IB Economics SL · 2022 to 2025
1.1 What is economics?
13 past paper questions from 10 papers across 5 exam sessions. See what repeats, then practise the same skills with AI marking.
Original Exam Vault questions with AI markscheme feedback for this topic.
SL archive · 2023 to 2026
1.1 What is economics?
Latest exam session: May 2026
- questions
- questions
- papers
- papers
- exam sessions
- exam sessions
Micro-topics in 1.1 What is economics?
In syllabus order. The ring is the share of papers each appears in. 1 of them has no matching questions in this archive.
- Less common
last May 23 P2
- Less common
last May 25 P2 TZ3
- No matches in this archiveRevise it
- Less common
last May 25 P2 TZ2
- Less common
last May 25 P2 TZ2
- Rising
last May 26 P2 TZ3
- Less common
last May 26 P2 TZ1
Exam pattern
How often each micro-topic has been examined, year by year. Each label is explained under the grid.
Does it repeat?
Top 4 of 6 micro-topics for the next sitting. Numbers are questions per year.
fewermore
| Micro-topic | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ·PPC: unemployment and growth, 2022: 0 questions | 1PPC: unemployment and growth, 2023: 1 question | ·PPC: unemployment and growth, 2024: 0 questions | 2PPC: unemployment and growth, 2025: 2 questions | 3PPC: unemployment and growth, 2026: 3 questions | |
| ·PPC: scarcity, choice and opportunity cost, 2022: 0 questions | ·PPC: scarcity, choice and opportunity cost, 2023: 0 questions | ·PPC: scarcity, choice and opportunity cost, 2024: 0 questions | 2PPC: scarcity, choice and opportunity cost, 2025: 2 questions | ·PPC: scarcity, choice and opportunity cost, 2026: 0 questions | |
| ·The problem of choice, 2022: 0 questions | ·The problem of choice, 2023: 0 questions | ·The problem of choice, 2024: 0 questions | 2The problem of choice, 2025: 2 questions | ·The problem of choice, 2026: 0 questions | |
| ·The circular flow of income, 2022: 0 questions | ·The circular flow of income, 2023: 0 questions | ·The circular flow of income, 2024: 0 questions | ·The circular flow of income, 2025: 0 questions | 1The circular flow of income, 2026: 1 question |
2 more micro-topics with a free account
- Risingappearing more often in the last two years than before
- Less commonin fewer than one paper in fifteen
Free account · no card needed
See the full exam pattern
Every micro-topic in the heatmap and the complete watch list, free with an account.
You come straight back to this page with your set built.
- With a free account
- 3 generated sets of 10 past-paper questions, any scope
- One AI-marked practice set with step-by-step feedback
- The full exam pattern: every micro-topic and the watch list
Past paper generator
Generate Economics SL past paper questions
Choose what to revise and build a set in one click. Every question stays whole, so multi-part questions come as they appeared in the exam.
- 1Pick any unit, topic or micro-topic
- 2Generate whole exam questions from the archive
- 3Practise the same skills with AI marking
Questions on 1.1 What is economics?, by exam session
Which papers asked about 1.1 What is economics?, and which question numbers. Open a paper to see them highlighted.
May 2026
4 questions across 2 papers
November 2025
2 questions across 2 papers
May 2025
5 questions across 4 papers
November 2023
1 question across 1 paper
May 2023
1 question across 1 paper
Every 1.1 What is economics? question, unlocked
Generate all 13 questions in this topic at once, practise every one with AI marking, and see how each mark is awarded.
- Every past-paper question in any unit, topic or micro-topic
- Generate sets of 20 or all questions, as often as you like
- Unlimited practice with AI marking and worked answers
- See how every mark is awarded for each question
- Predicted papers and crash courses built from the same data
Used by IB students preparing for Nov 2026, May 2027 and May 2028
From €8.29/mo. 14-day money-back guarantee. Cancel anytime.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers about this page.
Which Economics SL exam sessions are covered for 1.1 What is economics??
10 exam sessions from 2023 to 2026, the latest May 2026. Every Paper 1 and 2 in every timezone is read and classified in full, which gives 10 papers in this archive.
Which 1.1 What is economics? topic comes up most?
PPC: unemployment and growth (1.1.6): in 14% of papers, last seen May 26 P2 TZ3. Usually "Explain", worth about 4.8 marks in a paper that includes it.
Can I see the original question and mark scheme?
No. The wording belongs to the IB. You get the citation, the marks, the command term and the skill tested, plus our own matched practice questions with worked answers and AI marking.
What do "banker", "due" and "rising" mean?
Banker: examined in at least one sitting in four and still appearing. Due: regular before, but absent for the last two exam sessions. Rising: clearly more common in the last two years. Our classification of real papers, not an IB statistic.
What is free and what needs Pro?
Reading this page and the exam pattern is free. A free account generates three sets of ten questions and launches one practice set. Pro opens every question in any scope, sets of twenty or all, and unlimited practice.
Keep going
More Economics SL exam preparation
Every question, by paper
What each Economics SL paper tests across all its sittings: the marks by unit and the micro-topics it keeps coming back to.
Open the paper analysis
Predicted questions
The question types most likely in the next Economics SL sitting, built from this same archive.
See the predictions
Mock exams
Full Economics SL papers under timed conditions, marked by AI against IB criteria.
Sit a mock
All IB past papers
Every subject we have classified by topic, with the same exam-pattern analysis.
Browse subjects
Practise 1.1 What is economics? the way it is examined.
Pick any unit, topic or micro-topic, see what repeats, then practise the same skills with AI marking.