The best free IB revision resources in 2026 combine official IB materials, syllabus-aligned notes, active-recall tools, exam-style questions, and worked explanations. Start with the current subject guide or public subject brief, the correct data or formula booklet, and official specimen papers. Then add a specialist platform for explanation and repeated practice.
No single website does every job equally well. Official documents are the source of truth for assessment, while revision platforms are usually better for teaching difficult ideas, organizing practice, and explaining why an answer earns marks.
The best free IB revision resources at a glance
| Resource | Best use | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|
| Official IB subject materials | Checking syllabus content, assessment structure, and terminology | Full subject guides are normally accessed through your school or the IB Programme Resource Centre |
| Official specimen and sample papers | Learning paper structure and question style | Limited number of papers and explanations |
| Data and formula booklets | Practising efficient use of permitted reference material | Must match your current syllabus and examination session |
| RevisionDojo | IB notes, question practice, feedback, and video walkthroughs | Coverage and free availability can vary by resource type |
| BioNinja | Syllabus-focused IB Biology explanations and diagrams | A specialist Biology resource rather than an all-subject platform |
| IB English Guys | Paper 1, Paper 2, Individual Oral, and HLE guidance | Some structured courses are paid |
| Khan Academy | Relearning underlying mathematics and science concepts | Not organized around IB papers or command terms |
| Anki | Spaced-repetition recall of definitions, examples, and formulas | Shared decks may contain errors or outdated syllabus content |
The strongest combination is therefore not simply the site with the largest library. It is the set of resources that helps you move through four stages: identify what is assessed, understand it, retrieve it from memory, and apply it under examination conditions.
Start with official IB resources
Subject guides and subject briefs
Your first task is to confirm that you are revising the correct course. The IB updates subjects on different cycles, so an older set of notes may look useful while covering discontinued content or an obsolete assessment format.
The IB publishes free subject briefs that summarize course aims, syllabus areas, recommended teaching hours, and assessment components. Full subject guides are generally supplied to authorized schools through the Programme Resource Centre, so ask your teacher or Diploma Programme coordinator for the version applying to your examination session.
Use the guide or brief to create a syllabus checklist. Label each area as secure, developing, or untested, then connect every revision session to one listed topic or assessment objective. RevisionDojo's IB syllabus hub can make this easier, but it should be checked against the current official documentation supplied by your school.
Formula and data booklets
In subjects such as Mathematics, Chemistry, and Physics, the official reference booklet is part of exam preparation rather than an emergency source of formulas. You need to know what is provided, what is not provided, and where information appears.
Practise with the booklet beside you from the beginning. For example, if a mathematics formula is given, focus on recognizing when it applies and interpreting each variable instead of memorizing the printed expression without context. RevisionDojo provides browsable references such as its Mathematics AA data booklet and Chemistry data booklet, but confirm the official version for your session with your teacher.
Specimen and sample examination papers
The IB's free Diploma sample examination papers include selected specimen papers, sample papers, marking notes, and markschemes across subject groups. These are especially important after a syllabus change because they demonstrate the intended structure before a substantial collection of past papers exists.
A specimen paper is not a prediction. Use it to study question types, instructions, mark allocations, command terms, and timing. The IB began introducing digital examinations in a small number of DP and CP subjects in 2026, so confirm with your coordinator whether your subject and school will use paper or digital delivery.
Free revision platforms and question banks
A revision platform should do more than display information. It should help you answer questions, receive useful feedback, and return to weaknesses.
RevisionDojo's free IB Questionbank provides curriculum-aligned practice with markscheme-style feedback from Jojo AI. Its broader IB resource library connects questions with notes, flashcards, subject references, and video walkthroughs.
This matters because most free question sources stop at a final answer or short markscheme. A markscheme tells you what received credit, but it may not show the reasoning that takes a student from the question to that answer. Per-question video solutions are comparatively rare and valuable, particularly in Mathematics and the sciences, because they can demonstrate setup, intermediate reasoning, calculator decisions, and common errors.
RevisionDojo includes past-question video walkthroughs within supported subject hubs, including IB Mathematics AA resources and IB Chemistry resources. Coverage may differ between subjects and questions, so check the relevant hub rather than assuming every paper has a video. Students who learn best from demonstrated methods can use the per-question past-paper video walkthroughs after making a serious attempt themselves.
Useful free subject-specific resources
Biology
BioNinja is a free teacher-created resource mapped to the Biology curriculum first taught in 2023. It organizes content through the course themes and biological topics, with notes, diagrams, worksheets, and review materials.
Use it to clarify processes such as transcription, cell respiration, inheritance, and ecosystem interactions. Do not merely reread the pages: close the resource, reproduce the process from memory, and then answer a data-based or extended-response question.
English A
IB English Guys provides free videos and documents on Paper 1, Paper 2, the Individual Oral, and the Higher Level Essay. Its strongest value is modelling the analytical process: moving from observation to authorial choice, effect, and interpretation.
English revision should not become memorization of a universal essay template. Use models to understand structure, then practise adapting your thesis and evidence to an unseen guiding question or the specific works studied in your class.
Mathematics and sciences
Khan Academy is useful when the obstacle is missing foundational knowledge rather than IB exam technique. Its free lessons cover algebra, trigonometry, calculus, statistics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
Because it is not an IB-specific platform, match lessons manually to your syllabus. After relearning a concept there, move immediately to an IB-style question so that you practise the relevant notation, command terms, and level of difficulty.
Recall-heavy subjects
Anki supports spaced repetition and is free on desktop, through AnkiWeb, and through the community-developed AnkiDroid application. It works well for definitions, quotations, case-study facts, vocabulary, equations, and short chains of reasoning.
Treat public decks cautiously. Check every card against your current course and rewrite cards that are vague, overloaded, or based on an old syllabus. RevisionDojo also provides IB cheatsheets for concise review, but neither flashcards nor summaries should replace extended exam practice.
How to choose a reliable free resource
Before investing hours in a website, test it against five criteria:
- Current syllabus alignment: Does it state the course version or first-assessment year?
- Correct level: Does it clearly distinguish SL from HL or additional higher level content?
- Assessment accuracy: Do paper structure and timings match current official information?
- Quality of feedback: Does it explain reasoning, or only reveal an answer?
- Legal and ethical access: Is the material published by its owner or provided through an authorized school account?
Be cautious with unofficial drives and mirror sites offering complete archives of copyrighted IB papers or paid resources. Files may be incomplete, altered, outdated, or distributed without permission. Your teacher or coordinator is the safest route to school-licensed past papers and the official IB Questionbank, which is designed for institutions and teachers to build assessments from official questions.
A practical free-resource revision system
A manageable weekly system is more effective than opening several platforms without a purpose.
- Choose one syllabus point. Confirm its wording and level in the current guide.
- Learn actively for 20 to 30 minutes. Use a subject-specific explanation, then summarize it without looking.
- Retrieve the content. Complete flashcards, draw a process, or answer short recall prompts.
- Apply it to questions. Attempt several IB-style questions without checking the solution early.
- Study the feedback. Compare your work with the markscheme and use a video walkthrough where the method remains unclear.
- Record the cause of each error. Separate knowledge gaps, misread command terms, weak reasoning, calculation mistakes, and poor timing.
- Retest after several days. Improvement is demonstrated by a fresh answer, not by recognizing a solution you have just watched.
Once a week, complete a timed mixed set. Officially, DP assessment uses both internal and external components, while written examinations form the basis of assessment in most courses. Your revision should therefore include both content learning and realistic written performance.
Common mistakes when using free resources
The first mistake is collecting resources instead of using them. Two dependable sources used repeatedly are better than ten bookmarked sites that encourage constant switching.
The second is watching solutions before attempting questions. A clear video can create an illusion of competence because the method seems obvious after someone else has selected it. Write a complete attempt first, even if you are uncertain.
The third is revising from an outdated syllabus. Always check the first-assessment year, especially for recently revised sciences and other changing courses. Finally, do not treat a platform's score as an official predicted grade: teachers consider the correct paper structure, grade boundaries, coursework, and the evidence available across the course.
Conclusion
The best free IB revision resources in 2026 begin with official subject information, the correct formula or data booklet, and specimen papers. Specialist sites can then explain content, while flashcards and question banks provide retrieval and application.
The decisive feature is the quality of the feedback you receive. A final answer identifies whether you were wrong, but a worked explanation or video can reveal where your method failed. For a structured next step, use RevisionDojo's Questionbank for targeted practice and its past-paper video walkthroughs when you need to see a difficult solution developed one step at a time.
Sources and referenced URLs
- IB Diploma Programme curriculum and subject briefs
- IB Diploma sample examination papers
- IB assessment and examinations
- Understanding IB Diploma Programme assessment
- Official IB Questionbank
- RevisionDojo IB syllabus hub
- RevisionDojo IB resources
- RevisionDojo Questionbank
- RevisionDojo Mathematics AA resources
- RevisionDojo Mathematics AA data booklet
- RevisionDojo Chemistry resources
- RevisionDojo Chemistry data booklet
- RevisionDojo IB cheatsheets
- BioNinja for the current IB Biology curriculum
- IB English Guys
- Khan Academy
- Official Anki downloads and platform information