IB Math Predicted Papers for November 2026: How We Build Them

Every November, IB Math students walk into the exam hall having sat far fewer full papers than they would like — and almost never a fresh one that feels like the real thing. Our predicted papers exist to close that gap: six complete, exam-style sets for IB Math Analysis & Approaches HL and SL, each with a full worked mark scheme, so you can rehearse the November 2026 exams before you sit them.

This guide explains what the predicted papers are, how our team — led by Mr Ejaz — builds them from real exam data rather than guesswork, and the two ways to use them: as papers you mark yourself, or with our optional AI self-marking report.

What you actually get

For each subject we publish six full predicted paper sets, written in exact IB style and difficulty:

• AA HL — Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 in every set, each with a full worked mark scheme.
• AA SL — Paper 1 and Paper 2 in every set, each with a full worked mark scheme.
• Set 1 is free for every subject — no card, no sign-up wall. It is a complete set, so you can judge the quality before paying anything.

The remaining sets unlock with a single one-time payment per subject. There is no subscription, and one purchase covers both HL and SL for that subject.

How we build the predictions — and why they are not guesses

Anyone can print a paper and call it a prediction. Ours are built the slow way, from a marks-weighted reading of what the IB has actually tested. Here is the method our team uses.

1. We read every recent paper

We tagged 735+ questions from every AA paper between 2021 and 2025 by topic, paper and mark allocation. That produces a marks-weighted map of what the exam really rewards — and it is lopsided. On AA HL, five topics (Vectors, Functions, Differentiation, Trigonometry and Complex Numbers) account for close to 40% of every mark. Our full IB Math paper analysis, 2021–2025 shows the complete breakdown.

2. We forecast November, not “an average exam”

November papers do not behave like May. A topic that anchors a Section B question almost every May can be rare in November, and vice versa — differential equations, for instance, are a May Paper 2 staple but appear far less often in November. So we forecast each paper slot from November-specific patterns rather than blending the two sessions into a mushy average.

3. We check ourselves against the real exams

When the actual May 2026 papers were released, we scored our own method against them to see how close it landed. That feedback loop is exactly why these are predictions with a track record, not untested guesses. You can read more about the difference in our note on predicted papers versus marked mock exams.

4. We write like the IB — including Paper 3

Every question is original, written by our IBO-certified tutors to match the real wording, structure and difficulty, with a full mark scheme for each. Paper 3 gets special attention because it is the paper students feel least ready for — see our AA HL Paper 3 preparation guide for how we approach those investigations. For the official course framework, the IB publishes its own Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches outline.

Two ways to use them

Once you have a set, there are two paths. Pick the one that matches how you like to work.

Option 1 — Papers and mark schemes (self-study)

The straightforward way: sit a paper under timed conditions, then mark it yourself against the worked mark scheme. Set 1 is free; all six sets for a subject are a one-time US$100. This suits you if you already know how to mark honestly against a scheme and simply want high-quality, exam-realistic material.

Option 2 — AI self-marking and a performance report

Marking your own work is hard — it is easy to award yourself marks an examiner never would. Our US$299 tier adds AI self-marking (coming soon): you sit a paper, upload a photo or PDF of your working once, and our marker — trained on Photon’s own marking of real student scripts — grades it against our mark scheme. You get back a clear score, a topic-by-topic breakdown of where the marks slipped, and specific tips on what to fix before the real exam.

Think of it as the feedback a tutor would give on a mock, available the moment you put your pen down.

Which subjects, and when

IB Math AA HL and IB Math AA SL are available now for November 2026. IB Physics HL and SL are next in the pipeline, built with the same method. Alongside the papers, you can drill topic-by-topic in our Learning Studio and close quick gaps with the free cheatsheet library. If you would rather work through it with a tutor, that is what our IB Math tuition and Nov 2026 crash course are for.

The November 2026 Mathematics papers are timetabled for the week of 9 November — always confirm the exact dates with your school’s exams officer. Start with the free Set 1, see whether it feels like the real thing, and go from there.