The Math Blueprint · IB Math AA SL

The IB Math AA SL exam,type by type.

We sorted the questions in 44 past papers (May 2021 to May 2026) into 94 question types. 26 of them made up half of the marks: optimisation, the area between two curves and choosing the differentiation rule come first. All 26 are listed below, with their marks.

PDF download. €49, paid once, VAT included.

Past frequencies, not predictions.

The Swipe File: 94 cards. One page per question type: what the question shows, the first move, one worked example with its marks, the traps.
All 18 one-page maps. From what a question shows to its card and the first step.
The book behind the cards: 24 chapters, 632 pages. For when a card is not enough: the method in full, 179 worked examples, and practice with answers.

Independent, not endorsed by the IB. Look inside: 6 sample pages

The covers of the Swipe File and the book

The Math Blueprint: IB Math AA SL

One zip file: the Swipe File, all 18 maps and the book, as PDFs.

What is inside

The exam, sorted into 94 question types

The Swipe File: 94 cards

One A5 card for each of the 94 question types: what the question shows, a picture, the first move, the traps, and one worked example with its marks. 17 sections, one per topic map, each opening with a "Which one?" page that ranks its types by how often they came up. Every card names its page in the book. 114 pages.

All 18 one-page maps

One map for all topics and 17 topic maps. A student starts from what the question shows, follows the map to the question type, and reads the first step. One A5 page each, as one file and as single pages to print.

The book behind the cards: 24 chapters, 632 pages

The whole IB Math AA SL syllabus as the same 94 question types. For each one: how to recognise it from the wording, the method in full, worked examples, the traps, and practice with answers. Each type shows in how many of the 20 different exams it came up. Nobody has to read it from the front: open it at the page a card names. A4, 632 pages.

Buyers get corrected versions of this edition free. We email a new download link.

Where the marks went

26 question types made up half of the marks

We counted the marks in all 44 IB Math AA SL papers from May 2021 to May 2026: 3,520 marks. The 94 question types account for 98% of them. These 26 made up half: 1,793 marks.

Question type	Marks of 3,520	In how many of 20 exams
1.Optimisation: use the constraint, then optimise	137	12
2.Area between two curves	108	15
3.Differentiate: choose the rule	91	16
4.Displacement, position and distance travelled	90	17
5.Find n: which term, how many terms, least n	86	16
6.Probability distribution tables: find the unknown, then E(X) and probabilities	79	14
7.Velocity and acceleration: at rest, direction, speed	76	19
8.Stationary points: find them and justify their nature	72	11
9.Unknown mean or standard deviation: standardise with z	72	12
10.Find a trig model’s equation from its graph, a context or given points	68	14
11.Chords, segments and regions made of sectors and triangles	68	11
12.Find u₁ and d (or r) from two facts	66	11
13.Find the vertex: vertex form, range, max/min value	63	14
14.Find a side or an angle: choose the rule	61	9
15.Exponential and log models: initial value, rate constant, value, time	60	9
16.Given that X is in a range: conditional probability with a distribution	57	11
17.Binomial probabilities: recognise B(n, p), then translate the words	57	15
18.Arcs and sectors: arc length, perimeter and area	56	10
19.Find an unknown (a constant or n) from given coefficients	55	9
20.Volume and surface area: use the formula, or work back to a length	55	9
21.Tangent or normal at a given point	54	13
22.Two graphs: tangent, meet, don’t meet	53	5
23.Integrate: choose the method	53	9
24.Regression on the GDC: the line, r, a prediction and what they mean	53	12
25.Read a sinusoid’s features from its equation: values, extremes, times, cycles, sketch	52	14
26.Rational functions: asymptotes, intercepts, sketch, range	51	12

"Question type" is our own way of sorting the questions, not an IB category. These are counts of past papers. They do not say what a future exam will ask.

Sample pages

Look inside before you buy

A Swipe File card, two of the maps and pages from the book's Quadratics chapter. Tap a page to open it full size.

In the book a question type is called an archetype. Our own example questions, not from an IB paper. Marks show a typical pattern, not an IB markscheme.

Who it is for

For a student who works alone. Not for everyone.

It is for

A student taking IB Math AA SL, in either year of the Diploma, who studies on their own and wants to know what to practise.
A student who understands the lesson but does not know where to start on an exam question.
A parent who wants a clear order for the revision, without having to judge the maths.
A student who wants one page per question type to check before a test, not a textbook to read from the front.

It is not for

Students taking Math AI or Math HL. The pack covers AA SL only.
A student who needs someone to check the working. A book cannot do that; a teacher can.
Anyone looking for past papers. Every question in the pack is our own, written in the style of the exam.
The new course, first examined in May 2029. The pack is for exams up to November 2028.
Anyone who wants a printed book. It is PDFs, to print at home.

The pack does not promise a grade. It shows what the exams asked and how to answer it; the practice is the student's.

With a teacher

The 8-Week IB Math Intensive

The cards and the book give the method. The course adds a teacher who checks the working, and a fixed time every day.

8 weeks of live online IB Math AA SL: five 90-minute classes a week, in a group of up to 8.
Every class: the teacher teaches a topic, the students practise exam questions on it with the teacher correcting the working, and the last 20 to 30 minutes are for school maths homework. No homework from the course.
It teaches from this book, and the book is included.

€3,000, paid once. The first week is refundable. The €49 for the pack is not taken off this price.

The next step is a free 15-minute call for a parent: your questions answered, and the class time settled.

Book a callFree, 15 minutes The start date and the class times are on the course page.

Questions

Before you buy

What exactly do I get?: One zip file with PDFs: the Swipe File, all 18 maps and the book. The maps come as one file and as single pages for printing.
How do I get the files?: Straight after the payment, on the page you land on. We also email you a download link that works for 7 days. If it has expired, reply to that email and we send a new one.
Do we have to read the whole book?: No. Start with the maps and the Swipe File: the map sends a question to its card, and the card gives the first move and one worked example. Open the book when a card is not enough: every card names its page.
Do I get later versions?: Buyers get corrected versions of this edition free. We email a new download link.
Can I get my money back?: The download starts at once, so when you buy you agree that the 14-day right to withdraw ends with the download. If something is wrong with the files, email us and we will put it right.
Is the price taken off the course if we join later?: No. The course has one price, and it includes the Blueprint. The €49 for the pack is not deducted from it.
May we print it or share it?: Print it for your own family as often as you like. Please do not pass the files on or post them online.
Is this from the IB?: No. It is independent material, not produced or endorsed by the IB. It contains no IB past-paper questions.

The Math Blueprint: IB Math AA SL

One zip file: the Swipe File, all 18 maps and the book, as PDFs.

Independent, not endorsed by the IB. An independent study guide, not produced or approved by the International Baccalaureate Organization. No past-paper text is reproduced.