Annotated exemplars
Annotated Maths IA exemplars, marked criterion by criterion
Exemplar written by IB Math Revision for teaching — not a real student's IA, not moderated by the IB. Study it — don't reuse it: submitting or copying it is academic misconduct. The data and the student voice are illustrative, and the marks are our judgement. Schools check coursework with similarity software such as Turnitin.
Reading good work is the fastest way to understand the criteria. These 17 explorations were written by IB Math Revision specifically for teaching: complete, realistic, and annotated with examiner-style comments on every criterion. Six are written to a top-band (full-marks) standard, and four are deliberately mid-band, so you can see exactly what separates a 10 from a 20.
Next step: read an excerpt below, then check your plan or draft free with the IA self-check — guided questions give a rough band for each criterion, no upload. The IA package (€39 once) opens every exemplar in full and adds 5 AI feedback credits for your own drafts.
They are not student work, and they are not IB material. Free excerpts and all the marking comments are below; the full explorations open in a protected viewer with the IA package or a Pro plan.
Top-band examples: what a 20/20-standard Maths IA looks like
People search for “20/20 Maths IA examples”, and most of what they find is either a real student's work (which you cannot reuse) or a claim nobody can check. Ours are different: six explorations written by IB Math Revision to show a full-marks standard, with an examiner's note on why each criterion reaches the top band and what would lose marks.
- AA HL · top-band standardHow far can a stack of books lean over the edge of a table?Series, proof and calculus · 18 pages · 20/20
- AI SL · top-band standardIs my 07:40 bus late because of the rain?Statistics: χ² tests, t-test, regression, normal models · 16 pages · 20/20
- AI HL · top-band standardWhat is the quickest way to deliver a leaflet to every house on my estate?Graph theory: Chinese postman and modelling · 13 pages · 20/20
- AA SL · top-band standardWhen can we launch? Modelling the tide at our sailing club's slipwayTrigonometric modelling and calculus · 15 pages · 20/20
- AI HL · top-band standardIs it cheaper to leave the heating on low overnight? A two-temperature model of my bedroomCoupled differential equations, eigenvalues and Euler's method · 17 pages · 20/20
- AI SL · top-band standardWhen is the sea warm enough for our swimming club? A sinusoidal model of sea temperatureTrigonometric (sinusoidal) modelling of real data · 14 pages · 20/20
Looking for a “grade 7 Maths IA example”? The IA is only part of your grade — how IA marks, moderation and grade boundaries work.
Honest labelling: written by IB Math Revision to show a top-band (full-marks) standard — not a real student's IA, not moderated by the IB; marks can't be guaranteed. Full marks are rare, and moderated marks depend on the whole sample from a school, so no exemplar can promise your mark.
All annotated exemplars
- AA SLIs a hanging chain a parabola? Comparing catenary and quadratic modelsModelling with functions and calculus · 14 pages · 19/20
- AA HL · top-band standardHow long does a skydiver take to reach terminal velocity?Differential equations · 12 pages · 20/20
- AI SLShould I lease or buy my first car?Financial mathematics and exponential models · 12 pages · 17/20
- AI HLHow long does a game of Snakes and Ladders last on my grandmother's board?Markov chains and probability · 12 pages · 18/20
- AI SLDo students who sleep less react more slowly?Statistics: correlation, regression and hypothesis tests · 11 pages · 18/20
- AI SL · mid-bandSleep and reaction time: a mid-band draft, annotated to show how to improveDeliberately mid-band statistics draft · 4 pages · 10/20
- AI SLWhere should our town put its next defibrillator? A Voronoi analysisVoronoi diagrams and geometry · 11 pages · 18/20
- AA SL · mid-bandDrinks-can optimisation: a mid-band AA SL draft, annotated to show how to improveDeliberately mid-band calculus draft · 3 pages · 12/20
- AA HLPredicting Spirograph patterns with complex numbersComplex numbers, roots of unity and calculus · 11 pages · 16/20
- AI HL · mid-bandAre arrivals at the school canteen random? A mid-band AI HL draft, annotated to show how to improveDeliberately mid-band hypothesis-testing draft · 5 pages · 12/20
- AA HL · mid-bandWhere should the 125 ml line go on a wine glass? A mid-band AA HL draft, annotated to show how to improveDeliberately mid-band volume-of-revolution draft · 7 pages · 13/20
How to use an exemplar (without copying it)
- Read the marking table first, so you know what to look for.
- Read one criterion's annotations at a time and find the evidence in the text.
- Close the exemplar. Write your own plan and your own sections.
- Come back only to compare: does my draft show the same qualities — in my own words and with my own mathematics?
Copying or closely paraphrasing any exemplar, including the top-band ones, is academic misconduct.
Frequently asked questions
Are these real 20/20 IAs?
No. Every exemplar here was written by IB Math Revision for teaching; none is a real student's IA and none was moderated by the IB. The six top-band examples were written to show a full-marks standard, and their marks are our examiner-style judgement — no one can guarantee a mark.
What does a full-marks Maths IA look like?
A precise aim that the whole exploration answers; mathematics at the level of the course that is correct and, at the top, sophisticated and rigorous; personal engagement shown by the student's own decisions throughout; critical reflection that changes or tests the results; and clear, consistent notation. The top-band examples show each of these with an examiner's note.
Do I need a 20/20 IA for a 7 in IB Maths?
No. The IA is 20% of your final mark, and the grade boundaries — for the IA and for the subject as a whole — are set each session, so no single IA mark guarantees or rules out a 7. A strong IA makes a 7 much more reachable; our top-band examples show what the top of each criterion looks like. See how marks and moderation work on the marks and moderation guide.
Can I copy the structure or reword an exemplar?
No. Copying or closely paraphrasing an exemplar — its wording, structure, data, figures or question — is academic misconduct. Read one to see what a criterion looks like, then close it and write your own exploration on your own question.
Read all seventeen in full
The IA package: 13 full annotated exemplars (6 at a top-band standard) and four mid-band drafts, plus 5 AI feedback credits for your own drafts. €39 once, 12 months' access, 14-day money-back guarantee. It helps you write your own IA; it never writes it for you.