IB Physics HL · 2025 to 2026
IB Physics HL past papers
905 past paper questions from 18 papers across 4 exam sessions. See what repeats, then practise the same skills with AI marking.
Starter set across the most-tested skills, with AI marking and model answers.
HL archive · 2025 to 2026
IB Physics HL past papers
Latest exam session: May 2026
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Units in Physics HL
In syllabus order. The ring is the share of the marks each one carries.
Unit 1
Space, time and motion
21% of marks · 195 questions
Unit 2
The particulate nature of matter
15% of marks · 139 questions
Unit 3
Wave behaviour
14% of marks · 127 questions
Unit 4
Fields
19% of marks · 169 questions
Unit 5
Nuclear and quantum physics
20% of marks · 181 questions
Unit 6
Experimental skills
11% of marks · 94 questions
Papers in Physics HL
Each paper across every sitting. The ring is the share of the marks it carries.
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 106 micro-topics for the next sitting. Numbers are questions per year.
fewermore
| Micro-topic | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 11Thermodynamic processes and heat engines, 2025: 11 questions | 6Thermodynamic processes and heat engines, 2026: 6 questions | |
| 22Wave–particle duality, 2025: 22 questions | 8Wave–particle duality, 2026: 8 questions | |
| 16Principles of electromagnetic induction, 2025: 16 questions | 10Principles of electromagnetic induction, 2026: 10 questions | |
| 13Magnetic force on charges and the velocity selector, 2025: 13 questions | 8Magnetic force on charges and the velocity selector, 2026: 8 questions |
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Every micro-topic in the heatmap and the complete watch list, free with an account.
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Frequently asked questions
Short answers about this page.
Which Physics HL exam sessions are covered?
4 exam sessions from 2025 to 2026, the latest May 2026. Every Paper 1 and 2 in every timezone is read and classified in full, which gives 18 papers in this archive.
Which IB Physics HL topic comes up most?
Thermodynamic processes and heat engines (2.4.3): in 78% of papers, last seen May 26 P2 TZ2. Usually "Identify", worth about 1.7 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.
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More Physics HL exam preparation
Every question, by paper
What each Physics HL paper tests across all its sittings: the marks by unit and the micro-topics it keeps coming back to.
Open the paper analysis
What comes up most
Which Physics HL topics recur in this archive, and which have no matching questions in it.
See the pattern
Formula booklet, explained
Every formula you are given in the exam, with when to use it and the traps around it.
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Mock exams
Full Physics HL papers under timed conditions, marked by AI against IB criteria.
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All IB past papers
Every subject we have classified by topic, with the same exam-pattern analysis.
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Practise Physics HL the way it is examined.
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