IB Physics HL/SL Tutor Online
My Physics Buddy (MPB) offers 1:1 online tutoring & homework help in Physics and related subjects — and IB Physics HL/SL is one of our most in-demand and specialized tutoring areas for students in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. IB Physics is both a demanding two-year academic course and a set of externally assessed standardized examinations administered by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). It is taken by students across the world at Higher Level (HL) or Standard Level (SL), and strong performance contributes directly to the IB Diploma score and university admissions outcomes. Whether you are in Year 1 of the IBDP building topic foundations, in Year 2 facing Internal Assessment deadlines and final exams, or a parent looking for structured, expert online support, MPB connects you with tutors who know the IB Physics curriculum, assessment criteria, and examination demands thoroughly. If you’ve been searching for an IB Physics tutor near me and want the depth and flexibility of personalized online learning, you are in the right place. Our sessions are designed to improve conceptual understanding, Internal Assessment quality, examination technique, and problem-solving confidence — with honest, structured guidance and no over-promises.
- 1:1 live sessions — fully personalized to your HL or SL level, current topic, and assessment timeline
- Expert tutors with strong knowledge of the IB Physics syllabus, Internal Assessment criteria, and Paper 1, 2, and 3 examination formats
- Flexible time zones — sessions conveniently scheduled for students across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Gulf regions
- Structured learning plan built around your HL/SL level, current topics, IA stage, and examination session dates
- Ethical homework, assignment, and IA guidance — we explain, advise, and give feedback; you design, execute, and submit your own work
Who This IB Physics HL/SL Tutoring Is For
IB Physics HL/SL is studied by students at IB World Schools globally. This tutoring is for students who want focused, expert 1:1 support across the full breadth of the programme — not generic revision sheets or group classes.
- Year 1 IBDP students beginning IB Physics who want to build strong topic foundations from the start of the programme
- Year 2 IBDP students managing Internal Assessment deadlines, topic reviews, and final examination preparation simultaneously
- HL students dealing with the additional depth and mathematical rigour of the Higher Level content and AHL topics
- SL students who want structured support to ensure they perform consistently and confidently across all assessed components
- Students struggling with specific topics — wave phenomena, electromagnetic induction, quantum and nuclear physics, or circular and gravitational mechanics — who need targeted conceptual help
- Students working on their Internal Assessment (IA) who need guidance on experimental design, data analysis, and report structure without crossing academic integrity boundaries
- Students at IB World Schools in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Gulf, and other primary regions
- Parents looking for an accountable, subject-specialist tutor who understands the IB system and can provide reliable, consistent support
Outcomes: What You’ll Be Able To Do in IB Physics HL/SL
Structured, consistent work with an MPB IB Physics tutor is designed to build observable, functional skills across every component of the programme — theory, experimental work, and examination performance.
Solve multi-step quantitative problems across all IB Physics topics — from circular motion and gravitational fields to electromagnetic induction, wave superposition, and nuclear decay — accurately and with clearly shown working that matches IB mark scheme expectations. Analyze experimental data, graphs, and physical scenarios using the scientific reasoning skills assessed in Paper 3 and throughout the Internal Assessment — including uncertainty propagation, trend identification, and evaluation of experimental limitations. Explain physical phenomena in precise, structured responses that correctly address IB command terms such as “state,” “explain,” “derive,” “evaluate,” and “discuss” — the specific language the mark scheme rewards and that many students underestimate. Apply physics concepts to unfamiliar data-based and stimulus-based questions — the format used in Paper 1 and Paper 2 — which rewards deeper conceptual understanding over surface-level memorisation. Present an Internal Assessment investigation with a clearly defined research question, appropriate methodology, rigorous data analysis, and a well-argued conclusion that reflects genuine scientific enquiry and meets the IB IA assessment criteria.
What We Cover in IB Physics HL/SL (Syllabus / Topics)
IB Physics is structured by the International Baccalaureate Organization into a core syllabus taken by both HL and SL students, additional Higher Level (AHL) content taken only by HL students, and optional themes. The current syllabus (first examined 2025) restructures content into five main themes. Exact topic coverage and depth requirements differ between HL and SL — always share your level and current topic with your tutor. Details may vary by exam session; verify current requirements at the IBO website.
Theme A: Space, Time, and Motion
- Kinematics: displacement, velocity, acceleration; motion graphs; projectile motion
- Forces and dynamics: Newton’s laws, free-body diagrams, friction, momentum, impulse
- Work, energy, and power: conservation of energy, efficiency, kinetic and potential energy stores
- Rigid body mechanics (HL): torque, angular momentum, rotational kinetic energy, moment of inertia
- Relativity (HL): Lorentz transformations, time dilation, length contraction, spacetime diagrams, mass-energy equivalence
- Problem types: projectile calculations, conservation law problems, Lorentz transformation (HL)
Theme B: The Particulate Nature of Matter
- Thermal energy: internal energy, specific heat capacity, specific latent heat, phase changes
- Ideal gases: gas laws, kinetic model of an ideal gas, the Boltzmann factor
- Current electricity: Ohm’s Law, resistance, I-V characteristics, Kirchhoff’s laws, power
- Heating effect of electric currents: power dissipation, domestic electricity
- Capacitance (HL): capacitors, charge-voltage relationships, energy stored, RC circuits
- Problem types: calorimetry calculations, circuit analysis, RC charging/discharging (HL)
Theme C: Wave Behaviour
- Simple harmonic motion: defining equations, energy in SHM, graphs of displacement/velocity/acceleration
- Travelling waves: wave properties, the electromagnetic spectrum, sound
- Wave phenomena: superposition, interference, diffraction, standing waves, resonance
- The Doppler effect and its applications
- Interference (HL): Young’s double-slit, diffraction grating, thin film interference
- Geometric optics: reflection, refraction, lenses, image formation, ray diagrams
- Problem types: SHM calculations, path difference, diffraction grating (HL), lens equations
Theme D: Fields
- Gravitational fields: Newton’s Law of Gravitation, field strength, gravitational potential, orbital mechanics, Kepler’s laws
- Electric fields: Coulomb’s Law, field strength, electric potential, equipotential surfaces
- Magnetic fields and forces: Biot-Savart Law (HL), force on moving charges and conductors, Fleming’s rules
- Electromagnetic induction: Faraday’s Law, Lenz’s Law, transformers, AC generators
- Induced EMF (HL): flux linkage, alternating current, RMS values, LC circuits
- Problem types: orbital energy, induction calculations, transformer problems, magnetic force scenarios
Theme E: Nuclear and Quantum Physics
- Structure of the atom: Rutherford model, atomic spectra, Bohr model, energy levels
- Quantum mechanics (HL): wave-particle duality, de Broglie wavelength, the uncertainty principle, tunnelling
- Radioactive decay: types, half-life, decay equations, activity calculations
- Nuclear reactions: fission, fusion, mass defect, binding energy, Q-value calculations
- The Standard Model: quarks, leptons, fundamental forces, Feynman diagrams (HL)
- Problem types: energy level calculations, half-life and activity, binding energy, Q-value (HL)
Internal Assessment (IA)
- Research question formulation: defining a focused, testable, physics-based research question
- Experimental design: independent and dependent variables, controls, apparatus selection
- Data collection: raw data tables, significant figures, uncertainties
- Data processing and analysis: calculations, graphs, linearization, error propagation
- Evaluation: identifying limitations, sources of systematic and random error, suggesting improvements
- Report structure: background, methodology, data, analysis, conclusion, evaluation
- Connecting IA findings to IB Physics syllabus theory
Optional Themes (Paper 3 — varies by school)
- Theme A: Astrophysics — stellar evolution, cosmology, HR diagrams, Hubble’s Law
- Theme B: Engineering Physics — rotational dynamics, thermodynamic cycles, fluid dynamics
- Theme C: Imaging — optics, medical imaging, X-rays, ultrasound, MRI
- Theme D: Astrophysics and Relativity (HL extension options)
- Coverage confirmed with your tutor based on which optional theme your school has chosen
Students whose coursework or research interests extend into adjacent advanced areas can explore MPB’s dedicated pages for Quantum Mechanics, Electromagnetism, and Special Relativity.
How My Physics Buddy Tutors Help You with IB Physics HL/SL (The Learning Loop)
Diagnose: Every engagement starts with a structured diagnostic. The tutor asks about your HL or SL level, current topic, Internal Assessment stage, upcoming assessment or examination dates, and which areas feel most unclear — whether that’s Theme D electromagnetic induction, Theme C wave phenomena, or Theme E nuclear physics. This shapes every session that follows.
Explain: The tutor builds each topic from the IB syllabus points using clear, IB-appropriate language, step-by-step reasoning, and live worked examples on a digital whiteboard. Abstract concepts — like magnetic flux linkage, quantum tunnelling, or spacetime diagrams in special relativity — get connected to examination contexts and IB command term expectations so explanations are immediately useful, not just theoretically interesting.
Practice: You work through past IB Physics exam questions — Paper 1 multiple-choice, Paper 2 short and extended response, and Paper 3 data-based and optional theme questions. Problem selection mirrors the IB examination format and difficulty distribution, including the challenging multi-step HL questions that seperate top-band students from the rest.
Feedback: After each practice block, your tutor reviews your answers against IB mark scheme expectations — not just whether the final answer is correct, but whether the working is set out correctly, whether command terms are being addressed properly, and where marks are being dropped against specific mark scheme points. IB-specific traps — incomplete “explain” answers, missing units, incorrect significant figures — get caught and corrected.
Retest/Reinforce: Topics where errors cluster are revisited in later sessions with fresh question types and increased difficulty. Reinforcement is deliberately spaced so understanding holds under actual examination conditions — not just in the session where the topic was first covered.
Plan: Your tutor maintains a clear session roadmap anchored to your school’s IA submission deadline, mock exam schedule, and final IB examination dates. The plan adapts as assessment results come in and priorities shift across the two-year programme.
Accountability: For students who want it, tutors set structured tasks between sessions — past paper sections, syllabus point summaries, IA drafting milestones — and review progress at the start of each session to maintain consistent momentum across the programme.
All sessions run on Google Meet, with a digital pen-pad or iPad + Pencil for live worked examples, field diagrams, wave sketches, circuit analysis, and IA data graph construction. Tutors adapt explanation depth and mathematical rigour to HL or SL level — HL students receive fuller derivations and deeper mathematical treatment where the syllabus demands it.
First session flow: Your first session starts with a short diagnostic — the tutor asks about your HL or SL level, current topic, IA stage, recent assessment marks, and examination session. The tutor then moves into live teaching on a priority topic with worked examples and Q&A. The session closes with a clear plan for the sessions ahead. Before the session, it helps to share your IB Physics syllabus guide, a recent test or mock paper, your IA research question if already chosen, and your examination session month.
Tutor Match Criteria (How We Pick Your Tutor)
MPB selects your IB Physics tutor based on several overlapping criteria — IB-specific knowledge is just as important as subject depth at this level.
Level and syllabus fit: Your tutor will have direct familiarity with the current IB Physics syllabus — including the HL/SL distinction, the Internal Assessment criteria, the Paper 1, 2, and 3 formats, and the IB command term framework. Tutors who have taught or supported IB Physics specifically are prioritized over those with only general university physics backgrounds.
Topic strengths and tools: For IB Physics, we look for tutors who are confident across all five themes at both HL and SL depth, and who understand the IA assessment criteria well enough to guide students without doing their work for them. Tools used include Google Meet and digital pen-pad or iPad + Pencil for live diagrams and worked examples.
Time zone and availability: Tutors are matched for availability across US (ET, CT, PT), UK (GMT/BST), Canada, Australia (AEST/AEDT), and Gulf (GST/AST) time zones. Flexible scheduling is available for students managing IB coursework, CAS, and TOK alongside Physics.
Learning style and pace: Some IB Physics students learn best from conceptual understanding first; others prefer working directly from past paper questions and filling gaps from their errors. Your tutor adapts to whichever approach builds both understanding and examination performance most effectively.
Language and communication preferences: All MPB tutors communicate in clear English, calibrating technical depth to HL or SL level and ensuring explanations map directly to IB syllabus language and assessment criteria.
Goals: Whether your priority is a specific predicted grade, improving Internal Assessment scores, recovering a weak topic before mock exams, or aiming for a 6 or 7 in the final examinations, the tutor’s session structure is calibrated to that goal from the first session.
Urgency and timelines: Students with IA deadlines or mock exams weeks away get an intensive, priority-based structure. Students beginning Year 1 of the IBDP get a thorough, paced topic-by-topic build across the programme. Both are planned explicitly after the diagnostic.
Study Plans (Pick One That Matches Your Goal)
MPB offers three broad plan types for IB Physics HL/SL: an intensive catch-up plan (typically 1–2 weeks) for students with imminent mock exams or IA deadlines who need rapid consolidation across key topics or IA components, a full exam prep plan (typically 4–8 weeks) that works systematically through all five IB Physics themes with past paper practice, mark scheme analysis, and Paper 1, 2, and 3 technique focus, and ongoing weekly support across one or both years of the IBDP for students who want consistent expert guidance as they move through the course, IA, and final examinations. The specific session plan — topic sequence, past paper selection, IA milestone guidance, and extended-response practice — is built by your tutor after the diagnostic session, aligned to your HL or SL level, current gaps, and examination session.
Pricing Guide
IB Physics HL/SL tutoring at MPB starts at USD 20 per hour and typically ranges up to USD 40 per hour for standard weekly support and exam preparation sessions. HL sessions requiring deeper mathematical treatment and more advanced topic coverage may be priced toward the higher end of this range. Short-timeline, intensive sessions or requests for specialist IA guidance across extended sessions may also be priced higher. Supply and demand affects rates — tutor availability and session frequency can influence the final quote.
For a specific quote based on your level (HL or SL), goals, and schedule, WhatsApp for quick quote.
FAQ
Is IB Physics HL hard?
IB Physics HL is widely regarded as one of the most demanding science subjects in the IB Diploma Programme. The combination of conceptual depth, mathematical rigour, Internal Assessment demands, and three separate examination papers makes it a genuine chalenge for most students. HL in particular adds significant additional content — relativity, quantum mechanics, electromagnetic induction at depth, and rigid body mechanics — that requires structured, expert support to handle confidently. With consistent 1:1 tutoring, both the content and the exam technique become manageable well before examination sessions.
How is IB Physics SL different from HL?
IB Physics SL covers the core themes (A through E) at a defined depth with fewer topics and less mathematical rigour than HL. HL students study all SL content plus significant Additional Higher Level (AHL) material — including full special relativity, deeper quantum mechanics, more advanced electromagnetic induction, rigid body mechanics, and more. HL students also sit additional HL-only questions in Paper 2. Your tutor will always calibrate session content, mathematical depth, and past paper selection to your specific level.
Can you help with the IB Physics Internal Assessment (IA)?
Yes — within IB academic integrity boundaries. MPB tutors provide guidance on formulating a focused research question, designing an appropriate experimental methodology, understanding uncertainty and error analysis, structuring the report correctly, and connecting findings to IB Physics theory. Our services aim to provide personalized academic guidance to help you understand concepts and improve skills. Tutors do not design your IA for you, generate your data, write sections of your report, or produce work you submit as your own. The IB’s academic integrity policy is strictly respected. You design, conduct, write, and submit your own IA.
Which IB Physics exam papers does tutoring cover?
MPB tutors cover all three IB Physics examination papers. Paper 1 (multiple-choice), Paper 2 (short and extended-answer questions on core and AHL content), and Paper 3 (data-based questions and optional theme questions) are all practiced across sessions, with specific emphasis placed on whichever paper format your current preparation most requires. Optional theme selection for Paper 3 is confirmed with your tutor based on your school’s chosen theme.
What happens in the first session?
The first session begins with a short diagnostic — the tutor asks about your HL or SL level, Year of the IBDP, current topics, IA stage, recent predicted or mock grades, and examination session. The tutor then moves into live teaching on a priority topic with worked examples and Q&A. The session closes with a clear plan for the sessions ahead. Bring your IB Physics syllabus guide, a recent test or mock paper, and your IA research question or draft if applicable.
Is online tutoring effective for IB Physics?
Yes — for IB Physics specifically, online 1:1 sessions are very well suited. The format allows the tutor to work through derivations and calculations live on a digital whiteboard, annotate past paper questions in real time, provide IA feedback on shared documents, and move fluidly between topics within a session. Students across the US, UK, and Gulf in particular find online scheduling significantly more flexible than in-person options given the demands of the full IB Diploma workload.
How does the IB Physics grading work?
IB Physics is graded on a 1–7 scale. The final grade is composed of external assessment (Papers 1, 2, and 3 — contributing approximately 80% of the final mark) and internal assessment (the IA — contributing approximately 20%). Grade boundaries for each score band are set by the IBO each examination session and can vary slightly year to year. Always verify current assessment weightings and grade boundary information directly with the IBO, as details may vary by examination session.
Can IB Physics tutoring help with university physics preparation?
Yes — significantly. Students who genuinely understand their IB Physics HL content find the transition into first-year university physics, engineering, and applied sciences considerably smoother. The mathematical and conceptual depth of HL in particular maps closely onto early university physics content. Students looking ahead to university-level study can explore MPB’s pages for Classical (Newtonian) Mechanics, Modern Physics, and Thermodynamics.
Does MPB also support other international school physics qualifications?
Yes. MPB supports students across all major international school physics qualifications. Students studying Cambridge IGCSE Physics can visit the IGCSE Physics (0625) page. Students on the A Level pathway can explore A/AS Level Physics (9702) and Edexcel A Level Physics. Students preparing for AP Physics in US-curriculum schools can visit the AP Physics overview page.
Can I get help with IB Physics even if I’m only in Year 1 of the IBDP?
Absolutely — and starting early is one of the best decisions an IB Physics student can make. Year 1 is when the foundational topics across all five themes are introduced, and building genuine understanding from the start makes Year 2 — with its IA deadlines, mock exams, and final examinations — significantly more manageable. Students who begin 1:1 support in Year 1 consistently report stronger IA outcomes and better examination readiness than those who start intensive support only in Year 2.
Academic Integrity Note: Our services aim to provide personalized academic guidance, helping students understand concepts and improve skills. Materials provided are for reference and learning purposes only. Misusing them for academic dishonesty or violations of academic integrity policies is strongly discouraged.
Trust & Quality at My Physics Buddy
Tutor selection: Every MPB tutor goes through a subject knowledge screening, a live demo session evaluation, and an ongoing student feedback review process. For IB Physics HL/SL, we specifically look for tutors who understand the IB assessment system — the command term framework, the mark scheme structure, the IA criteria, and the Paper 1, 2, and 3 formats — not just the physics content in isolation. Tutors are evaluated on their ability to work within IB language and structure, build examination technique alongside conceptual understanding, and support IA work ethically and effectively.
Academic integrity: MPB’s role is to guide and explain — not to do the work for students. In all homework, assignment, IA, and examination preparation support, tutors explain concepts, work through analogous examples, and provide feedback on the student’s own reasoning and work. IB academic honesty requirements are fully respected in every session. Students write, investigate, calculate, and submit their own work.
About My Physics Buddy: MPB is a Physics-focused online tutoring platform serving secondary school and university students and their families across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Gulf regions. Our core is Physics and closely related quantitative subjects. Students preparing for IB Physics HL/SL can also explore subject-specific depth through MPB’s pages for Waves and Optics, Nuclear Physics, Electrostatics, and Atomic Physics. Students progressing to university or considering related qualifications can also look ahead with our pages for Engineering Physics and Quantum Mechanics.
“The IB Diploma Programme is a rigorous pre-university course of study that demands the best from both teachers and students. IB Physics, in particular, develops the analytical thinking and scientific communication skills that universities worldwide recognise and value.”
International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) — IB Physics curriculum overview
“Research consistently shows that students who engage in genuine scientific inquiry — formulating questions, designing investigations, and interpreting data — develop deeper and more durable understanding of physics than those who learn through passive instruction alone.”
As affirmed in science education research — see the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine — Discipline-Based Education Research report
Explore Related Physics Subjects and Qualifications at MPB: IB Physics HL/SL spans a wide range of core physics disciplines. MPB has dedicated tutoring pages for every major topic area — including Statistical Mechanics, Special Relativity, Electrodynamics, Particle Physics, and Experimental Physics & Lab Skills. If any individual domain needs deeper focused work alongside your IB programme, these pages are a natural starting point.
Content reviewed by an IB Physics HL/SL tutor at My Physics Buddy.
Next Steps
Getting started is straightforward. Share your HL or SL level, Year of the IBDP, the topics currently giving you the most difficulty, your IA stage, and your upcoming examination session month. Let us know your preferred session times and time zone. MPB will match you with a tutor whose IB Physics syllabus knowledge, IA guidance experience, availability, and teaching approach fits your specific needs. Your first session is a diagnostic and live teaching session — so you leave with a clearer understanding of a priority topic and a concrete plan for the sessions ahead.