Where to Find IB Past Papers (Every Subject)

IB past papers are the single best way to get ready for your final exams. They show you the real question style, the real timing, and the real marking. But finding them is harder than most students expect. The IB does not put its papers online for free, the way some other exam boards do. So where do you actually get them?

Quick answer: The only legal place to buy official IB past papers is the Follett IB Store (follettibstore.com), which is the IB's official seller. Each paper and mark scheme costs a few US dollars, and you can also buy whole "exam packs" for a full session. The best free and legal option is to ask your school's IB Coordinator or teacher, because most IB schools already own the full set. The IB also gives out free specimen papers (sample exams) for every subject through your school.

This guide walks you through every way to find IB past papers, which ones are legal, which are free, and how to actually use them so your practice counts. Let's dig in.

What are IB past papers?

IB past papers are the real exam papers used in past exam sessions, plus their mark schemes (the answer keys). DP means Diploma Programme, the two-year course most IB students take in Year 12 and Year 13. At the end, you sit written exams. The papers from earlier years are the "past papers."

Most IB subjects have two or three papers. For example:

• Paper 1 is often multiple choice or short questions.

• Paper 2 is usually longer, with structured or essay questions.

• Paper 3 (in some subjects) is a special problem-solving or source-based paper.

Each paper comes with a mark scheme. The mark scheme is the official answer key. It shows you exactly what earns marks and how examiners award them. A past paper without its mark scheme is only half useful. You need both.

There are also subject reports. These are notes the IB writes after each session. They tell you what students did well and where they lost marks. Subject reports are gold, and most students never read them.

Where to find IB past papers (every source, ranked)

Here is the honest truth: the IB protects its papers tightly. So your options are smaller than for some boards. Below are the real sources, ranked from best to worst.

Let's go through each one.

1. Your school (the best free source)

Your school is almost always the best place to get IB past papers. Most IB World Schools buy full access to past exams and the IB Questionbank. That means your teachers already have the papers, the mark schemes, and the subject reports sitting on a shared drive.

So the first step is simple. Ask your teacher. Ask your IB Coordinator. Say something like, "Can I get past papers and mark schemes for [your subject] to practice with?" Many teachers are happy to share, because they want you to practice. This route is free, legal, and gives you the most recent papers.

One tip: ask early, not the week before exams. Teachers get busy in exam season. Give them time.

2. The Follett IB Store (the official place to buy)

The Follett IB Store is the IB's official shop for past papers. The IB used to sell exams on its own website. It moved that store to Follett. So today, follettibstore.com is the only website where you can legally buy official IB past papers as a parent or student.

Here is how to find a paper on the store:

1. Go to follettibstore.com.

2. Click the search bar at the top.

3. Type your subject and the word "paper" — for example, "Biology HL paper."

4. Look for results that say "exam paper" or "mark scheme" in the title.

You buy each paper and each mark scheme as a digital download. Prices are modest — usually a few US dollars per item. You can also buy exam packs, which bundle a whole exam session for a subject into one download. Packs cost more but save you time clicking around.

HL means Higher Level. SL means Standard Level. Make sure you buy the right level. An HL paper is longer and harder than the SL paper for the same subject.

3. The IB Questionbank

The IB Questionbank is a tool full of real past exam questions, sorted by topic. Teachers use it to build custom practice tests. So instead of a whole paper, you get questions grouped by the exact topic you're studying — like "calculus" or "acids and bases."

The catch: the Questionbank is sold to schools and teachers, not directly to students. It is built for teachers to make tests for their classes. So you can't usually buy it yourself. But your school may have it. Ask your teacher to pull topic questions for you, or to give you Questionbank practice sets. It is one of the most useful IB tools that exists.

4. Free specimen and sample papers

The IB gives every subject a free specimen paper (also called a sample paper). A specimen paper is a practice exam the IB writes to show the format of a new syllabus. It is not from a real session, but it is written by the IB in the exact real style.

Specimen papers come bundled with the subject guide. Your teacher has them. They are 100% free and 100% legal. If a subject's syllabus is new, the specimen paper may be the most up-to-date practice you can get. Always do the specimen paper at least once.

5. What about free download sites?

You'll find websites that offer "free IB past papers" to download. Some are well known. Here's the honest warning: most of these sites are sharing IB papers without permission. That breaks IB copyright rules.

IB exam papers, mark schemes, and Questionbank content are all owned by the IB. Sharing them publicly without a license is against IB policy, and the IB does act against it. On top of the legal problem, these sites have real practical risks:

• Files are often mislabeled or from the wrong year or syllabus.

• Mark schemes may be missing or fake.

• Some sites carry viruses or scams.

So you might spend hours practicing the wrong content. We don't recommend pirate sites. The free, safe routes above — your school and specimen papers — give you better material without the risk.

Why IB past papers are harder to find than IGCSE or A-Level papers

Here's a question many parents ask: why can't I just Google IB papers like I can with Cambridge IGCSE?

The answer is policy. Some boards, like Cambridge, publish many past papers free on their own website. The IB does not. The IB keeps its papers behind its official store and its school licenses. That's a choice the IB makes to protect its content.

So the "free download" habit that works for IGCSE does not work for IB. With IB, the legal free route is your school, and the legal paid route is Follett. There's no big free public archive. Knowing this saves you a lot of confused searching.

If your child is moving up from IGCSE into the IB Diploma, this is one of many differences worth knowing early. We cover the full jump in our guide on the IGCSE to IB transition.

How recent are the papers you can get?

You can buy papers going back many years through Follett. But there's one rule to know.

The IB does not release papers from the two most recent exam sessions for open practice straight away. This is to protect the newest content. So the very latest May or November paper won't be on sale the moment exams end. There's a delay. Older sessions are all available.

For most students this doesn't matter. A paper from two or three years ago tests the same syllabus and the same skills. You don't need yesterday's paper. You need lots of papers and lots of practice.

How many past papers should you do?

Quick answer: Aim to do every available past paper for your syllabus at least once, and your weakest subjects two or three times. For most subjects that means 4 to 8 full papers in the final months before exams.

Quality beats quantity, though. One paper done slowly, marked honestly, and reviewed deeply teaches you more than five papers rushed through. We'll explain how to do this in the next section.

Start light. In the year before exams, do papers topic by topic as you finish each unit. Then in the last two to three months, do full timed papers to build stamina. By the final weeks, you should be sitting whole papers under exam conditions.

How to actually use IB past papers (the part most students skip)

Buying papers is easy. Using them well is where marks are won. Here is the method our tutors teach.

Step 1: Do the paper under real conditions

Sit the paper like it's the real exam. Same time limit. No phone. No notes. No music with words. If it's a no-calculator paper, no calculator on the desk. This feels uncomfortable. That's the point. You want to feel exam pressure now, in practice, not for the first time on exam day.

Step 2: Mark it yourself with the mark scheme

Now grab the mark scheme and mark your own work. Be strict. Don't give yourself a mark you didn't earn. The mark scheme shows you the exact words and steps examiners reward. This is the most useful reading you will do all year. You start to learn what an examiner wants, not just what the answer is.

Step 3: Find your patterns

After marking, look for patterns. Did you lose marks on one topic again and again? Did you run out of time on Paper 2? Did you forget units, or skip the "explain" command? Write down your top three weak spots. This list is your study plan for the week.

Step 4: Redo the questions you got wrong

Wait a few days. Then redo the exact questions you lost marks on, without looking at the answer. If you can now get them right, the gap is closing. If not, that topic needs real teaching, not just more papers.

Step 5: Read the subject report

Finally, read the IB subject report for that session if you can get it. It tells you, in the examiner's own words, the common mistakes students made. Reading these is like getting feedback from the examiner before they ever see your work.

Where to find past papers by subject

The process is the same for every subject, but here are a few subject-specific tips.

For Math, papers split by level and by course. Math AA (Analysis and Approaches) and Math AI (Applications and Interpretation) have different papers. Don't mix them up. If you're not sure which course you're in, our IB Math tutors can help you target the right papers and build a practice plan around your weak topics.

For the sciences, always practice with your data booklet open, because you get one in the real exam. Knowing where every value lives in the booklet saves precious minutes. Our IB Chemistry tutors drill this skill directly with students using real past questions.

For English, the unseen commentary or analysis paper is all about timing and structure. Past papers train both. Read the prompt, plan fast, write tight.

Using mark schemes and grade boundaries together

Here's a pro move. After you mark a past paper, convert your raw mark into a grade using that session's grade boundaries.

Grade boundaries are the score cutoffs for each grade, 1 to 7. They change a little each session. If you scored 62 out of 90, the boundaries tell you whether that's a 5, a 6, or a 7. This turns a raw number into a real grade prediction, which is far more motivating and useful.

We have a full guide on how this works in our post on IB grade boundaries. Once you can mark your own papers and convert them to grades, you can track your real progress week by week. You can even feed your predicted grades into our IB score calculator to see your likely total diploma points.

A simple past-paper study plan

Here's a clean plan you can follow in the final stretch before exams.

1. 6 months out: Do papers topic by topic as you finish each unit. Mark with the mark scheme.

2. 3 months out: Start full timed papers, one subject at a time. Track your grades using grade boundaries.

3. 6 weeks out: Sit full papers under exam conditions. Redo your weak questions from earlier papers.

4. 2 weeks out: Light review. Reread your "weak spot" lists and subject reports. Don't burn out.

Stick to a plan like this and past papers stop being a pile of PDFs. They become a clear path to a higher grade. Many of the students we tutor see their biggest jumps from past-paper practice done the right way. If you want a structured plan built around your subjects, you can book a free trial class and we'll map one out with you.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get IB past papers for free?

The best free and legal source is your own school. Most IB schools own the full set of past papers, mark schemes, and the IB Questionbank. Ask your teacher or IB Coordinator. The IB also gives every subject a free specimen (sample) paper through your school. Free public download sites usually break IB copyright and often have wrong or mislabeled files, so we don't recommend them.

Are IB past papers free like Cambridge IGCSE papers?

No. Unlike Cambridge, the IB does not publish its past papers free on a public website. The IB keeps papers behind its official store (Follett) and its school licenses. So the Google-and-download habit that works for IGCSE does not work for IB. Your legal free route is your school; the legal paid route is the Follett IB Store.

How much do official IB past papers cost?

On the Follett IB Store, individual papers and mark schemes each cost a few US dollars. You can also buy "exam packs" that bundle a whole exam session for one subject, which cost more but save time. Prices vary by paper and session, so check the store for the exact current price.

What is the IB Questionbank?

The IB Questionbank is an official tool full of real past exam questions sorted by topic. Teachers use it to build custom practice tests for their classes. It is sold to schools and teachers, not directly to students. If your school has it, ask your teacher to give you topic-based practice sets — it's one of the most useful IB study tools available.

Can I use IB past papers from a few years ago?

Yes. Older papers test the same syllabus and the same skills, so they are great practice. The IB does delay the release of papers from the two most recent sessions, so the very newest paper won't be on sale right away. That's fine — you don't need the latest paper, you need lots of practice on the current syllabus.

Is it illegal to download IB past papers from free websites?

Sharing IB past papers, mark schemes, and Questionbank content publicly without a license breaks IB copyright rules, and the IB does act against it. Downloading from these sites also carries practical risks: wrong years, missing mark schemes, and even viruses. The safe, legal routes — your school and official specimen papers — give you better material without the risk.

What's the difference between a past paper and a specimen paper?

A past paper is a real exam used in a real session. A specimen paper (or sample paper) is a practice exam the IB writes to show the format of a new syllabus. Specimen papers are free and come with the subject guide. They're written in the exact real style, so they're excellent practice — especially when a syllabus is new and few real papers exist yet.

How many IB past papers should I do before exams?

Aim to do every available past paper for your syllabus at least once, and your weakest subjects two or three times. For most subjects that's about 4 to 8 full papers in the final months. But quality matters more than quantity — one paper done under timed conditions, marked honestly, and reviewed deeply beats five rushed papers.

Do I need the mark scheme too?

Yes, always. A past paper without its mark scheme is only half useful. The mark scheme is the official answer key, and it shows you the exact words and steps examiners reward. Marking your own work against it is the single most useful study habit for raising your grade.

How do I turn my past-paper score into a predicted grade?

Use the grade boundaries from that exam session. Grade boundaries are the score cutoffs for each grade from 1 to 7, and they shift slightly each session. Convert your raw mark using the boundaries to see your real grade. Our guide on IB grade boundaries explains the full process step by step.

Can a tutor help me practice with past papers?

Yes, and it's one of the most effective things a tutor does. A good tutor sets the right papers, marks them with you using the real mark scheme, spots your patterns, and reteaches the topics where you lose marks. That feedback loop is hard to build alone. A free trial class is a simple way to see how a structured past-paper plan feels.