IB Questions by Topic: Biology, Chemistry and Physics
The best way to practise IB science is topic by topic, with exam-style questions, examiner mark schemes and a record of how you do on each topic. Tiber Tutor, built by examiners and experienced educators, puts all three in one place for Biology, Chemistry, Physics and IB Maths. Below you will find how topic questions work, what to look for, and how to use them.
TL;DR
- Topic questions let you fix one weak area at a time, before you move on to full papers.
- Check that any question set matches your subject, level (SL or HL) and syllabus edition. Biology, Chemistry and Physics all have guides for first assessment in 2025.
- Questions only help if you mark them against an examiner mark scheme and log the results.
- Tiber Tutor links questions, topic tests, flashcards, notes and mock exams, and tracks your progress across them. Plans are $9 per month per subject or $19 per month for All-Access.
Table of Contents
- Why practise by topic?
- Know your syllabus before you pick questions
- What good topic questions look like
- Biology, Chemistry and Physics: what to expect
- A weekly routine that works
- Why integration matters
- What it costs
- Start practising with Tiber Tutor
- Our view on topic questions
- FAQ
- Sources
Why practise by topic?
A full paper tells you your grade. A topic set tells you why.
If you score 4 on a mock paper, you do not know whether the problem is enzymes, titration calculations or circular motion. Topic questions isolate the problem. You answer ten or fifteen questions on one idea, mark them, and see at once whether the gap is knowledge, command-term technique or maths.
This suits every reader of this page:
- Students get short, focused sessions that fit around homework and internal assessments.
- Parents can see what has been covered and what has not, without needing to know the content.
- Teachers and administrators can set a topic set as homework and review results by class or by topic.
- Homeschoolers get a structure that follows the syllabus, so nothing is missed.
Know your syllabus before you pick questions
The single most common mistake is practising from the wrong edition. The IB’s new Biology, Chemistry and Physics guides were first examined in 2025, with teaching starting in 2023. Questions written for the older course can use different topic numbers and cover different content.
Three quick checks:
- Edition. Ask your teacher which guide you follow, or look at the cover of your subject guide. The current Biology guide is labelled “first assessment 2025”.
- Level. SL and HL share most content, but HL adds extra subtopics and a longer, harder Paper 2. A good question set marks HL-only material clearly.
- Numbering. The 2025 Biology course is organised into four themes: Unity and diversity, Form and function, Interaction and interdependence, and Continuity and change, each divided into lettered subtopics such as A3.2 or D4.2. Older material uses numbered topics.
Tiber Tutor keeps both versions available, so you can pick the one that matches your class. For example, there are separate pages for IB Biology 2025 topic tests and for the earlier Biology topic tests.
What good topic questions look like
Not every question list helps. Look for these features.
Real exam style
Questions should copy the three IB paper formats: multiple choice, data-based and short-answer questions, and extended responses. They should use IB command terms such as “outline”, “explain” and “evaluate”, because each one asks for a different depth of answer. Examiners write the Tiber Tutor questions, so the wording and mark allocation follow what you will see in May or November.
Mark schemes you can use
An answer key that only gives a letter or a number teaches little. You need the marking points, because IB marks are awarded for specific ideas. Tiber Tutor includes examiner mark schemes and a student-led answer review: you write your answer, then mark yourself against the scheme point by point. That is how you learn to spot the difference between a 2-mark and a 4-mark response.
Coverage of the whole subject
Check the list of topics. Gaps matter. Ecology is a good example. In the 2025 Biology course, D4.2 Stability and Change covers ecosystem stability, tipping points such as Amazon deforestation, and, at HL only, ecological succession and climax communities. If your question set has nothing on these, you are not covered.
Biology, Chemistry and Physics: what to expect
| Subject | How topic practice usually works | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | Short-answer and data-based questions per subtopic, plus Paper 1 multiple choice | Edition (2025 themes versus older topics) and HL-only content |
| Chemistry | Calculation-heavy questions on structure, reactivity and energetics, plus multiple choice | Showing working and units, which earn marks even if the final answer is wrong |
| Physics | Problem solving with equations from the data booklet, plus data analysis | Choosing the right equation and keeping track of significant figures |
All three subjects reward the same habit: do the questions closed-book, mark them honestly, then return to the same topic a week later.
For Biology ecology and ecosystems, you can try the Topic 4 topic tests. For classification and cladistics, there is a dedicated A3.2 question set. Chemistry students can move from topic work to Chemistry mock exams, and the full Chemistry resources sit alongside them.
A weekly routine that works
This is a routine you can follow for any science subject.
- Learn the topic. Use notes or an animated video and a set of flashcards. Our Biology Topic 1 flashcards are one example.
- Answer a question set closed-book. Do it in one sitting and time yourself.
- Mark it against the mark scheme. Write down which marking points you missed, not just the score.
- Take the topic test. Questions test recall of single ideas. A topic test shows whether you can apply them under pressure. Our Biology topic-specific test guide explains how to approach one.
- Review weak spots a week later. Most students forget what they do not revisit.
- Move to mock exams once most topics are covered. Full papers build stamina and timing.
The IB publishes sample papers as examples of past and specimen exams. They are useful for a final timing check once you have worked through your topics.
Why integration matters
Most people collect questions from one place, notes from another and flashcards from a third. Then nothing connects. You finish a set, but nothing records which topics you have really mastered.
Tiber Tutor is designed so each resource links to the next. A question set sits beside its notes, video, flashcards and topic test. Your results feed progress tracking and syllabus monitoring, so you can see which subtopics are green and which still need work. Teachers and parents see the same picture through advanced analytics. We know of no other IB STEM platform that joins examiner mark schemes, student-led review and performance tracking in one place.
What it costs
Tiber Tutor offers a free 7-day trial. After that, the Per-Subject Plan is $9 per month and the All-Access Plan is $19 per month. Longer memberships (6 months, yearly and the full 24-month course) are also available. Because the content is written by actual IB examiners, and the plans include questions, mark schemes, notes, videos, flashcards, cram sheets, mock exams and analytics, we believe it is the best value for money in IB science preparation.
Start practising with Tiber Tutor
Pick your subject and level, open the topic list and start with the area that worries you most. Biology students can go straight to Biology Topic 2 questions or the matching Topic 2 topic test. See the plans and pricing to start your free 7-day trial.
Parents can read how the platform supports families on the parents page, and students can see their own view on the students page.
Our view on topic questions
Students rarely fail because they did not work hard. They fail because the work was not aimed at the right place.
A topic question set aimed at the right place changes how a student feels. Confidence comes from seeing a weak topic turn into a strong one, with the marks to prove it. That is why we build every question and mark scheme with examiners, and why we keep the questions, notes, videos, flashcards and tests linked together.
We want every student to leave a session knowing what to do next. Progress tracking and answer review make that possible. Curiosity grows when a student stops dreading the exam and starts seeing the pattern behind it.
Oliver
FAQ
Where can I find IB Biology, Chemistry and Physics questions by topic?
Tiber Tutor organises questions by subject, level and topic, with examiner mark schemes. You can start from the IB Biology resources or the Chemistry resources. The IB also publishes sample exam papers on its own site.
Are there IB ecology questions?
Yes. Ecology sits in the Biology syllabus under ecosystems and, in the 2025 course, under D4.2 Stability and Change. Try the ecosystems topic tests, and revisit them after you learn each subtopic.
How do I know the questions match my syllabus?
Check your edition (first assessment 2025 or earlier), your level (SL or HL) and the topic numbering against your subject guide. Pick the matching version on Tiber Tutor, or ask your teacher which guide your class follows.
How should I use mark schemes?
Answer first without help, then mark yourself point by point. Note which marking points you missed and the command term that was asked for. Repeat the topic a week later to see if the gap has closed.
Sources
- IB Diploma sample exam papers
- 2025 IBDP Biology, Chemistry and Physics subject guides
- IB Biology Year 2 HL unit planner, D4.2 Stability and Change