IB November 2026: Last 6 Weeks Maths and Physics Plan

A six-week IB revision plan for the November 2026 session has three phases: two weeks repairing weak topics, two weeks of mixed timed questions, and two weeks of full papers under exam conditions. Maths and Physics run in parallel every week, because both subjects reward the same skill: choosing the right method quickly and showing it clearly.

Why phases matter.

Six weeks is too short to relearn a syllabus and too long to spend only on full papers. Early full papers mostly tell you what you already know you cannot do; late topic revision leaves no time to practise under pressure. The phases put each activity where it pays most.

Where the internal assessment fits.

By this point your Maths exploration and Physics IA should already be submitted to your teacher, so the whole plan is about the written papers. If anything IA related is still open, close it in week 1 and do not let it leak into the rest of the plan.

How much per day.

A realistic rhythm is one focused Maths block and one Physics block of 60 to 90 minutes each on school days, with one longer timed paper at the weekend from week 3. For a broader look at how to build the whole exam season, see how to plan IB exam preparation.

The IB Maths results to revise last are the ones in the formula booklet you use without thinking: logarithm laws, the chain, product and quotient rules, the binomial theorem, sine and cosine rules, and probability rules. The booklet gives the formula; it never tells you when it applies, and that judgement is exactly what Paper 1 and Paper 2 test.

Formula booklet versus judgement.

For each result, write one line on its conditions. The sine rule needs a side and its opposite angle; the cosine rule is for two sides and the included angle, or three sides. $P(A \cap B) = P(A)P(B)$ holds only for independent events. The derivative $\frac{d}{dx}(\sin x) = \cos x$ holds only in radians, which is why calculus questions are set in radians.

Worked example, a classic Paper 1 trap.

Solve $2\sin^2 x = \sin x$ for $0 \le x \le 2\pi$. Many students divide both sides by $\sin x$ and get $\sin x = \frac{1}{2}$, so $x = \frac{\pi}{6}$ or $x = \frac{5\pi}{6}$. That loses three solutions, because $\sin x$ can be zero.

The correct method.

Rearrange and factorise instead of dividing: $$\sin x\,(2\sin x - 1) = 0$$ So $\sin x = 0$, giving $x = 0, \pi, 2\pi$, or $\sin x = \frac{1}{2}$, giving $x = \frac{\pi}{6}, \frac{5\pi}{6}$. Five solutions in total. The rule to carry into the exam: never divide by an expression unless you have checked it cannot be zero.

Conventions the mark scheme applies.

IB mark schemes award M marks for a valid method and A marks for accurate answers, and an A mark usually depends on the preceding M mark. Unless a question says otherwise, give final answers exact or to 3 significant figures. "Show that" questions carry an AG (answer given) label, so every step to the given result must be visible; "hence" means you must use the previous part.

The IB Physics results that matter most in the last six weeks are the kinematics equations, conservation of energy and momentum, circular motion, fields, and the gas laws, because they recur across themes A to E. The classic traps are treating vectors as scalars, mixing units, using an equation outside its conditions, and quoting too many significant figures.

How the papers are built.

In the current IB Physics course, examined since 2025, Paper 1 has a multiple choice part (1A) and a data based part (1B), and Paper 2 has longer structured questions. There is no Paper 3 and no option topic any more, so every theme can appear anywhere. The data booklet is available in both papers; the differences in depth are covered in IB Physics HL vs SL.

Conditions to memorise.

The equations $v = u + at$ and $s = ut + \frac{1}{2}at^2$ hold only for constant acceleration. $pV = nRT$ needs temperature in kelvin. Momentum is conserved only when no external resultant force acts, while kinetic energy is conserved only in elastic collisions.

Worked example, a horizontal projectile.

A ball is thrown horizontally at $12\ \text{m s}^{-1}$ from a cliff $20\ \text{m}$ high. Find how far from the base it lands, ignoring air resistance. The trap is putting the horizontal $12\ \text{m s}^{-1}$ into the vertical equation.

The correct method.

Treat the two directions separately. Vertically, $u = 0$, so $20 = \frac{1}{2}(9.81)t^2$, giving $t = \sqrt{\frac{40}{9.81}} = 2.02\ \text{s}$. Horizontally the velocity is constant, so the distance is $12 \times 2.02 = 24.2\ \text{m}$. Quote the answer to 2 or 3 significant figures, consistent with the data, and always with its unit.

Command words.

"State" needs a short answer with no working, "determine" needs working that leads to a value, and "explain" needs a chain of cause and effect. Answering "explain" with a single fact is the most common way to lose the second mark.

Use IB past papers in the final weeks as timed diagnostics, then mark them strictly with the official mark scheme and copy every lost mark into an error log. The paper itself is only half the work; the other half is understanding why each mark was lost and practising that exact point again two or three days later.

Timing that matches the real exam.

In IB Maths AA and AI, Papers 1 and 2 last 1 hour 30 minutes at SL and 2 hours at HL, and HL students also sit Paper 3, which lasts 1 hour. AA Paper 1 is without a calculator, while AI allows the GDC in every paper. In IB Physics, Paper 1 lasts 1 hour 30 minutes at SL and 2 hours at HL, and Paper 2 lasts 1 hour 30 minutes at SL and 2 hours 30 minutes at HL. Practise to those times, not with open time.

Marking like an examiner.

Give yourself an M mark only if the method is written, not just in your head. If your final answer is wrong but the method is right, the mark scheme often still gives method marks, and follow through (FT) marks can rescue later parts. This is why a clean, visible method is worth marks even on a question you do not finish.

The error log.

For each lost mark write three things: the topic, the exact mistake, and the correct rule in one line. By week 6 this log becomes your personal quick-reference sheet, far more useful than a generic formula summary. If you still need sources, see where to find IB past papers.

In the final week before the IB November exams, stop learning new material and switch to consolidation: reread the error log daily, do short timed sections rather than full papers, check your GDC and exam equipment, and protect sleep. The goal is to arrive at Paper 1 rested, with your personal traps fresh in mind.

A quick-reference routine.

Each day, spend 20 minutes on the error log, then do one timed section in Maths and one in Physics of about 30 minutes each. Close by writing from memory the conditions for five key results, for example when the sine rule gives two triangles, or when $pV = nRT$ applies.

Equipment and rules.

Make sure your GDC is an approved model, charged, and cleared or set to exam mode as your school's coordinator requires. Check which Maths papers allow it and bring spare batteries or a charger where permitted.

On the day.

Read the whole paper for a few minutes, start with a question you are confident about, and move on from any part that takes too long; a blank part costs fewer marks than a paper left unfinished. In Maths, show a method before pressing any calculator key.

Parents can tell IB revision is on track when their child works from marked past papers, can name the two or three topics that still cost marks, and has a written weekly plan. Hours at the desk matter less than these three signs: a student who cannot say where marks are being lost is revising blind.

How to support without pressure.

Ask to see the error log rather than asking how studying is going; a growing, specific log is the best evidence of real work. Protect a quiet space for weekend timed papers and keep the last week free of extra commitments.

When to get help.

If mock results are not improving by week 3, or the same mistakes keep reappearing in the log, a few targeted sessions with an experienced IB teacher usually fix more than extra hours alone.