I’ve been teaching IB Physics since 2004. I run GradePod. And I’ve used, reviewed, or spoken to the people behind every platform on this list.
That means I have an obvious conflict of interest — and it also means I know this landscape better than almost anyone. What follows is my honest assessment of every major IB Physics resource available for the current syllabus. I’ll tell you clearly where a competitor is the better choice for a specific need. But I’ll also tell you clearly where GradePod is the strongest option, because pretending otherwise wouldn’t help you.
Here’s what I evaluated: content quality, syllabus coverage (current IB Physics syllabus, first examined 2025), value, and who each resource genuinely suits.
GradePod (Best overall for IB Physics)
GradePod is the most complete free IB Physics resource for the current syllabus. Every concept tutorial for all 24 topics is on YouTube, completely free, with no login and no paywall. That’s not a loss leader — it’s a deliberate decision based on a belief that every student deserves access to great IB Physics teaching regardless of their school or budget.
GradePod is one teacher: me. I’m a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, author of four IB Physics books (two hit number one on Amazon), and have taught IB Physics since 2004. There’s no team of contract writers, no multi-subject platform, no investor pressure. Just a specialist who has spent 20 years teaching this one subject and built a system specifically around helping students lose as few marks as possible in the IB Physics exam.
What makes it the best starting point: The free tutorials cover all 24 topics in full — SL and HL — with a concept tutorial and a past paper walkthrough for each. The learning objective checklists (free on every topic page) give you a precise map of exactly what you need to know. You can start right now at gradepod.com/topics with no account and no cost.
The Exam Pack (£39, one-time) adds the structured practice layer: topic-by-topic past paper questions with mark schemes, revision note templates, a knowledge question bank, a complete mock exam, an annotated data booklet, a Paper 1B survival pack, and a full checklist. One purchase. No subscription. No renewal.
The honest gaps: GradePod doesn’t have an interactive online question bank with instant AI feedback, and it doesn’t have video walkthroughs of every individual past paper question going back to 2016. If either of those is your specific priority, I’ll tell you which platform does it better below.
Best for: Any student who wants the best free specialist IB Physics teaching for the full current syllabus, with an optional one-time structured practice pack.
Revision Village
Revision Village is the biggest name in IB study resources. They claim 85% of IBDP students worldwide use their platform. Whether or not that figure is exact, it tells you something real about their reach.
It covers a huge range of IB subjects: Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Economics, and more. For IB Physics specifically, it offers question banks, an AI tutor called Newton, prediction exams, flashcards, and a revision ladder that guides you through topics in order.
What it does well: If you need resources across multiple IB subjects, Revision Village is hard to beat for breadth. Their IB Maths content in particular is widely regarded as the strongest available anywhere. If you’re already paying a subscription for Maths or another subject, the Physics content comes along for the ride. They’ve also built strong whole-school packages, so if your school has a site licence, you may already have access.
The honest limitation: Revision Village is a large, well-funded team with ambitions across the whole IB. Physics is one subject on a long menu. The content is created by a rotating cast of contract teachers rather than a single named voice who owns the subject, and when you go deep into a topic, that sometimes shows. The subscription model also means ongoing cost.
Best for: Students who need strong multi-subject IB resources, especially if IB Maths is a priority alongside Physics.
PaperPlainz
Peter, who runs PaperPlainz, has built something I genuinely admire. Over 2,000 video explanations covering every SL and HL past paper question from May 2016 to November 2024, with new syllabus content being added continuously.
What it does well: If your primary need is detailed video walkthroughs of real past paper questions, PaperPlainz is the deepest resource available for exactly that. The coverage is remarkable, and the explanations come from someone who has taught IB Physics at a high level in international schools for more than 15 years. For students who want to sit down with a worked solution and understand not just the answer but the reasoning, it’s exceptional.
The honest limitation: It’s a subscription model, so there’s ongoing cost. PaperPlainz is a complement to concept teaching rather than a replacement for it — you need to understand the content before the past paper walkthroughs make sense.
Best for: Students whose biggest gap is worked past paper solutions with detailed reasoning, used alongside a resource that covers the concepts first.
Save My Exams
Save My Exams supports over 2.5 million students every month across GCSE, IGCSE, A Level, and IB. For IB Physics, the written revision notes are solid and the question bank is large. There’s also a Smart Mark AI tool that gives instant written feedback.
What it does well: Strong written notes, good question bank breadth, and consistent quality across subjects. If you prefer reading revision notes to watching videos, or if you’re already using Save My Exams for other subjects, the IB Physics content is a reasonable addition.
The honest limitation: IB Physics is a small part of a very large platform. Some students find it feels impersonal. Full access requires a premium subscription, and the IB Physics content is not as specialist as a dedicated IB Physics platform.
Best for: Students who prefer written notes over video, or who are already using Save My Exams for other subjects.
GradeGorilla
GradeGorilla does one thing well: mini-topic quizzes. Ten questions, under ten minutes, written by experienced IBDP teachers. The content is updated for the current IB Physics syllabus, and the free tier is genuinely useful.
What it does well: Fast, low-pressure topic checks. If you want to find out in ten minutes which parts of a topic you know and which you’ve forgotten, GradeGorilla is exactly the right tool for that. Great for daily retrieval practice.
The honest limitation: It’s a quiz tool, not a full revision system. No video tutorials, no past paper walkthroughs, no extended answer practice. A complement to other resources, not a replacement.
Best for: Students who want quick daily topic checks to identify gaps between study sessions.
RevisionDojo
RevisionDojo is the newest platform on this list, built around AI-integrated revision across 21 IB subjects. It offers practice questions, flashcards, and study notes with instant AI feedback. The interface is modern and the notes are described by reviewers as clear and well-structured.
What it does well: A modern, AI-forward revision experience with progress tracking and instant feedback. There’s a free tier, which lowers the barrier to trying it.
The honest limitation: It’s less established than the others here, so there’s less track record to evaluate. IB Physics is one of 21 subjects, so it carries the same specialist limitation as other multi-subject platforms.
Best for: Students who want an AI-assisted revision experience and are comfortable trying a newer platform.
Which resource is right for you?
Start with GradePod. The free tutorials are the best specialist IB Physics teaching available for the current syllabus. Watch the concept tutorial for each topic, use the learning objective checklist, and watch the past paper walkthrough. This is your foundation. It costs nothing.
Add the Exam Pack (£39) when you’re ready to practise. Topic-by-topic past paper questions, a mock exam, revision note templates, and an annotated data booklet — everything you need to convert understanding into marks. One-time purchase, no subscription.
Add a second resource if you have a specific gap:
- Multi-subject resources or IB Maths: Revision Village
- Deep worked video solutions for every past paper question: PaperPlainz
- Written notes if you prefer reading to watching: Save My Exams
- Quick daily knowledge checks: GradeGorilla
- AI-assisted feedback on written answers: RevisionDojo
Most students who perform well in IB Physics use GradePod as their primary resource and add one specialist supplement based on their specific weakness. The combination that works for the majority: free GradePod tutorials for concept understanding, plus the Exam Pack for structured past paper practice.
Whatever you use, the key is this: don’t just consume content. Do past paper questions. Read the mark schemes. Find out what the examiner actually wants. That’s what the gap between a 4 and a 7 looks like in practice.
Get the GradePod Exam Pack for £39 →
I’m Sally Weatherly, Fellow of the Institute of Physics, author of four IB Physics books (two hit #1 on Amazon), and founder of GradePod. I’ve helped 30,000+ students prepare for IB Physics since 2020.