October 21, 2026

IB Math AA Paper 1 vs Paper 2: How to Prepare

Short answer: Paper 1 is the no-calculator paper and Paper 2 requires a graphic display calculator (GDC). Prepare for Paper 1 by drilling exact algebra until it is automatic, and for Paper 2 by learning your GDC until it is faster than your hand. The two papers are the same length and worth the same, and both have Section A short-response questions and Section B extended-response questions.

The papers side by side

From the IB's Analysis and Approaches guide, the syllabus examined through November 2028. The AA vs AI post explains how AI differs.

Paper	Calculator	SL	HL
Paper 1	None allowed	90 min, 80 marks, 40%	120 min, 110 marks, 30%
Paper 2	GDC required	90 min, 80 marks, 40%	120 min, 110 marks, 30%
Paper 3 (HL only)	GDC required	none	60 min, 55 marks, 20%

Timing works out to just over a minute per mark on every paper. A 6-mark question gets six minutes; if it is taking twelve, move on and come back. The formula booklet is provided on every paper, so learn what is in it and stop memorising those.

Paper 1: exact answers, shown working

The guide says Paper 1 questions “will mainly involve analytic approaches to solutions” and that the paper “is not intended to require complicated calculations”. So the numbers are chosen to factor, the trig values are the exact ones, and answers stay as surds, fractions, multiples of $\pi$ and logarithms. Drill the hand skills: factoring, the log laws, exact trig values, differentiation and integration rules, and arithmetic with fractions. Show every step. The guide is explicit that “full marks are not necessarily awarded for a correct answer with no working”, and that a wrong answer can still earn method marks if the working is there.

Paper 2: set it up, then let the GDC finish

On Paper 2 “students must have access to a GDC at all times”, but “not all questions will necessarily require the use of the GDC”. The marks go to translating the situation into an equation, a graph or a model, then reading the answer off the calculator. Know four GDC moves cold: solving an equation numerically, finding where two graphs intersect, the numerical derivative at a point, and the numerical integral. Write down what you entered and the unrounded value before you round, so a slip in the last step still leaves method marks on the page.

Sample questions

Three questions we wrote in the style of each paper, with solutions. They are not IB past-paper items.

Paper 1 style: no calculator

Let

f(x) = x^3 - 6x^2 + 9x + 1

. Find the coordinates of the local maximum and local minimum points of

f

, and justify which is which.

Show solution

$f'(x) = 3x^2 - 12x + 9 = 3(x - 1)(x - 3)$ , so $f'(x) = 0$ at $x = 1$ and $x = 3$ .
$f(1) = 1 - 6 + 9 + 1 = 5$ and $f(3) = 27 - 54 + 27 + 1 = 1$ .
$f''(x) = 6x - 12$ . $f''(1) = -6 < 0$ , so $x = 1$ is a maximum; $f''(3) = 6 > 0$ , so $x = 3$ is a minimum.

Answer: Local maximum $(1, 5)$ , local minimum $(3, 1)$ .

Paper 1 style: no calculator

Solve

\log_2 x + \log_2 (x - 2) = 3

Show solution

Product law: $\log_2 \big(x(x - 2)\big) = 3$ , so $x(x - 2) = 2^3 = 8$ .
$x^2 - 2x - 8 = 0$ factors as $(x - 4)(x + 2) = 0$ , so $x = 4$ or $x = -2$ .
Both logarithms need $x > 2$ , so $x = -2$ is rejected.

Answer: $x = 4$

Paper 2 style: GDC required

A cup of coffee is poured in a room at

21^\circ

C. Its temperature

t

minutes later is modelled by

T(t) = 21 + 64e^{-0.08t}

. (a) Write down the temperature when it is poured. (b) Find how long it takes to cool to

50^\circ

C. (c) Find the rate at which it is cooling when

t = 10

Show solution

(a) $T(0) = 21 + 64 = 85$ , so $85^\circ$ C.
(b) Solve $21 + 64e^{-0.08t} = 50$ on the GDC: graph $y = T(t)$ with $y = 50$ and find the intersection, or use the solver. $t = 9.8948\ldots$
By hand it is $e^{-0.08t} = \frac{29}{64}$ , so $t = -\frac{1}{0.08}\ln\frac{29}{64}$ , which the GDC evaluates to the same number.
(c) $T'(t) = -5.12e^{-0.08t}$ , so $T'(10) = -5.12e^{-0.8} = -2.3005\ldots$ The GDC's numerical derivative at $t = 10$ agrees.

Answer: (a) $85^\circ$ C; (b) $9.89$ minutes (3 s.f.); (c) cooling at $2.30^\circ$ C per minute (3 s.f.).

The last four weeks

Weeks 4 and 3: one timed Section A per paper every other day, calculator away for Paper 1 practice.
Week 2: full papers under time, both papers in one week, marked against the working rule above.
Week 1: redo every question you dropped marks on, and page through the formula booklet once a day.

Paper 1 vs Paper 2 FAQ

Can I use my calculator on Paper 1?+

No. The AA guide says students are not permitted access to any calculator on Paper 1. Every question there is written to be done by hand.

Does Paper 2 only test calculator skills?+

No. The guide says not all Paper 2 questions will necessarily require the GDC, so expect algebra and reasoning there too, with the calculator for the parts that need it.

Is the AI course the same?+

No. AI requires a GDC on both papers. The no-calculator paper is an AA feature.

What is on Paper 3?+

Paper 3 is HL only: one hour, two compulsory extended-response problem-solving questions, 55 marks, 20% of the grade, GDC required.

Sources, read October 20, 2026: Mathematics: analysis and approaches guide; IB Diploma Programme: Mathematics.

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