How much working should I show in an IB Maths AA long question?

Show every important method, substitution and transformation needed to make your reasoning traceable. You do not need to include routine mental arithmetic, but you should write the equation or principle that produced each major result. For calculus, show the function, derivative or integral and the condition being applied. For calculator work, record the mathematical input or setup rather than only the decimal output. A useful test is whether another Maths AA student could reproduce your solution without guessing what you entered or assumed.

Can I receive marks if my final answer is wrong?

Yes, an incorrect final answer can still receive method and reasoning marks when valid working is visible. Official IB markschemes distinguish method marks from accuracy marks, so a small algebraic or arithmetic error does not automatically erase all credit. Follow-through marks may also reward a correct later method that consistently uses an earlier incorrect value. This protection is limited if the original error makes the later mathematics meaningless or produces an impossible situation. Never erase a sensible method simply because you suspect the final number is wrong.

What should I write for a show that question in Maths AA?

Begin from the information already established and derive the printed result through valid mathematical steps. Do not start by assuming the result that you are supposed to show, because that creates circular reasoning. Display substitutions, identities or algebraic transformations clearly enough for the examiner to verify the argument. The supplied answer normally carries no mark by itself, so the derivation is the essential part of the response. Once you reach the required form, stop unless the question asks for further interpretation.

How should I show calculator working on Maths AA Paper 2 or Paper 3?

Write the mathematical operation performed, such as the equation solved, integral evaluated or probability calculated. Include relevant definitions and parameters, for example the distribution and its values in a probability question. You usually do not need to reproduce every calculator button press, but the examiner should understand what the technology was used to find. Check settings such as radians or degrees and retain unrounded values for later calculations. Present the final result using exact form or the required numerical accuracy, together with units where appropriate.

What should I do if I cannot solve the first part of an extended-response question?

Write down any relevant formula, define variables and attempt a meaningful setup before moving on. Read later parts because they may provide a result you can use or ask for reasoning that does not depend completely on part one. If necessary, assign a symbol or plausible value to the missing result and continue consistently. This can make later method or follow-through marks accessible even when the opening calculation is incomplete. Return to the difficult part after securing marks elsewhere rather than allowing one obstacle to consume the whole exam.

What is the best way to practise IB Maths AA long questions?

Begin with one topic at a time and attempt an extended question without looking at the solution. Compare your work line by line with a markscheme or detailed video solution, identifying where method, accuracy and reasoning marks appear. Rewrite the response in a cleaner form, then solve a similar question without assistance. Once the structure becomes familiar, combine topics and introduce strict timing to reproduce exam pressure. Keep an error log organised by content gap, command term, calculator use, accuracy and missing justification so that each practice session targets a specific weakness.

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IB Maths AA: How to Answer Long Questions

• 5 Aug 2026•13

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IB Maths AA: How to Answer Long Questions | RevisionDojo

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IB Maths AA: How to Answer Long Questions

• 5 Aug 2026•13

Extended-response questions in IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches reward more than a correct final value. To maximise marks, translate the command term, plan the mathematical route, show each important method, preserve exact values where appropriate, and finish with a clear answer that addresses the question.

This matters because IB markschemes award credit for method, accuracy and reasoning. A numerical slip does not necessarily destroy the whole response if the examiner can see a valid method and follow your subsequent work.

Where extended-response questions appear

Under the current Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches course, both SL and HL students encounter compulsory extended-response questions in Section B of Papers 1 and 2. HL students also take Paper 3, which consists of two compulsory extended-response problem-solving questions.

Paper 1 does not allow technology, while Papers 2 and 3 require appropriate technology. These differences change the tools available, but not the central expectation: your mathematics must be communicated clearly enough to be assessed.

The official IB subject brief identifies problem solving, communication, technology and reasoning as assessment objectives. Long questions often combine several of these objectives, which is why they may move through algebra, interpretation, proof and evaluation within one connected context.

How marks accumulate in a long Maths AA response

The official specimen markschemes use several important abbreviations:

Mark type	Meaning	What your response must show
M	Method	An attempt to use an appropriate process, formula or technique
A	Answer or accuracy	Correct execution or a correct result, often dependent on a method mark
R	Reasoning	A valid explanation, justification or mathematical argument
AG	Answer given	The target is supplied in the question, so marks come from reaching it validly
FT	Follow-through	Credit for correctly continuing from an earlier incorrect result where applicable

This system explains why unsupported calculator answers are risky. The IB explicitly states that full marks are not necessarily awarded for a correct answer without working and that answers should be supported by calculations, diagrams, graphs or explanations.

Suppose a question asks you to find the maximum volume of a container. A complete response may earn separate marks for forming the volume function, differentiating it, solving the stationary-point equation, verifying that the point is a maximum and stating the resulting volume with units. Writing only the final volume makes most of those mathematical decisions invisible.

Use a five-stage structure for every long question

1. Decode the task before calculating

Read the entire question, including later parts, before beginning. Underline the command term, identify the requested quantity and note restrictions such as an interval, exact form, specified accuracy or contextual units.

Then identify what earlier parts establish. Extended questions are usually designed as connected chains, so a derivative, identity or parameter found in one part may be intended for use later.

2. Establish the mathematical setup

Begin with the equation, theorem, diagram or model that controls the solution. Define variables if the question has not already done so, and label diagrams sufficiently to make your reasoning readable.

A strong opening is mathematically informative:

Let x be the radius of the cylinder in centimetres.
Using conservation of area, 2πrh + 2πr² = 600.
At a stationary point, V'(r) = 0.

Avoid spending time copying the full question. Your setup should reveal your strategy, not reproduce information already visible to the examiner.

3. Show the mark-bearing transitions

Write enough intermediate work to show how one expression leads to the next. For algebra, display substitutions, rearrangements, factorisation and rejected roots when they affect the answer.

For calculus, show the function being differentiated or integrated and identify the condition being used. For probability, state the distribution and its parameters before entering values. For vectors, identify the equation or geometric relationship before simplifying components.

You do not need to record every piece of mental arithmetic. The goal is to expose the decisions and transformations on which marks depend.

4. Justify and interpret

Many students stop when the calculation ends, even though the command term asks for more. If the question asks you to justify a maximum, use an appropriate argument such as a negative second derivative, a derivative sign change or a comparison with relevant endpoints.

In context, translate the result back into the problem. If a model gives t = 4.73, explain what 4.73 represents and whether rounding to a whole number is necessary. Check that probabilities lie between 0 and 1, lengths are positive and solutions belong to the stated domain.

5. Present the final answer clearly

End each part with an unmistakable conclusion. Include units, coordinates, an interval, exact form or required degree of accuracy as appropriate.

Unless a question states otherwise, the current IB examination convention is to give numerical answers exactly or correct to three significant figures. Keep unrounded calculator values during intermediate work so that premature rounding does not alter later answers.

Match your response to the command term

The command term determines what evidence the examiner needs. The same mathematical topic can require very different responses.

Command term	Required response
Find / Calculate	Obtain the answer while showing the relevant stages of working
Show	Give the calculation or derivation steps
Show that	Reach the supplied result through valid working without assuming it
Hence	Use the preceding result to obtain the new answer
Hence or otherwise	The preceding result is suggested, but another valid method may earn credit
Prove	Give a formal sequence of logical steps leading to the required result
Justify	Supply valid mathematical reasons or evidence
Interpret	Use the result to identify a trend or conclusion in context
Sketch	Show the general shape with relevant features and labels

In a show that question, reverse-engineering the printed answer is not enough. Begin from established information and transform it logically until the given result appears. Since the final answer is already supplied, the working is the substance of the response.

The word hence is equally important. It signals that you should use preceding work, often through a short substitution or deduction. Ignoring that link can create an unnecessarily long method and may fail to satisfy the intended instruction.

Adapt your working to each paper

Paper 1

Without a calculator, algebraic fluency and exact forms become especially important. Write identities, substitutions and transformations carefully, and avoid converting exact values such as radicals or multiples of π into decimals unless requested.

If you become stuck, write the relevant formula and make a meaningful substitution. This can expose a viable next step and may also earn method credit. The RevisionDojo guide to Maths AA Paper 1 provides additional paper-specific practice advice.

Papers 2 and 3

Technology can perform calculations, but it does not replace mathematical communication. Record the equation solved, the function analysed, the distribution used or the integral evaluated rather than writing only a calculator result.

For example, write P(X ≥ 14), where X ~ B(20, 0.6) before giving the numerical probability. For a numerical intersection, state the equations or define the function whose zero you found. Check angle mode, graph windows and statistical settings before trusting an output.

What to do when you are stuck

Do not leave an extended-response page blank. Long questions contain several possible entry points, and later parts may still be accessible.

Use this recovery sequence:

Rewrite the known quantities and the requested quantity.
Identify the relevant syllabus topic and formula.
Draw or annotate a diagram if geometry, vectors or rates are involved.
Attempt a substitution or define the necessary function.
Move to the next part if progress stops, then return later.

If an earlier answer is wrong, use it consistently in later parts unless the result is impossible or the question supplies another value. Follow-through marks may be available when the later method remains valid. Clearly label the value you are carrying forward so the examiner can follow your reasoning.

Common mistakes that lose avoidable marks

Giving a calculator answer without showing the mathematical setup
Treating show that as permission to quote the required result
Ignoring hence and repeating the problem by an unrelated route
Rounding intermediate values too early
Failing to reject solutions outside the domain or context
Claiming a stationary point is a maximum without verification
Omitting units or misreading significant figures
Using calculator notation instead of standard mathematical notation
Crossing out readable work before a replacement method is complete
Continuing for several lines after obtaining a correct answer and introducing a contradiction

Readable layout also matters. Start each subpart on a new line, align equations where helpful and separate alternative attempts. Examiners can award only the marks supported by work they can understand.

Practise by studying how marks are built

Watching a model question being worked through is useful because it makes the hidden structure visible: where the method begins, which transition earns accuracy credit and where reasoning must be stated. Do not watch passively. Pause before each step, predict what should happen and then compare the model with your plan.

Use the RevisionDojo Maths AA hub and its question-level video resources to access Maths AA materials, including worked content and available per-question video support. The Maths AA video library is useful when you need to see a method performed rather than merely read the final markscheme.

Follow each model with a fresh question from the Maths AA Questionbank. After marking, use the guide to analysing IB Maths markschemes to classify each lost mark as a content, method, accuracy, command-term or communication error.

For timed preparation, combine targeted practice with Maths AA predicted papers. Jojo AI can help explain why a step was incomplete, but you should still compare your written solution line by line with the available markscheme or worked solution.

Conclusion

Successful IB Maths AA long answers follow a visible chain: decode the instruction, establish the model, show the important transitions, justify conclusions and present the final result in the required form. Full working protects method and follow-through marks while command-term alignment ensures that you answer the task actually set.

RevisionDojo can support this process through model videos, the Maths AA Questionbank, markscheme review and timed papers. Begin with the per-question video solutions, imitate the structure on a similar problem, and then test the method independently under timed conditions.

Sources and referenced URLs

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