Sports Exercise and Health Science Past Papers 2026
Browse all available Sports Exercise and Health Science sessions from 2009-2025. This archive currently includes 382 official papers and 0 donated papers.
32
Sessions
382
Papers
382
Official
2009-2025
Years
November 2025
Latest Session
32
Sessions
2009–2025
68
Question Papers
48
Markschemes
71% coverage
Components & time pressure
Marks per minute = how fast you have to write. Anything above 0.85 is tight; above 1.0 is brutal.
| Paper | Component | Marks | Duration | Marks / min | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Multiple Choice | 40 | HL: 40 MCQs (SL: 30 MCQs, ~22 common with HL) | 1.00 | Very high |
| Paper 2 | Data-based + Structured + Extended Response | 90 | HL: longer than SL — Section A (data-based + structured) + Section B (choose 2 of 4 extended-response questions) | — | — |
| Paper 3 | Options-based | 50 | HL: choose 2 options from A (Optimising Physiological Performance), B (Psychology of Sport), C (Physical Activity and Health), D (Nutrition for Sport, Exercise and Health) | — | — |
Components: 3 papers, up to 3 variants each. Component data extracted from 4 official IB subject reports (2023, 2025).
November 2025
Latest Session
32
Sessions
2009–2025
155
Question Papers
90
Markschemes
58% coverage
Components & time pressure
Marks per minute = how fast you have to write. Anything above 0.85 is tight; above 1.0 is brutal.
| Paper | Component | Marks | Duration | Marks / min | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 | Multiple Choice | 30 | SL: 30 MCQs (~22 common with HL) | 1.00 | Very high |
| Paper 2 | Data-based + Structured + Extended Response | 50 | SL: shorter than HL — Section A (data-based + structured) + Section B (choose extended-response questions) | — | — |
| Paper 3 | Options-based | 40 | SL: choose 2 options from A (Optimising Physiological Performance), B (Psychology of Sport), C (Physical Activity and Health), D (Nutrition for Sport, Exercise and Health) | — | — |
Components: 3 papers, up to 3 variants each. Component data extracted from 4 official IB subject reports (2023, 2025).
Yearly Exam Sessions
What IB examiners say about Sports Exercise and Health Science
Verbatim quotes from 4 official IB subject reports (2025–2023). Every quote is attributable to a specific paper and session — these are the things IB markers flag year after year.
Failing to apply theory to sport, exercise and health…
Candidates struggled to apply their knowledge to the context of the question and were often unable to expand their points. They were therefore unable to access the higher marks.
Misinterpreting command terms
Addressing the questions in full and interpreting the requirements of the command term was the largest challenge for candidates. Often responses were extended prose of just lists of information, rather than sufficient detail for a description, explanation, or discussion.
Confusing closely-related SEHS terms
Some candidates confused the terms erythrocytes and leucocytes. Continue to encourage candidates to understand the technical vocabulary involved.
About IB Sports Exercise and Health Science
IB Sports, Exercise and Health Science (SEHS) is a Group 4 science subject that combines the rigour of scientific study with a focus on the human body in sport and exercise contexts. Topics include anatomy, physiology, energy systems, movement analysis, exercise physiology, skill acquisition, and measurement and evaluation of human performance.
IB SEHS is offered at SL and HL. It shares assessment components with Biology at the group level but is distinct in content. Past papers are valuable for practising data analysis, short-answer, and extended-response questions across all assessed topics.
Exam Format
Paper 1 (SL: 45 min / HL: 1 hr)
Multiple-choice questions. SL: 30 questions; HL: 40 questions.
Paper 2 (SL: 1 hr 15 min / HL: 2 hr 15 min)
Short-answer and extended-response questions on core and HL topics.
Paper 3 (SL: 1 hr / HL: 1 hr 15 min)
Section A: data-based question. Section B: option topic questions.
SL vs HL
SEHS SL covers the core six topics. HL adds three additional topics on further anatomy, exercise physiology, and psychology of sport, plus a more demanding option section.
Study Tips for IB Sports Exercise and Health Science
- ✓Learn muscle names, locations, and actions — anatomy questions appear in every paper.
- ✓Practise drawing and labelling diagrams of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.
- ✓Know the three energy systems (ATP-PC, glycolytic, aerobic) and when each is predominantly used.
- ✓For Paper 3 data questions, always refer to the data with specific values in your answer.
- ✓Link exercise physiology concepts to real sport examples to make answers more convincing.
Questions, answered.
IB Sports, Exercise and Health Science (SEHS) is a Group 4 science subject. It examines human biology through the lens of sport and physical activity, covering anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, and psychology.
SEHS is a recognised IB Group 4 science. Many universities accept it for kinesiology, sports science, physiotherapy, and some nursing programmes, though requirements vary.
SEHS and Biology are similar in structure. SEHS has a more applied focus on sport and exercise, which some students find more engaging. Neither is significantly easier overall.