the next term instead of the ninth; could not write the general term; used an arithmetic sum formula; included one extra termTip: Write u_n = u_1 r^(n-1) and count the number of terms carefully before summing. |
What to practise
- Read rounding instructions in each question.
- Include units for measured answers.
- Prefer GDC and graphical methods when algebra is not required.
- Show working and the unrounded value before rounding.
- Practise short, precise written explanations.
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; mishandled tied ranks or used a formula for r_s; correlated the wrong pair of variables; vague interpretation not referring to ranksTip: Find r_s on the GDC from the ranks, give tied values the mean rank, and interpret it in terms of ranks. |
| 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; did not recognise segment notation such as [XY] or used the 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.
- Know the notation list in the subject guide, such as [XY] for a segment.
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 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 SL November 2024 TZ2?
+
No question stands out as one most candidates struggled with; the difficulties were spread across parts of questions. The tables above list every question discussed in the report.
What did candidates find difficult in November 2024 TZ2?
+
Across the papers the examiners listed sine and cosine rules, mean and standard deviation, accuracy and rounding, upper and lower bounds, inverse functions, compound probability, binomial distribution and arithmetic and geometric sequences, among others.
What were the grade boundaries for Maths AI SL November 2024 TZ2?
+
Maths AI SL: a 7 from 82 out of 100 overall in November 2024 TZ2. The component boundaries are in the table on this page.
Is this the official IB subject report?
+
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.