IB Diploma · Mathematics
All four courses, taught as four different subjects.
Analysis and Approaches and Applications and Interpretation are not one subject at two speeds. They reward different skills and examine differently. We teach all four — and we will tell you if your child is in the wrong one.
AA rewards algebraic technique and proof. AI rewards modelling, interpretation and confident use of the calculator. A student strong at manipulation and weak at written interpretation will find AI harder than its reputation suggests — and the reverse is just as true.
Analysis & Approaches · Standard Level
AA SL — the algebraic core, at standard depth.
The default route for students heading to a numerate degree who do not need the full Higher Level load. Algebraic fluency is assumed from day one, which is exactly where most of the difficulty sits.
| Content | Functions, sequences and series, trigonometry, differential and integral calculus, probability and statistics |
| Papers | Paper 1 (no calculator) and Paper 2 (calculator) |
| Internal Assessment | The Mathematical Exploration — 20% of the grade |
| Common failure | Unresolved IGCSE algebra surfacing as a calculus problem |
| We focus on | Foundation repair first, then method-mark presentation, then the Exploration |
Analysis & Approaches · Higher Level
AA HL — the hardest mathematics course the IB offers.
Everything in AA SL, considerably deeper, plus content that does not appear anywhere else in the Diploma. Students arrive from IGCSE expecting a step and find a cliff.
| Additional content | Proof by induction and contradiction, complex numbers, vectors, advanced calculus, Maclaurin series, differential equations |
| Papers | Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 — the extended-response paper sat by HL students only |
| Internal Assessment | The Mathematical Exploration — 20% of the grade |
| Common failure | Algebraic stamina. The concepts land; the multi-step manipulation does not |
| We focus on | Proof technique, Paper 3 strategy, and the algebra underneath — most HL problems are IGCSE problems in disguise |
If your child is in AA HL and drowning, the honest answer depends on where in the course they are and what the foundation looks like. It is usually fixable, and faster than most families fear. The diagnostic will tell us.
Applications & Interpretation · Standard Level
AI SL — modelling, statistics and the calculator.
Often chosen as the easier route and often not. AI rewards written interpretation and confident technology use, which are taught far less often than algebra.
| Content | Number and algebra in context, functions and modelling, geometry and trigonometry, statistics and probability, introductory calculus |
| Papers | Paper 1 and Paper 2 — both with calculator |
| Internal Assessment | The Mathematical Exploration — 20% of the grade |
| Common failure | GDC technique nobody taught, and interpretation answers that state the number without saying what it means |
| We focus on | Explicit calculator training, modelling workflow, and writing conclusions the rubric credits |
Applications & Interpretation · Higher Level
AI HL — statistics and modelling at depth.
The route for data science, economics and the life sciences. Under-chosen and under-supported, because far fewer tutors teach it than teach AA.
| Additional content | Advanced statistics and hypothesis testing, matrices and eigenvalues, graph theory, complex numbers in context, differential equations and numerical methods |
| Papers | Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 — the extended-response paper sat by HL students only |
| Internal Assessment | The Mathematical Exploration — 20% of the grade |
| Common failure | Paper 3. It is long, applied and routinely under-practised |
| We focus on | Statistical reasoning, Paper 3 endurance, and modelling questions worked end to end |
The Exploration
20% of the grade, and the same for all four courses.
Unlike an exam, it can be worked on for months. The commonest failure is not weak mathematics — it is choosing a topic with nowhere to go, or writing up an investigation without the personal engagement and reflection the criteria explicitly reward.
We start Exploration coaching early enough to change the topic if it is not going to work. Included, not charged as an extra.
Across every level
- Foundation repair before anything is added on top
- Method-mark presentation — working laid out so a wrong answer still scores
- GDC technique taught explicitly, not assumed
- Past papers from the current syllabus, marked and returned
- Full Exploration coaching, topic choice to reflection
- Five to a class in Kovan, or one to one online
Questions
What parents ask.
What is the difference between AA and AI?
What is the difference between SL and HL in IB Maths?
My child is doing AA HL and drowning. Is it too late?
Do you help with the Mathematical Exploration?
Bring us the last paper your child sat.
We’ll show you exactly where the marks went.