CAS for maths lovers
How to plan a maths CAS project
A CAS project is a bigger, shared piece of work that you plan and carry through with others. Maths gives you plenty of strong project ideas, from clubs and tutoring schemes to data projects for a charity.
Provisional Our short summary of the IB's CAS requirements, being checked against the IB's current CAS guide. Your CAS coordinator's guidance comes first.
What a CAS project involves
A CAS project is required. Your CAS coordinator will tell you what your school expects it to involve and how long it should run.
See the IB's CAS project guidance and your coordinator's rules.
A maths project, step by step
One way to plan it (our suggestion, not the IB's wording):
| Step | What it looks like in a maths project |
|---|---|
| Find a need | Find a real need or interest: ask a teacher, a charity or a group what would help. Write down the evidence of the need. |
| Plan | Form the team, agree roles, plan the sessions or the analysis, get permissions, and check safety and ethics. |
| Run it | Run it, regularly, and keep dated evidence as you go. |
| Review | Stop and think at several points, not only at the end, and change the plan when you need to. |
| Share | Show and share what happened and what you learned: a presentation, a display, a report for the group you worked with. |
Your CAS coordinator may use a different planning framework: follow theirs.
Checklist for a strong project
- It responds to a real need or interest that someone other than you has confirmed.
- You plan and carry it out with others, and you can say what each person did.
- It runs for a sustained period, with a clear start and finish.
- It involves real responsibility: you make decisions, not only follow instructions.
- It is safe and ethical, and a member of staff knows about it.
- You know how you will share the outcome.
Project-ready maths ideas
- Start a lower-school maths clubServiceCreativityProject-ready
- Run a competition training groupServiceProject-ready
- Organise an inter-house maths competitionCreativityServiceProject-ready
- Plan a school maths week or Pi DayCreativityServiceProject-ready
- Run a maths circle with a local primary schoolServiceCreativityProject-ready
- Mentoring scheme to encourage under-represented groups in mathsServiceProject-ready
- Edit a student maths magazineCreativityProject-ready
- Host a family maths eveningServiceCreativityProject-ready
- Set up a peer-tutoring programmeServiceProject-ready
- Volunteer with an adult numeracy groupServiceProject-ready
- Make maths explainer videos for younger studentsCreativityServiceProject-ready
- Maths support for students new to the language of instructionServiceProject-ready
All 67 ideas (filter by Project-ready).
Common pitfalls
- Choosing a project because it sounds impressive rather than because someone needs it.
- Doing everything yourself, so nobody else shares the work or the learning.
- Starting without permissions, then having to stop.
- Using CAS time for your IA or exam revision: keep CAS separate from your coursework.
Frequently asked questions
Can a maths club be a CAS project?
It can. Agree it with your CAS coordinator first: they decide what counts as a CAS project at your school.
How long does a CAS project last?
The IB's public CAS pages do not give a length. Your CAS coordinator will tell you what your school expects.
Can my CAS project be my maths IA?
No. Keep them separate: your IA is assessed coursework, while CAS is not formally assessed. You can use maths you have learned in CAS.
More for CAS: Evidence and reflection · Safety and ethics · all 67 ideas
IB Math Revision is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the IB. Requirement summaries are our own words; for the official requirements see the IB's CAS page and ask your school's CAS coordinator.