IB Math AA HL Paper 1 Predicted Questions 2026
The topics most likely to appear in the 2026 session Paper 1 — backed by frequency analysis across past paper sessions. No calculator is allowed on Paper 1: every question is pure by-hand technique, exact values and algebra.
Stop hoping the right topics come up.
Know exactly what to practise — by hand, no calculator.
Paper 1 is non-calculator, so the highest-frequency earners are complex numbers and De Moivre's theorem, Maclaurin series, and calculus — stationary points, inflexion and integration by parts. The crash course drills these exactly as the IB asks them, with full algebraic working and exact-value answers.
- High-frequency topic walkthroughs: complex numbers & De Moivre, Maclaurin series, calculus, sequences and series.
- Non-calculator method drills — exact values, surds and clean algebra, the exact skills tested on Paper 1.
- Full-working models for the long HL questions where method marks live, not just final answers.
- Common-trap fixes: modulus-argument slips, +C and limits, vector line vs plane errors.
Most likely Paper 1 focus areas
Based on frequency analysis across past Math AA HL Paper 1 sessions
- 1Complex numbers & De Moivre's theorem — modulus-argument form, powers and roots (appeared 47 times)
- 2Maclaurin series — derive and use a series expansion by hand (appeared 34 times)
- 3Stationary points & points of inflexion — first and second derivative analysis (appeared 32 times)
- 4Integration by parts — choosing u and dv, repeated parts (appeared 26 times)
- 5Arithmetic & geometric sequences and series — nth term, sum and sigma notation (appeared 26 times)
- 6Probability — combined, conditional and independent events (appeared 25 times)
- 7Vectors — equations of lines and planes, intersections and distances (appeared 24 times)
- 8Rational functions — asymptotes, sketching and transformations (appeared 22 times)
How to use these predictions
- 1Prioritise the top earners first — complex numbers & De Moivre and Maclaurin series have appeared most often on Paper 1.
- 2Practise everything by hand: no calculator means exact values, surds and full algebra — train the technique, not the answer.
- 3Drill the long calculus and vectors questions for method marks; show every line because Paper 1 rewards working.
- 4Use the predictions to focus, not to gamble — cover the high-frequency topics, then shore up your weakest one.
Ready to walk into Math AA HL Paper 1 prepared?
Turn these predictions into marks. The crash course walks you through every high-frequency Paper 1 topic with full by-hand working and the exact-value technique the IB rewards.
Join the Math AA HL Paper 1 crash course