A free practice paper on the current syllabus, in standard level and higher level versions. Free to download, free to share.
Every question in this paper is set somewhere in Homer's Odyssey: the crest of a bronze helmet as an impulse problem, Charybdis as a whirlpool, the Sirens as a Doppler shift. The physics is ordinary IB Physics Paper 2 physics — the context is just more interesting than a trolley on a ramp.
Impulse and momentum, circular motion and simple harmonic motion, stellar parallax, and two-source interference.
Everything in the SL paper, plus rigid body torque, the photoelectric effect, and the Doppler effect.
No email needed for the papers. Go and sit one first — it is worth far more to you that way. The SL paper is the HL paper with the AHL material removed, so don't sit both.
Both mark schemes are sent by email — they're free, and it's how I keep in touch with students who find these useful.
These are real IB-style mark schemes, not just answer lists: every marking point written out, the alternatives that are accepted, and examiner notes on the near misses that do not earn the mark. That last part is usually where the grades are.
I'm James Fenwick. I've spent ten years teaching IB Physics and Mathematics at international schools, and I now tutor full time. I write practice papers like this one because the hardest thing to find as an IB student is good questions with a mark scheme that explains the marking.
If you'd like to work through this paper — or anything else — with me, the first conversation is free.