Last updated: February 2026
Mathematics is compulsory for every IB Diploma student. The IB offers two distinct courses — Analysis & Approaches (AA) and Applications & Interpretation (AI) — each available at Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL). That makes four separate courses, each with its own syllabus, exams, and resource ecosystem.
AA emphasises pure mathematics: algebraic techniques, calculus, mathematical proof, and formal rigour. It’s the standard choice for students heading towards maths, physics, engineering, or computer science at university. AI emphasises applied mathematics: statistics, probability, modelling, and the use of technology. It suits students heading towards business, social sciences, psychology, or the natural sciences.
Both courses share the same assessment structure: Paper 1 (no calculator), Paper 2 (calculator required), and for HL students, Paper 3 (an extended investigation-style paper, also with calculator). Every student also completes an Internal Assessment (IA) — a mathematical exploration worth 20% of the final grade.
This guide covers 44 resources across 8 categories, from comprehensive all-in-one platforms to niche tools for specific needs. Every resource has been reviewed and categorised by quality, cost, and course coverage. You can also browse our past papers library, explore all resources interactively in the Past Papers Navigator, or jump straight to the IB past papers collection.
Quick-Start Picks
Don’t want to read the full guide? Here are recommended resource combinations by budget and course.
By Budget
$0 — Free Only
Christos Nikolaidis (notes + exercises) + Pestle (question bank) + SME Archive (revision notes) + Addvance Maths YouTube + Desmos/GeoGebra + Clastify (IA examples)
Under $20/month
Everything above + RevisionDojo Plus or Pro (AI tools, coursework grading, predicted papers)
Under $250 total
Everything free + Revision Village Gold for a single course (video solutions, prediction exams, bootcamps)
Full investment
Revision Village Complete Suite ($499) + RevisionDojo Pro + Christos Nikolaidis + IB Maths Resources guides
By Course
AA SL
Christos Nikolaidis AA notes + Revision Village or RevisionDojo + SME Archive + Adventurous Andrew “Survival Guide”
AA HL
All of AA SL above + Christos Nikolaidis HL exercises + Paper 3 resources (Christos, IB Maths Resources, Mathematics Elevate Academy) + Professor Leonard for calculus
AI SL
Christos Nikolaidis AI notes + RevisionDojo or Revision Village + SME Archive + GeoGebra for statistics and modelling
AI HL
All of AI SL above + Christos Nikolaidis HL content + Paper 3 resources + Desmos/GeoGebra for modelling IA
Comparison Matrix
How the top 8 platforms compare across key features. ++ = excellent + = good — = not available
| Resource | Notes | Questions | Videos | Mocks | Predictions | IA Help | AI Tutor | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christos Nikolaidis | ++ | ++ | — | ++ | — | — | — | ++ |
| Revision Village | + | ++ | ++ | ++ | ++ | — | + | Limited |
| RevisionDojo | + | ++ | + | ++ | + | ++ | ++ | Good |
| Save My Exams | ++ | + | — | + | — | — | — | Archive |
| ExamDojo | — | ++ | — | + | — | — | ++ | Limited |
| IB Maths Resources | + | + | + | — | + | ++ | — | Partial |
| MrMacMaths | ++ | + | + | — | — | — | — | ++ |
| Pestle | — | ++ | — | — | — | — | — | ++ |
Tier 1 — Best-in-Class Resources
These are the most comprehensive, highest-quality resources available. A student using any combination of these would be well-prepared for the IB Maths exams.
Christos Nikolaidis ★★★★★
Widely called the “holy grail” of IB Maths, this site was created by an Oxford-educated IB Maths teacher with over 20 years of experience. It is recommended by virtually every other IB resource site and is the single most important free resource available.
Everything is free and available as downloadable PDFs: complete lecture notes for all four courses, massive exercise banks organised by sub-topic with full worked solutions, custom formula booklets for each course, dozens of practice tests (in both PDF and editable Word format), HL Paper 3 specimen questions with solutions, and dedicated GDC (graphing calculator) guides.
The main limitation is that there are no videos and no interactive tools — it’s purely PDF-based study material. But the depth and quality of the written content is unmatched. If you use only one resource, make it this one.
Best for: Complete study notes, exercises with full solutions, formula booklets. The foundation of any IB Maths study plan.
Revision Village ★★★★★
The market leader — Revision Village claims that 85% of IB Diploma students use their platform, and reports that Gold subscribers outperform the global IB average by 34%. It is the most polished and feature-rich IB Maths platform available.
Paid subscribers get access to over 40,000 exam-style questions with video solutions, full practice exams (quizzes, revision ladder, mock papers), Prediction Exams released before each IB session based on trend analysis, past paper video walkthroughs, key concept summary videos, the Newton AI tutor for Socratic-style guidance, HL Paper 3 resources, bootcamps, and mobile apps for iOS and Android.
The free tier is limited to Topics 1–2 of the question bank, a community Discord, and mobile app access. There is no IA or coursework support. The main barrier is cost: $249 for a single course or $499 for all four courses.
Best for: Video solutions, prediction exams, and structured exam prep. The best option for students who learn primarily through video and want prediction papers.
RevisionDojo ★★★★★
RevisionDojo is the strongest all-in-one platform for IB Maths, combining a massive question bank with AI-powered feedback, coursework grading, and a generous free tier. Founded in 2023, it’s newer than Revision Village but has rapidly built a comprehensive feature set.
The platform offers 10,782+ maths questions with AI-powered feedback aligned to IB mark schemes, mock exams with a custom test builder, flashcards with spaced repetition, an AI study partner (“Jojo”) for step-by-step explanations, expert-written notes and textbooks, HL Paper 3 solutions and strategy guides, and — on the Pro tier — predicted papers, IA/EE/TOK coursework grading with AI, 5,000+ graded exemplars, and one-to-one tutoring at $29/hour.
The free tier is genuinely generous: unlimited question bank access, basic AI chat, flashcards, test builder, and exam mode. This makes it the best free all-in-one platform. The main caveat is its shorter track record compared to Revision Village.
Best for: AI-powered practice, coursework grading, and students who want an all-in-one platform. Best value for money across all IB Maths platforms.
Save My Exams ★★★★★
Save My Exams provides the most detailed topic-by-topic revision notes available for IB Maths. Written by IB teachers and examiners, the notes are comprehensive, clearly structured, and accompanied by topic questions with model answers, flashcards, and practice papers.
The official site is behind a paywall, but the SME Archive mirrors the content for free. This archive is part of the pirateIB ecosystem and is an unofficial redistribution — use it at your discretion. For students who prefer reading-based revision over video, Save My Exams is an excellent complement to Christos Nikolaidis.
Best for: Detailed topic-by-topic revision notes and practice questions with model answers. The best written reference material after Christos Nikolaidis.
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Tier 2 — Strong Supplementary Resources
These platforms are high-quality but more specialised. Use them alongside a Tier 1 resource to fill specific gaps.
ExamDojo ★★★★☆
ExamDojo uses AI to generate exam-style questions that adapt to your level, with mark-by-mark automated grading aligned to IB rubrics. It tracks your progress, predicts your score/grade, and gamifies study with XP, badges, and social competition. Free formula booklets for all four courses are available without an account. Trustpilot rating: 4.3/5.
Best for: Students who respond to gamification and want AI-adaptive practice that adjusts to their ability level.
IB Maths Resources (Andrew Chambers) ★★★★☆
Created by an IB Mathematics examiner (and recommended by Christos Nikolaidis), this is the single best resource for the Internal Assessment. The site offers over 300 IA exploration topic ideas — the largest such collection anywhere — plus paid IA Exploration Guides (Essentials, Statistics, Modelling), 35+ original Paper 3 investigations, 300+ PDF worksheets with worked solutions, and 4+ hours of IA video tutorials. The blog covers real-world mathematical applications and is a source of IA inspiration in itself.
Best for: Choosing your IA topic, IA exploration guides, Paper 3 practice, and mathematical enrichment beyond the syllabus.
Nail IB ★★★★☆
A massive question bank with 43,968+ questions written by IB examiners, plus interactive tools including a drawing board, math input, real-time evaluation, and image uploads. The sheer volume makes it useful for drilling specific topics once you’ve covered the theory elsewhere.
Best for: Students who want a large, interactive question bank to supplement their study notes.
MrMacMaths ★★★★☆
Colour-coded handwritten revision notes covering all five IB Maths topics, plus video tutorials (also available on his YouTube channel) and practice exercises by topic. Rated 4.73/5 by students. The compact, visual format makes these notes ideal for last-minute revision and quick topic review.
Best for: Visual learners who want concise, handwritten revision notes for quick review rather than deep study.
Adventurous Andrew Maths ★★★★☆
A varied collection of practice material: unit tests by topic, synoptic (multi-topic) papers, confidence-building “Booster Papers”, full mock exams, and an AA SL Survival Guide. Uniquely, the site also offers TMUA prep (Test of Mathematics for University Admission) — essential for UK university applicants to Cambridge, Imperial, Warwick, and Durham.
Best for: Practice tests, mock exams, and TMUA preparation. The AA SL Survival Guide is a great summary resource for AA SL students.
Kognity ★★★★☆
A polished digital textbook with interactive content used by many IB schools worldwide. If your school subscribes, you already have access — ask your IB coordinator. Many students have access through their school and don’t realise it.
Best for: Students whose schools already subscribe. Check with your IB coordinator before paying for other resources.
OSC Study (Oxford Study Courses) ★★★★☆
Offers 8,000+ SMARTPREP flashcards, 3,000 StudyNova tutorial videos, 24 OSC Revision Guides, and official IB past papers. Often integrated with ManageBac — if your school uses ManageBac, you may already have free access to OSC Study.
Best for: Students at ManageBac schools who may have free bundled access. The flashcards and video library are strong complements to other resources.
Question Banks & Past Papers
Dedicated sources for past paper questions, worked solutions, and custom practice sets. These pair well with the study notes and platforms above.
Pestle (Mortar & Pestle)
Filter IB past paper questions by paper (1, 2, 3), level (SL/HL), and subtopic, then generate custom PDF practice tests from your selections. You can also download an offline ZIP of all question bank data. Desktop-optimised (not great on mobile). Part of the pirateIB ecosystem.
Best for: Creating targeted practice sets by topic. The best free tool for building custom revision papers from official IB questions.
IBDocs / IBRepo
The primary source for official IB past papers, mark schemes, and question banks across all subjects. Multiple mirror sites are maintained; availability is tracked at uptime-track-ib.pikapod.net. Find the latest working mirror at ibresources.in/latest.
Best for: Accessing the official IB past papers and mark schemes. Start here for your past paper practice.
XtremePapers
A long-running past papers archive covering IB, CIE, Edexcel, and other exam boards. Useful as a backup source if IBDocs mirrors are down, and for students studying multiple curricula.
IB Math Answers
Full worked solutions to IB exam papers, including the most recent sessions. Essential for self-marking when you don’t have access to the official mark scheme, or when you want to see a complete worked solution rather than just the marking criteria.
IBTaskMaker
Over 3,400 original practice problems specifically aligned to the AA curriculum. Unlike past paper repositories, these are fresh, unseen questions — invaluable when you’ve exhausted the official papers.
MyMathsCloud
An organised collection of IB past papers by year and session. A simple, clean interface for accessing papers when other sources are unavailable.
Thriving Scholars
Topic quizzes, mock exams, and a question bank with video solutions and mark schemes for IB Math AA. The video solutions add a dimension that pure PDF question banks lack.
Revision Town
Community-driven exam pack archive with SaveMyExams content and past paper collections. Part of the pirateIB ecosystem. Useful as a backup access point for exam materials.
Internal Assessment (IA) Resources
The IA (Exploration) is worth 20% of your final grade. These resources are specifically for choosing a topic, structuring your exploration, and seeing what high-scoring IAs look like.
Clastify
Browse a large collection of real, student-submitted Math IAs for AA and AI (SL and HL), each with its score. You can filter by topic and grade to see what a 7-scoring exploration looks like versus a 4. This is the single best place to calibrate your expectations and understand what examiners are looking for.
Best for: Seeing real scored examples before you start writing. Essential for understanding what level of work earns each grade.
Marxify (pirateIB)
IA, EE, and TOK exemplars from the pirateIB ecosystem. A secondary source of scored coursework examples alongside Clastify.
Mathematics Elevate Academy
Focused specifically on AA HL Paper 3, offering detailed solutions, practice papers, and marking schemes. Paper 3 is the extended investigation-style exam that many HL students find most challenging — this site addresses that gap directly.
Best for: AA HL students preparing for Paper 3. One of very few resources dedicated to this paper.
YouTube Channels
Free video content for IB-specific instruction and general maths understanding. Some Tier 1 and 2 platforms also have YouTube channels — see Revision Village, MrMacMaths, and IB Maths Resources above.
IB-Specific Channels
| Channel | Focus | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Addvance Maths | All 4 courses | Hundreds of short, focused IB-specific tutorials |
| ExamSolutions | IB + A-Level | Detailed topic explanations with thorough worked examples |
General Maths Channels (Highly Useful for IB)
| Channel | Best for | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 3Blue1Brown | Deep understanding | Exceptional visualisations of calculus, linear algebra, and probability. Builds intuition that exam prep alone can’t give you. |
| The Organic Chemistry Tutor | Step-by-step | Despite the name, covers algebra, trigonometry, precalculus, calculus, and statistics with clear step-by-step instruction. |
| Professor Leonard | AA HL Calculus | Full university-style lectures. Extremely thorough — the best free calculus resource for HL students. |
| PatrickJMT | All topics | 1.3M+ subscribers. Clear, concise explanations across all maths topics. |
| Blackpenredpen | Problem-solving | 1M+ subscribers. Engaging problem-solving style covering calculus and algebra. |
| Eddie Woo | Concepts | Energetic classroom-style teaching. Great for building intuition. |
| NancyPi | Fundamentals | Clear instructional content for foundational topics. Ideal for filling gaps. |
Tools & Software
Essential software for study, exam practice, and the Internal Assessment. See also our Maths Tools Guide for a broader overview.
| Tool | Cost | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Desmos | Free | Powerful graphing calculator. Essential for function visualisation, exploring transformations, and creating graphs for your IA. The best free graphing tool available. |
| GeoGebra | Free | Dynamic geometry, algebra, and calculus tool. Particularly powerful for IA investigations involving modelling and geometric exploration. |
| Wolfram Alpha | Free (Pro for steps) | Computational engine for checking your work, getting step-by-step solutions, and verifying IA calculations. Not a study tool — a verification tool. |
| IB Predict | Free | Predict your overall IB score based on your marks across all subjects. |
| Knowt | Free | Flashcard platform with spaced repetition. Create or find existing IB Maths flashcard sets. |
Notes & Downloads
Concise revision summaries and standalone notes files. Best for quick review, not deep learning.
Quick-Reference Notes Sites
| Site | Cost | Courses | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZNotes | Freemium | All 4 | Community-driven revision summaries. The most comprehensive free notes site. |
| BlitzNotes | Free | AA focus | Student-created notes. Can be intermittent. |
| IB Academy | Free PDFs | All 4 | Study guides for all courses plus legacy syllabuses. |
| HeLovesMath | Free | All 4 | Past papers, study notes, revision guides, and IA tips. |
| PirateIB Notes | Free | All 4 | Comprehensive compilation linking to many IB resources. |
| Shagun’s Notes | Free | Various | Subject-specific notes in a clean gitbook format. |
| IB Dead | Free | All 4 | Cheat sheets and curated link list. Legacy syllabus focus but still useful. |
Standalone Notes Files
| Resource | Course | Format |
|---|---|---|
| AA SL Complete Notes | AA SL | Google Drive PDF |
| AA HL Complete Notes | AA HL | Pixeldrain PDF |
| AA HL Paper 3 Question Collection | AA HL | Google Drive PDF |
| AA SL/HL to A-Level Cross-Reference | AA SL & HL | Google Sheet |
GDC & Calculators
GDCs (graphing display calculators) are required for Paper 2 and Paper 3 (HL), but not allowed on Paper 1. The approved models are: TI-84 Plus CE, TI-Nspire CX (non-CAS), Casio FX-CG50, Casio FX-9860GII, and HP Prime (non-CAS).
Several resources include GDC-specific guides:
- Christos Nikolaidis includes a dedicated GDC notes document
- RevisionDojo GDC guide
- ExamDojo includes free formula booklets for all four courses
- For statistics and probability calculations, try our statistics calculators
Apps
| App | Platform | Cost | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| IB Math HL & SL (Mathematics4u) | iOS | Free (no ads) | Video lessons, calculators, and solvers for all 4 courses |
| Revision Village | iOS + Android | Free/Paid | Mobile question bank and video solutions |
| RevisionDojo | Web (mobile-responsive) | Free/Paid | Full platform accessible on mobile browser |
| OSC Study | Web/App | School subscription | Flashcards, videos, revision guides |
A note on the pirateIB ecosystem: Resources marked as part of the pirateIB ecosystem (Pestle, SME Archive, Revision Town, Marxify, IBDocs mirrors) host unofficial redistributions of copyrighted material. Use at your own discretion.
Check with your school: You may already have paid access to Kognity, OSC Study, or ManageBac-integrated resources without knowing it. Ask your IB coordinator before paying for resources your school already provides.
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Looking for other subjects? Browse our other guides: Practice Paper Guide, GCSE Maths, A Level Maths, A Level Further Maths, GCSE Further Maths, and Maths Tools. Or browse our past papers collection directly.
This guide was compiled by cross-referencing ibresources.in with every linked and recommended resource found on each site. If you know of a resource that should be included, please get in touch.