Frequently Asked Questions

PaperPlainz is specifically designed for IB Physics SL and HL students and also for IB Math AA SL and AI SL students. Our aim is to create high-quality, varied resources so that you get the most out of your IB Physics and/or IB Math experience and succeed on your final exams.

Of course, teachers are also very welcome! :) Please just note that our Membership options were crafted with students in mind. If you have any questions, you can always contact us at info[at]paperplainz.com.

Our materials for the (Old) Syllabus that ends with the 2024 exams:

Concept Explanations: comprehensive, concise concept explanations that closely follow the syllabus. Here you will find 160 videos covering every Topic and Sub-topic in the current IB Physics course. This content was specifically designed to help you at every stage of your Physics learning.

Where relevant, these videos are accompanied by definitions to memorize for your exams. In addition, in this section you will also find a complete list of terms and concepts that have come up on past IB Physics exams since May 2016.

Sub-topic Quizzes: Hundreds of exam-style questions arranged by syllabus Sub-topic. Created to help you practice after learning new concepts and revise before shorter class quizzes that are focussed on one or a few sub-topics.

Each sub-topic quiz has ten Paper 1 questions and two or three longer Paper 2 questions that include several question parts. The total number of marks on each sub-topic quiz is 30 (10 marks on Paper 1 questions and 20 marks on Paper 2 questions). Based on the timing of IB Physics exams, sub-topic quizzes are designed to be solved in 45 minutes.

Questionbank: a continually growing collection of exam-style questions that cover all topics from the syllabus. For the moment, you can practice with around 400 SL and 600 HL Paper 1 and Paper 2 questions.

In each topic (except for Topic 1, which does not appear on Paper 2), we offer 25 Paper 1 questions divided into five difficulty levels and five long Paper 2 questions (which means a total of approx. 25 sub-questions per topic).

Every Paper 1 question is accompanied by a detailed, step-by-step, full Video Solution to help you fully understand the concepts used to solve the question and by a lightning-quick Done Under 90 video explanation with shortcuts, tips and tricks to help you save time on Paper 1, where, on average, you have 90 seconds per question.

All Paper 2 questions are accompanied by worked solutions and by Video Solutions.  In addition to a step-by-step explanation, each video ends with a General Concept takeaway to help you on future questions and with an Exam Taking Tip so that you can maximize your marks on assessments.

Past IB Exam Video Solutions by Year: more than 2000 clear, to-the-point video explanations of all SL and HL Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 (Section A) IB Physics past exam questions from May 2016 to May 2022. Perfect when you are revising for your mocks or preparing for your final IB exams. 

Past IB Exam Video Solutions by Topic: our 1800+ Paper 1 and Paper 2 past exam video solutions arranged by IB Physics syllabus topic. If you have an upcoming sub-topic quiz, a longer topic test or revising a specific area of the syllabus, these videos will help you focus on exactly what you need to learn.

Practice exams: full-length IB-style exam papers that include questions from all topics from our Questionbank. For now, you will find eight full Paper 1 exams for both SL and HL and eight full Paper 2 exam for both SL and HL. As in our Questionabnk, all Paper 1 exam questions are accompanied by a detailed, step-by-step, full Video Solution and by a lightning-quick Done Under 90 video explanation, and our Paper 2 questions are accompanied by worked solutions and by Video Solutions.

Practice Exams – PaperPlainz Accelerator: Ten sets of mixed, exam-style practice questions that contain both Paper 1 and  Paper 2 problems. The Accelerator progresses from Level 1 (that has the least challenging questions) all the way to Level 10 (the hardest problems that we have on PaperPlainz), so that you can keep learning and testing your skills and knowledge with questions of increasing difficulty as you prepare for your mocks or final exams.

The PaperPlainz Revision Summary: a full, concise summary of each topic on the IB Physics syllabus to help you prepare more efficiently and effectively for all your assessments. Under each syllabus topic you will also find the approximate number of marks this topic carries on Paper 1 and Paper 2 exams along with the overall percentage of your final Physics grade that the given topic represents.

The PaperPlainz IA Guide: a complete, step-by-step video guide to help you save time and achieve the grade you want on your Physics Internal Assessment. From start to finish, these videos walk you through all key points and detail of how to write a high-scoring IA. Each step of the process is accompanied by specific actions that you can take, a comprehensive checklist before moving on to the following step, and questions that you might want to ask your teacher in case you need additional support.

Our resources for the New Syllabus (first exams in May 2025) :

Concept explanations: Comprehensive, concise concept explanations, aligned with the new Physics syllabus that is starting in 2023 (first exams in 2025). For now, we offer videos for most of Topic A and for the Mathematical Tools section of the Guide (concept explanations for all other topics are on the way). The content here is designed to help you at every stage of your Physics learning. 

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Please note: unfortunately, due to copyright laws, we are not able to provide you with past exam papers. Your school should have access to these, so please ask your Physics teacher. For the same reason, we cannot display past exam questions in our videos. What we offer are clearly explained, easy to follow video solutions that you can use when working with your past exam papers.

Past IB Exam Video Solutions by Year: more than 700 clear, to-the-point video explanations of all 14 AA SL and AI SL Paper 1 and Paper 2 IB Physics past exams from May 2021 to November 2022 and of the Specimen papers. Perfect when you are revising for your mocks or preparing for your final IB exams. Exam-taking tips are provided at the end of each video to help you maximise your marks on similar questions in the future. Where applicable, the TI-84 calculator is used to enhance the explanation. 

Questionbank: A collection of AA SL exam-style questions, covering all syllabus topics and difficulty levels, accompanied by a detailed markscheme* (AI SL Questionbank is on the way!). Designed to help you revise specific concepts and prepare for unit tests and quizzes.

Practice exams: Full-length IB-style exam papers that include questions from all topics from our Questionbank. For now, we offer five full Paper 1 exams and five full Paper 2 exams for AA SL (AI SL Practice Exams are on the way!). Each question is accompanied by a detailed markscheme*. 

* Please note that all questions in our Questionbank and on our Practice Exams are accompanied by a detailed markscheme. We have already started adding Video Solutions, we are currently working on Topic 2. Video solutions for all other topics will be introduced over the coming weeks.

Please note: unfortunately, due to copyright laws, we are not able to provide you with past exam papers. Your school should have access to these, so please ask your Physics teacher. For the same reason, we cannot display past exam questions in our videos. What we offer are clearly explained, easy to follow video solutions that you can use when working with your past exam papers.

Physics (Syllabus that ends with the 2024 exams):

• Video explanations of all IB Physics SL and HL questions from the May 2016 Paper 1, Paper 2, and Paper 3 (Section A) exams.
• Access to all content in the IB Physics Measurements and Uncertainties section of the PaperPlainz Questionbank.
• Access to all content in the IB Physics Measurements and Uncertainties section of the PaperPlainz Sub-topic Quizzes.
• Access to a full-length IB Physics SL Paper 1 Practice Exam and a full-lenght IB Physics HL Paper 1 Practice Exam.
• Access to the Level 1 IB Physics SL and Level 1 IB Physics HL exams within the PaperPlainz Accelerator.
• The first section of the PaperPlainz IB Physics Internal Assessment Guide.
• IB Physics Concept Explanations videos of all concepts in the first Sub-topic within each syllabus Topic.

Physics New Syllabus:

• Access to all content in the IB Physics Mathematical Tools section of the PaperPlainz Questionbank.
• IB Physics Concept Explanations videos of all concepts in the Mathematical Tools section.
• IB Physics Concept Explanations videos of all concepts in the first Sub-topic within each syllabus Topic (for now, Topic A).

Math:

• Video explanations for all IB Math AA SL and AI SL questions from the May 2021 Timezone 1 Paper 1 and Paper 2 exams.
• Access to a full-length AA SL Paper 1 Practice Exam.
• Access to all content in the IB Math Number & Algebra section of the PaperPlainz Questionbank

Additionally, we offer a free IB Physics Basic Membership which gives you access to even more free resources on PaperPlainz (more info below). You can go here to try all our free resources.

• Basic Membership. This Membership is free and gives you access to even more IB Physics and IB Math resources on PaperPlainz (you can see full list below or on our Free Resources page).
  
• IB Physics Full Membership. This Membership gives you access to all IB Physics materials available on the PaperPlainz website, including the Internal Assessment Guide and all new IB Physcis resources that we add while you are a Member. The access is not limited to SL or HL materials (IB Physics Full Membership gives you access to both sections), so you do not have to purchase a new Membership in case you decide to change your level during your studies. 
• IB Math Full Membership. This Membership gives you access to all IB Math materials available on the PaperPlainz website and all new IB Math resources that we add while you are a Member. The access is not limited to AA or AI only (IB Math Full Membership gives you access to both sections), so you do not have to purchase a new Membership in case you decide to switch courses.
• IB Math & Physics Combo. This Membership gives you access to all IB Math and all IB Physics resources available on the PaperPlainz website and also all new IB Math and IB Physics resources that we add while you are a Member. The access is not limited to only one subject level/course (SL or HL, AA or AI), so that if you decide to switch levels/courses during your studies, you do not have to get a different Membership, we have you covered :)

Please note: all PaperPlainz accounts are personal accounts and cannot be shared with third parties. Only the person who created the account (signed up for a Membership) and agreed to the Terms & Conditions may use the account.

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In addition to the free materials listed above, the Basic Membership plan also includes:

Physics (Syllabus that ends with the 2024 exams):

• Video explanations of all SL and HL questions from the November 2016 Paper 1, Paper 2, and Paper 3 (Section A) exams.
• Access to all content in the Mechanics section of the PaperPlainz Questionbank.
• Access to all content in the Mechanics section of the PaperPlainz Sub-topic Quizzes.
• Access to a full-length SL Paper 2 Practice Exam and a full-length HL Paper 2 Practice Exam.
• Access to the Level 2 IB Physics SL and Level 2 IB Physics HL exams within the PaperPlainz Accelerator.
• The PaperPlainz Revision Summary.

Physics New Syllabus:

• Access to all content in the IB Physics Topic A:  Space, Time, and Motion of the PaperPlainz Questionbank.
• Access to all content in the IB Physics Topic A:  Space, Time, and Motion section of the PaperPlainz Sub-topic Quizzes.
• IB Physics Concept Explanations videos of all concepts in the Sub-topic A.2 Forces and Momentum.

Math:

• Access to all content in the Functions section of the PaperPlainz Questionbank.
• Access to a full-length AA SL Paper 2 practice exam.

Use whatever you need :)

Click here to see a full list of all pages included in your Basic Membership.

Please note that we reserve the right to make periodic changes to the materials available in our Basic Membership, without prior notice.

When you join our Full Membership plan, you will have access to all IB Physics resources on the PaperPlainz website, which include:

(Old) Syllabus that ends with the 2024 exams:

• Video explanations of all SL and HL questions from every Paper 1, Paper 2, and Paper 3 (Section A) past exam between May 2016 and May 2022.
• The above video explanations arranged into topics from the IB Physics syllabus (8 topics for SL and 12 topics for HL).
• The PaperPlainz IB Physics Questionbank which includes exam-style questions from all SL and HL topics. Paper 1 questions are acompanied by Video Solutions and Done Under 90 video explanations. Paper 2 questions are accompanied by worked solutions and by Video Solutions. 
• Hundreds of exam-style questions arranged by syllabus sub-topic in our Sub-topic Quizzes (we are currently adding video solutions to this section).
• Eight full-length SL Paper 1 practice exams and eight full-length HL Paper 1 practice exams. 
• Eight full-length SL Paper 2 practice exam and eight full-length HL Paper 2 practice exam. 
• PaperPlainz Accelerator – ten sets of mixed, exam-style practice questions that contain both Paper 1 and  Paper 2 problems arranged in ascending order of difficulty, from Level 1 to Level 10. 
• The complete, step-by-step PaperPlainz Internal Assessment Guide.
• Comprehensive video Concept Explanations that closely follow IB Physics Syllabus.
• The PaperPlainz Revision Summary.

New Syllabus:

• The PaperPlainz IB Physics Questionbank which will include exam-style questions from all SL and HL topics (for now, we offer Mathematical Tools and Topic A). Paper 1 questions are acompanied by Video Solutions and Done Under 90 video explanations. Paper 2 questions are accompanied by worked solutions and by Video Solutions. 
• Comprehensive Video Concept Explanations that closely follow IB Physics Syllabus (for now, you find videos for Mathematical Tools and for Topic A).
• Practice Exams – at the moment, we offer Sub-topic Quizzes for most of Topic A in this section. Over time, we will be adding full IB-style Mock Exams, Sub-topic Quizzes for all topics and the PaperPlainz Accelerator.
• Past Exam Video Solutions: The new syllabus will first be examined in May 2025 and this section will contain video solutions from then onwards, for all Paper 1 and Paper 2 exams. We will soon add video explanations for the Specimen paper that has already been released. In the meantime, you might find our “old” syllabus Past Exam Video Solutions helpful.

Once you become a PaperPlainz Full Member, while your membership lasts, you will get all newly added IB Physics materials free of charge. 

When you join our Full Membership plan, you will have access to all IB Math resources on the PaperPlainz website, which at the moment include:

• Video explanations of all IB Math AA SL Paper 1 and Paper 2 exam questions from May 2021 until May 2022.
• Video explanations of all IB Math AI SL Paper 1 and Paper 2 exam questions from May 2021 until May 2022.
• Video explanations of all IB Math AA SL Paper 1 and Paper 2 questions on the Specimen exams.
• Video explanations of all IB Math AI SL Paper 1 and Paper 2 questions on the Specimen exams.
• Access to five full-length  AA SL Paper 1 practice exams 
• Access to five full-length AA SL Paper 2 practice exams.
• The IB Math AA SL Questionbank

Once you become a PaperPlainz IB Math Full Member, while your membership lasts, you will get all newly added IB Math materials free of charge.

When you join our Full Membership plan, you will have access to all IB Physics resources  and all IB Math Resources on the PaperPlainz website, which include:

Physics (Syllabus that ends with the 2024 exams):

• Video explanations of all SL and HL questions from every Paper 1, Paper 2, and Paper 3 (Section A) past exam between May 2016 and May 2022.
• The above video explanations arranged into topics from the IB Physics syllabus (8 topics for SL and 12 topics for HL).
• The PaperPlainz IB Physics Questionbank which includes exam-style questions from all SL and HL topics. Paper 1 questions are acompanied by Video Solutions and Done Under 90 video explanations. Paper 2 questions are accompanied by worked solutions and by Video Solutions. 
• Hundreds of exam-style questions arranged by syllabus sub-topic in our Sub-topic Quizzes (we are currently adding video solutions to this section).
• Eight full-length SL Paper 1 practice exams and eight full-length HL Paper 1 practice exams. 
• Eight full-length SL Paper 2 practice exam and eight full-length HL Paper 2 practice exam. 
• PaperPlainz Accelerator – ten sets of mixed, exam-style practice questions that contain both Paper 1 and  Paper 2 problems arranged in ascending order of difficulty, from Level 1 to Level 10. 
• The complete, step-by-step PaperPlainz Internal Assessment Guide.
• Comprehensive video Concept Explanations that closely follow IB Physics Syllabus.
• The PaperPlainz Revision Summary.

Physics New Syllabus:

• The PaperPlainz IB Physics Questionbank which will include exam-style questions from all SL and HL topics (for now, we offer Mathematical Tools and Topic A). Paper 1 questions are acompanied by Video Solutions and Done Under 90 video explanations. Paper 2 questions are accompanied by worked solutions and by Video Solutions. 
• Comprehensive Video Concept Explanations that closely follow IB Physics Syllabus (for now, you find videos for Mathematical Tools and for Topic A).
• Practice Exams – at the moment, we offer Sub-topic Quizzes for most of Topic A in this section. Over time, we will be adding full IB-style Mock Exams, Sub-topic Quizzes for all topics and the PaperPlainz Accelerator.
• Past Exam Video Solutions: The new syllabus will first be examined in May 2025 and this section will contain video solutions from then onwards, for all Paper 1 and Paper 2 exams. We will soon add video explanations for the Specimen paper that has already been released. In the meantime, you might find our “old” syllabus Past Exam Video Solutions helpful.

Math:

• 1 and Paper 2 exam questions from May 2021 until May 2022.
• Video explanations of all IB Math AI SL Paper 1 and Paper 2 exam questions from May 2021 until May 2022.
• Video explanations of all IB Math AA SL Paper 1 and Paper 2 questions on the Specimen exams.
• Video explanations of all IB Math AI SL Paper 1 and Paper 2 questions on the Specimen exams.
• Access to five full-length  AA SL Paper 1 practice exams 
• Access to five full-length AA SL Paper 2 practice exams.
• The IB Math AA SL Questionbank

Once you become a PaperPlainz Full Member, while your membership lasts, you will get all newly added IB Physics and IB Mathmaterials free of charge. 

For as long as you need it, in other words, until you are done with your IB Physics exams. As the IB program lasts two years, the Membership is automatically set for two full calendar years, but if you decide to retake your exams after this time, just let us know, and we will extend your Membership free of charge.

The above applies to students, so if you are a teacher/tutor and have questions or would like to purchase our Lifetime Membership, please get in touch with us.

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When launching PaperPlainz, we decided to offer a significant portion of our resources free of charge. You can access these resources by simply visiting PaperPlainz and if you decide to sign up for the Basic Membership, you will be able to use even more of our materials free of charge. 

These materials are distributed across all sections of PaperPlainz, therefore also serve as our free trial, and are designed to give you a clear idea about what we offer before you decide to sign up for our Full Membership. If you still have doubts, feel free to get in touch with us! :)

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You can only be logged in to PaperPlainz on one device at a time.

Simply log in to your account as usual and go to Full Membership page. After you click on the Membership option of your choice, you will be taken to the registration page – as you are logged in, your details will already be filled in. Choose your payment method (and/or use a Coupon, if you have one), click on the “Sign up” button, and you’re done! Enjoy your full access to all resources on PaperPlainz.

This is our biggest secret at PaperPlainz :) Okay, not really, but instead of telling you where he (she?) is from, we invite you to take a guess and get a discount. We will be happy to offer you 5% off on any of our Full Membership options if you send us an email with your guess and if you get his (her?) nationality correctly, the discount goes up to 10%!