CIE IAL · Mathematics · 9709 P6 · The Poisson distribution
Topic Questions: • use the Poisson distribution as an approximation to the binomial distribution where appropriate — 9709 P6 The Poisson distribution
38 9709 P6 The Poisson distribution topic questions are tagged to this syllabus point across 22 papers (2020–2026). Only the parts whose knowledge graph matches this syllabus statement are counted, and the table shows which parts of each question are involved.
Core finding
This The Poisson distribution syllabus point appears in 22 9709 P6 papers across 2020–2026, contributing 38 topic questions and 95 marks. The most recent appearance is 9709/61 May/June 2026. That equals 18.4% of the 207 topic questions and 16.6% of the 574 marks tagged to The Poisson distribution. Only parts tagged to this subtopic are counted, so a four-part question can contribute one item and one part's marks. The table lists every matching question, its tagged parts and marks, with a link back to the paper page. Sessions are newest first, so the statement can be traced back through the full paper history.
Topic questions by session
Newest sessions first. Parts and marks count only the parts tagged to this subtopic; “x of y parts” shows how much of the question is tagged elsewhere. Select the paper cell to open the matching question on the paper page, or use Go to Practice Hub to answer that exact question in the Interactive Practice Hub.
| Paper | Question | Type | Parts | Marks | Difficulty | Practice |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9709/61May/June 2026 · CIE IAL | Q5 Poisson and Binomial Approximations - CIE A-Level Mathematics 2026 Jun Paper 61 Q5 |
FRQ | 1 of 3 parts ((b)) | 4 of 10 on the paper |
Easy | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/65May/June 2026 · CIE IAL | Q1 Plant Disease Probability Distributions - CIE A-Level Mathematics 2026 Q1 |
FRQ | 3 of 4 parts ((a), (b), (c)) | 4 of 8 on the paper |
Easy | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/61October/November 2025 · CIE IAL | Q3 Binomial Approximation using Poisson Distribution - CIE Paper 6 |
FRQ | 2 parts ((a), (b)) | 6 | Easy | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/63October/November 2025 · CIE IAL | Q3 Poisson Approximation to Binomial - CIE A-Level Mathematics |
FRQ | 2 parts ((a), (b)) | 6 | Medium | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/61May/June 2025 · CIE IAL | Q1 Wind Turbine Sample Approximation - CIE A-Level Mathematics |
FRQ | 1 part | 3 | Easy | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/62May/June 2025 · CIE IAL | Q6 Poisson and Normal Approximations - CIE A-Level Statistics Q6 |
FRQ | 1 of 3 parts ((a)(i)) | 3 of 10 on the paper |
Medium | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/62October/November 2024 · CIE IAL | Q1 Poisson Approximation to Binomial Distribution - CIE Probability & Statistics 2024 Nov Paper 62 Q1 |
FRQ | 1 part | 3 | Easy | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/63May/June 2024 · CIE IAL | Q1 Poisson Approximation to Binomial Distribution - CIE A Level Mathematics Q1 |
FRQ | 2 parts ((a), (b)) | 4 | Medium | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/62March 2024 · CIE IAL | Q3 Poisson Approximation to Binomial Lottery Tickets - CIE Mathematics Q3 |
FRQ | 2 parts ((a), (b)) | 4 | Medium | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/62October/November 2023 · CIE IAL | Q1 Poisson and Binomial Approximations - CIE A-Level Mathematics |
FRQ | 1 of 2 parts ((b)) | 2 of 6 on the paper |
Medium | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/61May/June 2023 · CIE IAL | Q1 Medical Degree Poisson Approximation - CIE Mathematics 2023 Jun Paper 61 Q1 |
FRQ | 2 parts ((a), (b)) | 6 | Medium | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/62May/June 2023 · CIE IAL | Q2 Poisson Approximation to Binomial Distribution - CIE 9709 Jun 2023 Paper 62 Q2 |
FRQ | 2 of 3 parts ((b), (c)) | 4 of 5 on the paper |
Medium | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/63May/June 2023 · CIE IAL | Q6 Poisson Approximation to Binomial Distribution - CIE 9709 S23 Paper 63 Q6 |
FRQ | 1 of 2 parts ((a)) | 3 of 5 on the paper |
Medium | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/62October/November 2022 · CIE IAL | Q3 Poisson Approximation for Bicycle Riders - CIE 9709 Nov 2022 Paper 62 Q3 |
FRQ | 2 parts ((a), (b)) | 6 | Medium | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/62May/June 2022 · CIE IAL | Q3 Measles Vaccination Poisson Approximation - CIE A Level Mathematics Q3 |
FRQ | 2 parts ((a), (b)) | 6 | Medium | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/61October/November 2021 · CIE IAL | Q5 Poisson Approximation and Binomial Hypothesis Test - CIE A Level Probability & Statistics Q5 |
FRQ | 1 of 3 parts ((a)(i)) | 2 of 9 on the paper |
Easy | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/63October/November 2021 · CIE IAL | Q5 Poisson Approximation and Binomial Hypothesis Test - CIE A-Level Probability & Statistics 2 Q5 |
FRQ | 2 of 3 parts ((a)(i), (a)(ii)) | 4 of 9 on the paper |
Easy | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/61May/June 2021 · CIE IAL | Q5 Genetic Disorder Sample Probability - CIE A-Level Mathematics |
FRQ | 2 parts ((a), (b)) | 7 | Medium | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/62May/June 2021 · CIE IAL | Q2 Binomial Distribution Properties and Approximation - CIE A-Level Maths 2021 Jun Q2 |
FRQ | 1 of 3 parts ((b)(i)) | 2 of 7 on the paper |
Easy | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/61October/November 2020 · CIE IAL | Q1 White Flowers Poisson Approximation - CIE 9709 Nov 2020 Paper 61 Q1 |
FRQ | 3 parts ((a), (b), (c)) | 7 | Medium | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/62May/June 2020 · CIE IAL | Q3 Data Entry Errors Poisson Approximation - CIE A-Level Mathematics Q3 |
FRQ | 3 of 4 parts ((a)(i), (a)(ii), (a)(iii)) | 6 of 9 on the paper |
Medium | Go to Practice Hub |
| 9709/62March 2020 · CIE IAL | Q1 Booklet Letter Errors Approximation - CIE S2 Q1 |
FRQ | 1 part | 3 | Easy | Go to Practice Hub |
Related topic questions in The Poisson distribution
• understand the relevance of the Poisson distribution to the distribution of random events, and use the Poisson distribution as a model
46 marks · 2020–2026
• use formulae to calculate probabilities for the distribution
260 marks · 2020–2026
• use the fact that if then the mean and variance of are each equal to
9 marks · 2020–2023
• use the normal distribution, with continuity correction, as an approximation to the Poisson distribution where appropriate
151 marks · 2020–2026
Topic question rules and edge cases
- How many topic questions cover this syllabus point?
- 22 question stems cover this subtopic across 22 papers, but only 38 tagged parts and 95 marks belong to it. Other parts of the same questions are assessed under different statements and are excluded from this page.
- Which papers include this subtopic?
- The table lists every matching session from 2020–2026. Each row links to the question anchor on the paper page, where the full paper context and practice entry point are available.
- Why can one question appear under several subtopics?
- The parts of one question can assess different syllabus statements. Each part is counted under its own subtopics, so the same question stem can appear on several subtopic pages while each page lists only the parts and marks tagged to that statement.
- Can I practise these questions with AI marking?
- Yes. Open a paper from the table and use the Interactive Practice Hub entry point. The page itself is static HTML so search engines and retrieval agents can read the full question list without executing JavaScript.