IB Physics Revision Guide (2026 Exam)
Everything you need to prepare for IB Physics at SL and HL on the 2023 syllabus: a paper-by-paper strategy, a 6-week revision timeline, theme-by-theme checklists, and links to free notes and flashcards. Physics rewards clear working, correct units, and confident data analysis — this guide shows you how to practise all three.
⭐ Predicted Topics for IB Physics 2026
Want to know what's most likely to come up on your exam? We track which themes and question types recur across recent Physics papers — favourites like kinematics and energy in mechanics, the gas laws, wave superposition and interference, fields and electromagnetic induction, and nuclear decay. Revise everything, but spend your final weeks on these high-probability areas: it is the smartest way to study.
Essential Physics command terms
In Physics you can get the right number and still drop marks if you ignore the command term — it tells you how much working and reasoning to show. Three are worth knowing cold before you sit the exam.
Determine
Obtain the only possible answer — often by reading a gradient or area off a graph, or by combining several equations. Show how the value is fixed; a bare number rarely earns full marks.
Show that
The answer is printed in the question, so the marks are in the working. Derive it forward from first principles and quote one extra significant figure than the given value to prove you reached it — never work backwards.
Explain
An AO3 reasoning term: give the causes and reasons, linked to a physics principle. The word 'because' should appear — a one-line statement with no reasoning will not score.
IB Physics Grade Calculator
Not sure what percentage you need across Paper 1 and Paper 2 (plus the Scientific Investigation) to land a 7? Use our interactive grade calculator to enter your mock or target scores and see exactly how they convert to final IB grades, based on historical Physics boundaries.
Know the papers
The biggest revision mistake is studying content but ignoring format. Know exactly what each paper asks for before you start practising.
Sat in one block. Paper 1A is multiple choice (SL 25 / HL 40 marks) covering the whole syllabus; Paper 1B is data-based and experimental (20 marks). The physics data booklet and a calculator are allowed throughout, and there is no negative marking.
- Answer every 1A question — there is no penalty for a wrong guess, so never leave a blank
- Eliminate obviously wrong distractors, then check units and orders of magnitude before choosing
- In 1B, plot points with error bars and draw a clear best-fit line; state the unit when you read a gradient or intercept
- Treat uncertainties in order — absolute, then fractional, then percentage — and propagate them into the final result
Short-answer and extended-response questions across the whole syllabus (SL 50 marks / HL 90 marks, with HL-only extensions). Extended parts are marked on markbands and reward structured reasoning. The data booklet and a calculator are allowed.
- Write the equation, then the substitution, on separate lines — you keep the method mark even if the arithmetic slips
- Read the command term: "explain", "discuss" and "evaluate" need reasoning, not just a value
- Draw a free-body diagram before any mechanics question so you never miss a force
- Carry units and sensible significant figures (usually 2–3) to the final line — a missing unit loses the mark
The Scientific Investigation — one individual experiment written up in ≤ 3,000 words and marked out of 24 on four criteria: research design, data analysis, conclusion, and evaluation. SL and HL students do exactly the same task.
- Pick a focused research question with one clear independent and one dependent variable
- Collect at least five values of the independent variable with repeats so you can plot a graph with error bars
- Process uncertainties fully (absolute → fractional → percentage) and propagate them into your result
- Evaluate honestly: name specific systematic and random errors and suggest realistic improvements
6-week revision timeline
Starting 6 weeks out gives you enough time to go through all 6 units, identify weak spots, and do meaningful exam practice.
- Work through the notes for every theme — use the topic index on /ib-physics
- Learn where each equation, constant and unit prefix lives in the physics data booklet
- Make key-term and equation flashcards for Themes A–C (mechanics, matter, waves)
- Drill core skills until automatic: free-body diagrams, resolving vectors, and rearranging data-booklet equations
- Attempt a full Paper 1 (1A + 1B) under timed conditions with only the data booklet and a calculator
- Practise the Paper 1B data skills — plotting with error bars, reading gradients, and propagating uncertainties
- Complete at least two full Paper 2 sets under timed conditions, including the extended-response questions
- Target your weakest theme — for many students that is Fields (Theme D) or nuclear and quantum physics (Theme E)
- Rehearse "show that" and "explain" answers — work forward, and link each step to a named principle
- Review mark schemes — see exactly which lines of working earn method marks even with a wrong final number
- Skim every theme summary and re-do a few mixed questions rather than re-reading notes in full
- Continue daily flashcard review (due cards only) and lock down your units and significant-figure habits
- Quick scan of key equations and where to find the rest in the data booklet
- Check command terms: state, determine, show that, explain, discuss, evaluate
- Pack a working calculator and spare batteries, and get 8 hours of sleep
Revise by unit
Each unit has a different exam weight. Prioritise accordingly — but don't skip any unit entirely.
Theme A — Space, time and motion
Exam weight: Very High — kinematics, forces, momentum and energy recur on every paper
Theme B — The particulate nature of matter
Exam weight: High — thermal physics, the gas laws and ideal gases are reliable
Theme C — Wave behaviour
Exam weight: High — superposition, standing waves and the wave equation appear often
Theme D — Fields
Exam weight: Very High — gravitational, electric and magnetic fields plus induction are heavy
Theme E — Nuclear and quantum physics
Exam weight: Medium–High — radioactive decay, mass–energy equivalence and the photoelectric effect
Experimental skills & data analysis
Exam weight: Essential — assessed directly in Paper 1B and the Scientific Investigation IA
IB Physics Revision FAQ
How long should you revise for IB Physics?
Start dedicated Physics revision about 6 weeks before the exam. That gives you time to cover Themes A–E, make your data-booklet routines automatic, and complete several full past papers under timed conditions — including the Paper 1B data-analysis section, which trips up students who only revise content.
What is on IB Physics Paper 1?
Paper 1 is sat in one block and has two parts: Paper 1A is multiple choice (25 marks at SL, 40 at HL) covering the whole syllabus, and Paper 1B is data-based and experimental (20 marks) testing graphing, uncertainties and evaluating a method. The data booklet and a calculator are allowed, and there is no negative marking — so answer every question.
What topics come up most in IB Physics?
Mechanics (Theme A) and Fields (Theme D) are the heaviest and appear on every paper — kinematics, forces, energy, and electromagnetic induction are near-guaranteed. Waves (Theme C), thermal physics and the gas laws (Theme B), and nuclear and quantum physics (Theme E) also recur. Check our Predicted Topics page for the latest data-driven breakdown.
How do I get a 7 in IB Physics?
Show your working line by line so method marks survive an arithmetic slip, carry correct units and significant figures to the final answer, and answer the exact command term — "explain" and "discuss" need reasoning, not a value. Master the data booklet and the Paper 1B data skills, and treat your Scientific Investigation IA (20%) as marks in the bank before you even sit the papers.
Turn your Physics revision plan into results
Aimnova builds a personalised study plan around your exam date — it tracks your progress, surfaces weak themes like fields or nuclear physics, and schedules exactly what to review each day.
Start FreeNo credit card required · Cancel anytime