🧭 IA Modelling Planner

Walk from empty page to a submitted IA in six steps. Start with the scoping plan (11 pre-writing prompts checked against the IB planning bands A-E, 0-3 each), then draft each criterion with a “Get Gemini feedback” button that grades your paragraph against the official IB Math Modelling IA descriptors. When your draft is ready, one click hands the whole thing off to the full AI IA Review. 📖 Step-by-step guide →

Your planner

Scoping Topic Data Model Draft A Draft C+D Draft E

0 Scoping plan · answer these before you draft

Ten minutes of scoping saves ten hours of rewriting later. This mirrors the pre-writing plan Pete uses with real IB students — every prompt maps to a planning band (A-E, 0-3 each).

Area of interest — why are you interested?

Working title

Aim (one clear sentence)

Data collection — what, and how?

Technology (Desmos / GDC / Sheets / GeoGebra…)

Data representation (scatter, line, table…)

What maths will you use?

How is your aim linked to that maths?

How is this different from a textbook question?

Outline the structure of your IA

Possible limitations of your IA

1 Pick a real-world topic

Good IAs start with genuine curiosity. Aim for something you'd actually want to know — coaches, teams, hobbies, ecology, local businesses.

Your topic

The IB rewards personal engagement (Criterion C). Generic textbook topics rarely score above 3/4.

2 Source your data

You need at least 10 clean data points, ideally 20+. Bookmark the source now so you can cite it in Criterion B.

Where will your data come from?

Primary data (you collect it) scores higher on Criterion C than secondary (someone else's).

3 Pick a model

Which mathematical model best fits the relationship you're testing?

Candidate model Why this model? (2-3 sentences)

4 Draft Criterion A · Presentation

Rewrite your topic + data + model choice as a coherent introduction. Aim for 250-400 words.

5 Draft Criterion C · Personal engagement + Criterion D · Reflection

Show why THIS problem matters to you and what surprised you. These are the two criteria most IB students under-cook.

6 Draft Criterion E · Use of mathematics

Show the actual maths — fitted parameters, residual analysis, error bars, validity checks. This is where the top-band marks live.

A Presentation (4 marks) — coherent, concise, well-structured.

B Mathematical communication (4) — accurate notation, terminology, forms.

C Personal engagement (3) — genuine curiosity, independent thinking.

D Reflection (3) — critical, meaningful reflection on findings + limitations.

E Use of mathematics (6) — sophisticated + correct math beyond SL syllabus level.

Total: 20 marks · Weight: 20% of your final grade.

The full review reads your assembled draft and grades all five official IB criteria (A–E, 20 marks). Free for subscribers (4 reviews included) or €5 per review.

Academic-honesty reminder: This planner is a study aid, not a co-author. Your submitted IA must remain your own work under IBO academic-honesty policy. See full terms.