IB Physics · IB Maths
How to Choose an IB Physics and Maths Tutor
A good physics and maths tutor for IB knows both subject guides, knows how each paper is marked, and can show you where the two subjects use the same skills. For most IB students, one tutor for both subjects works best when the trouble is the maths inside physics. Two tutors work better when you take HL in both and need deep help in each.
“Physics and maths tutor” means two different things online. Some people are looking for a free revision website with past papers and notes. Others are looking for a real person to teach them.
This page is about the second one — choosing a human tutor for IB. If it is free IB material you want, our revision notes and practice questions are the place to start, and they are written for the IB courses rather than for A level.
Physics and maths sit side by side for a reason. Almost every physics question is a maths question with a story around it. If rearranging an equation, reading a graph or using a vector feels shaky, physics marks drop first, even when you understand the physics itself.
This guide explains what the two subjects share, when one tutor is enough, what to ask before you book, how many hours most students need, and what it costs. There are two diagrams, two tables to help you decide, and a one-card summary at the end.
It is about how to choose. If you already know what you need and just want to see what we offer, the maths and physics tutoring page has the subjects, levels and packages, and IB Diploma tutoring covers the other subjects.
Why physics and maths go together
IB Physics does not ask you to do calculus, and it does not set proofs. But it uses a lot of maths all the time. You rearrange formulas, read gradients, turn curved graphs into straight lines, split forces into parts and work with powers of ten. That is all maths, and IB Physics examiners give no marks for good physics with broken maths.
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Here is what the middle of that diagram looks like in real questions:
- Rearranging formulas. Making v the subject of v2 = u2 + 2as is pure algebra. Lose a square root here and the whole answer is wrong.
- Straight-line graphs. y = mx + c from maths is how physics finds a value from an experiment: plot the right two things, and the gradient is the answer.
- Vectors and trigonometry. Splitting a force on a slope into two parts uses sin and cos exactly as a maths lesson does.
- Logs and exponentials. Radioactive decay and charging capacitors follow the same curves as the exponential models in IB Maths.
- Rates of change. Velocity is the gradient of a distance-time graph. Displacement is the area under a velocity-time graph. That is differentiation and integration without the symbols.
- Units and significant figures. Both subjects take marks for an answer given to the wrong accuracy or with no unit.
If you want to see how much maths sits inside one physics topic, our guide to the SUVAT equations works through it line by line.
When physics marks drop, check the maths first. It is the cause more often than the physics.
One tutor for both, or two separate tutors?
There is no single right answer, but there is usually a clear one for you. Use this table.
| Your situation | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Physics marks are low because the maths trips you up | One tutor | One person fixes the maths skill and shows it working in physics straight away. |
| Both subjects at SL, a few weak topics | One tutor | Cheaper, one timetable, and one person who sees the full picture. |
| Maths AA HL and Physics HL, aiming for 6s and 7s | Two tutors | HL papers go deep. A specialist in each subject, ideally an examiner, is worth it. |
| You need help with an IA in one subject | Specialist | The Maths exploration and the Physics investigation have different criteria. Get someone who marks that one. |
| Exams in a few weeks, both subjects | One tutor | Past papers and exam technique are the priority, and one plan is easier to follow. |
If the table does not settle it, there is a quicker test, and the evidence is already written on your last piece of marked work.
Swipe sideways to see the whole chart →
Signs you need a physics and maths tutor
Most students wait too long. These are the signs to act on:
- You understand the lesson, then freeze on the exam question.
- You get the method marks but lose the final answer mark again and again.
- Graph questions feel like guesswork, especially “what does the gradient represent?”
- You avoid questions with vectors, logs or rearranging, and hope they do not come up.
- Your predicted grade in either subject is one or two below what your university offer needs.
- Mock results dropped from DP1 to DP2, when the papers became full IB papers.
- Your IA is due and you are not sure it meets the criteria.
Two or more of these, and a few focused lessons now will save far more time than cramming before May.
What a good IB physics and maths tutor must know
A tutor who is great at A level or GCSE is not automatically good at IB. The courses, papers and marking are different. Check that your tutor knows these points without having to look them up.
IB Maths has two courses, not one
- Analysis and Approaches (AA) leans towards algebra, proof and calculus. Paper 1 is taken without a calculator.
- Applications and Interpretation (AI) leans towards statistics, modelling and technology. You use your graphic display calculator (GDC) on every paper.
- Both come at SL and HL. HL adds a Paper 3 with longer, problem-solving questions.
- Both include the mathematical exploration, an internal assessment worth 20% of the final grade. We break the five marking criteria down in our guide to the mathematics internal assessment.
IB Physics changed for exams from 2025
- The written exams are Paper 1 (multiple choice plus data-based questions) and Paper 2 (longer written questions).
- The scientific investigation is the internal assessment, worth 20%.
- You get the physics data booklet in the exam, so knowing how to use it matters more than memorising it.
- A tutor still teaching from old Physics past papers without checking the new syllabus can waste your time on topics that have moved or gone.
How the marks are given
IB markschemes give separate marks for method, for working and for the final answer. A tutor who has marked IB papers knows exactly which line of working earns the mark, and teaches you to write that line every time. That habit alone can be worth a grade, and because the IA and the papers are added together before grade boundaries are applied, one grade is often closer than it feels — the arithmetic is in how the IB score is calculated.
IB examiner or experienced teacher?
At IB Demystified there are two levels of tutor, and both can teach physics and maths.
Experienced IB teacher
- Teaches IB in a school now, or has for years
- Best for building confidence and filling gaps
- Great for DP1 and for steady weekly support
IB examiner
- Marks real IB papers or IAs for the IB
- Best for exam technique and the last grade
- Great for DP2, HL and IA feedback
If you are not sure which you need, start with an experienced teacher for the basics, then book a few examiner sessions before your mocks and the final exams.
Seven questions to ask before you book
A good tutor will answer all of these easily. If they cannot, keep looking.
- Have you taught IB, not just A level or GCSE? Ask which courses: Maths AA or AI, SL or HL, Physics SL or HL.
- Have you marked IB papers or IAs? Examiners know what earns marks. Teachers who have not marked are still good, but ask.
- Do you know the Physics syllabus for exams from 2025? The answer should be a confident yes.
- How will you find my weak topics? A good answer is a short check in the first lesson, using real IB questions.
- Will you use past papers and markschemes? Every few lessons, you should practise exam questions under time.
- How do you report progress? You and your parents should know what was covered and what comes next.
- Can I try a meeting first? A short free meeting shows whether you get on before you pay for hours.
How online lessons work
Almost all IB tutoring now happens online, and for physics and maths it works very well. You share the screen, the tutor writes the working live, and you keep a copy. This is the usual path:
- Free meeting. You talk about your courses, grades and goals.
- Level check. A few real IB questions show where the marks are going.
- A plan. Topics in order, with the biggest mark losses first.
- Weekly lessons. Usually one hour, at a time that suits your timezone.
- Past papers. Timed practice, marked with the markscheme, line by line.
- Before mocks and finals. More exam technique, fewer new topics.
Between lessons, our IB revision notes and practice questions help you keep going on your own.
How many hours do you need?
It depends on the gap between where you are and where you want to be. As a rough guide:
| What you need | Typical hours |
|---|---|
| Fix one or two weak topics | 5 hours |
| Get ready for mocks in one subject | 10 hours |
| Steady weekly help in physics and maths for a term | 20 hours |
| Both subjects through DP2 to the final exams | 30 to 40 hours |
Starting early in DP1 means fewer hours in total, because small gaps are fixed before they grow. If it is specifically maths you are weighing up, our guide to choosing an IB maths tutor goes further into that one subject, and the IB Maths page shows the AA and AI content at SL and HL.
What a physics and maths tutor costs in the UK
Prices in the UK vary a lot. A general tutor for GCSE or A level is often cheaper than an IB specialist, because fewer tutors know the IB courses and how they are marked. When you compare prices, compare like with like: an IB examiner for HL is a different service from a student tutor.
At IB Demystified the price depends on the level of tutor, not the subject:
- Experienced IB teacher: £65 an hour
- IB examiner: £80 an hour
- Packages from 5 to 40 hours, and you can use the hours across physics and maths.
Prices move, and a number typed into a blog post goes stale quietly. The live packages are always on the tutoring page, so check there before you budget.
Working on an IA? Before paying for full lessons, you can get feedback on your IA from an IB examiner against each criterion.
